Expert Marketing Strategy Tactics to Have in Your Corner
In the wedding industry, you have choices when it comes to the marketing channels you can use: referrals, social media, blogging, SEO, Pinterest, and marketplace ads are some of the most common ways to generate interest and attract leads. But just because you’re using some of these channels doesn’t mean they’ll produce the impact you need for your business. That’s because marketing is more like an experiment versus an equation (though we’d all really love to find a magical formula). So, when it comes to maximizing your marketing efforts, you have to experiment —working with a multi-faceted marketing strategy is step 1. And here are five powerful marketing tactics you can use as you work to build your brand and attract the highest quality clients.
Focus your efforts
While casting a wide net across your market might seem like the right approach, being more strategic with your marketing will ultimately produce the best results. Because the saying is true: when you try to be everything to everyone, you accomplish being nothing to anyone. That’s because trying to appeal to many involves such broad messaging that it doesn’t hit home for anyone. The solution? Really get to know who your ideal clients are, pinpoint their problems, and tailor your marketing content and messages to their specific needs.
After you’ve taken some time to think about who you are marketing to and what they need to hear, the next thing you can do is stop thinking you need to show up everywhere. Consider where your dream customers “hang out” online and in real life to figure out the best platforms (note the plural and more on that in a moment) for your marketing. Because, if your ideal clients aren’t on TikTok, why spend a ton of time there?
Along with your ideal clients, you should also think about your big-picture goals. Do you want to break into a new market? Are you considering adding a B2B line to your services? Marketing is a major piece of your overall business plan, so your strategy must align with your goals. Otherwise, you’ll end up wasting resources for zero return.
Diversify your marketing channels
If you see great results from a particular marketing channel, it’s easy to divert all of your resources to that one platform. In the wedding industry, Instagram is one of the most-used channels, but too many wedding pros put all their marketing eggs in that one basket. But what happens if your account gets hacked? How will you deal with an algorithm change that drastically reduces your reach?
Building a multi-channel marketing strategy allows you to take advantage of the platforms proven to be effective while protecting your efforts if one of those channels takes a dip. It takes a long time to get a new marketing channel up and running, so it’s better to be proactive and keep a few active at the same time. Then, you’ll have more opportunities to pivot and adjust your approach in response to things you can’t control.
Prioritize search engine optimization (SEO)
Getting found on the internet doesn’t happen by accident, and with the right SEO strategy, you can attract new leads with little to no additional effort. By teaching the internet who you are, what you do, and who you do it for, you can let search engines do the hard work and put your business in front of the couples searching for services like yours.
If you want to better your SEO rankings, the first thing you should focus on is optimizing your website with relevant keywords. From there, you can write high-quality, value-driven blog posts, set up a Google Business page, and optimize your social media profiles.
Pro-tip: Tools can help you find keywords like Ubersuggest, Answer the Public, and Google Trends. Use them to run free SEO reports on your website and research keywords. Another great tool is Google Search Console, which provides real-time data about your website’s SEO.
It’s worth noting that SEO is a longer game. It’s possible to start ranking for less competitive niche keywords within a few months, but expect it to take six to 18 months before you see significant results. While some marketing channels can produce quicker results, SEO is often a more sustainable strategy that doesn’t require much heavy lifting.
Extend your content’s shelf life
Producing fresh content is time-intensive, and many wedding professionals don’t have time to do it regularly. But there’s no need to reinvent the wheel everyday! Whether you’re creating content to build your brand or boost your SEO, repurposing existing content allows you to save time while ensuring your brand message remains relevant and consistent.
Say you’ve written a great blog post about selecting the perfect flowers for your wedding theme and season. You’ve done the keyword research, incorporated your expert advice, and optimized all the pieces for search. Now, you can make the most of the work you’ve already put into the blog post by turning it into a reel or TikTok showcasing flowers for each season. Or you might break up the blog post into multiple Instagram posts, trickling out educational content without extra effort. You could even turn it into an email newsletter or add it to one of your sales sequences. And guess what? You can do this multiple times over!
Simply put, there is no need to create new content all the time. Think about how much time, money, and energy goes into your marketing. If you’re a solopreneur or have a small team, you don’t have time to crank out content for seven marketing channels all week. Repurpose as much as possible and be smart about how you are using your resources!
Audit often
When I said marketing is an experiment, I really meant it—you should expect your marketing strategy to evolve over time. New trends, platforms, and even buzzwords come and go, so it’s important to remain agile in your approach as you work to stay top of mind and relevant.
That’s why audits are a vital part of any marketing strategy—they provide an opportunity to dig into what’s working and what needs to be tweaked... Some tactics might have worked for years, only to dry up when something in the market changed. Likewise, your messaging will need timely updates to adapt to generational shifts, as we now see with Gen Z.
Schedule a quarterly marketing audit to dig into your market research and check in with your current efforts. If you notice your strategy is underperforming, ask yourself these questions to assess your approach:
Are you using the wrong marketing channels? Just because “everyone else” is on a platform doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Likewise, past success doesn’t necessarily imply future success.
Is your messaging off? It’s possible you don’t know your clients as well as you think, or it might be a sign to explore a niche that better aligns with your brand.
Are you targeting the wrong keywords? Run a new SEO report to ensure you’re ranking well and fully optimizing your content for search engines.
Is something missing from your website? Unclear messaging, confusing navigation, and outdated imagery can turn ideal clients away, even if your marketing content catches their attention.
Marketing is an experiment that never ends, so don’t feel afraid to try new things and make mistakes! It’s okay if something doesn’t work out as you expected; if anything, you’ll learn what isn’t effective so you can tweak your experiment and move on to the next exciting idea.
A marketing consultant and small-business builder, Tayler is the Founder of Enji—an exciting new startup that launched in May 2023. (Though you might recognize her from one of her other companies: TAYLRD Media and Designs and Sourced Co.). In her newest endeavor, Tayler is taking everything she has learned over nearly a decade of helping small businesses with marketing to design and build a suite of online marketing tools that fit your lifestyle and make sense for you.
