4 Unconventional and Super Effective Tactics to Get a Bride to Respond Now

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Bride On Cell Phone

Now that you know what NOT to do when you respond to that lead, let’s get to the good stuff!

Here are four strategies that leave her begging for more.  (Watch our free video series to learn how to follow up automatically!)

1. Respond instantly with video.

Fast response is critical.  The best time to respond is within 5 minutes.  (Kellogg’s School of Management.)

Waiting even one measly hour means you are 21x less likely to reach the bride.

I don’t expect you to stay glued to your computer or smart phone all day long.  I mean, we live in a real world full of driveways that need shoveling, families that need feeding, toenails that need clipping.  (Maybe that’s just my world.)

But don’t make the common mistake of sending this boring autoreply: “Thanks!  We’ll respond within 24 hours.” It doesn’t do anything for you.

Send her a link to your super cool welcome video in that autoreply and you will instantly stand out from the competition.

In your video, say hello.  Show off your personality.  Above all, invite her to take an action.

Rev up her interest.  Arouse her curiosity. Get her to take another action and she’ll be primed to respond.

2. Set a date and seal it with a kiss.

Instead of mentioning what the bride can do, “if she wants,” the way most wedding vendors do, tell her exactly what to do and when to do it.  Nicely, of course.

Guide her to the desired action by asking a direct question.  Why a question?  Because questions require an ANSWER.  In other words, she’ll be compelled to respond.

Finally, end with an enthusiastic greeting indicating that you expect to get a response.

Here’s how:

  • Determine the very next action you want her to take.  For most wedding vendors, this is a phone call because once you get her on the phone, setting the meeting is easy.
  • Ask a specific question setting a date for that action, like this: Are you available for a quick phone chat at 4pm tomorrow?
  • Ask your question at the very end of your email in a paragraph all on its own so that it stands out.
  • Seal the deal with a “kiss,” like this: Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you!

Asking a question to set a specific date for a chat makes a HUGE difference in the response you get.  Try it and see.

3. Be so different it makes her laugh.  Or at least snicker.

Check out how your competition is responding and do something completely different.

The first sentence or two of your email usually shows up in the “preview” before the bride even opens her email.  Take advantage of this fact and make it intriguing.

Think outside the box.  What can you write that will make her want to read more?

Some ideas:

Jane, I’m about to share advice from real brides that may shock you because it goes against everything you’ve been told about planning a wedding…

What will June 17, 2013 (her wedding date) be like?

Warning: don’t read this email unless you have a bathroom nearby!

Okay, I got a little crazy with that last one, but that’s kind of the point. You need to be different enough to get attention, then arouse enough curiosity to make her want to read more.  Now.

4. Give her a deadline.

Prepare to be shocked by this fact:

People are lazy.

Okay, maybe that isn’t so shocking, especially if you have children.  Or a husband.

It’s a quirk of humanity that we tend to conserve our actions unless absolutely necessary.  In other words, we don’t take action until we HAVE to.

Yet tell us that we’re about to lose something and we’ll hop to faster than a bunny rabbit in a frying pan.

Include a deadline or a limited time offer in your reply to give the bride an incentive to respond fast.

This might be:

  • Contact us by Friday for a special deal.
  • All couples who meet with us by March 31st get a free bonus.
  • We have another couple inquiring about your date, so call me tonight to confirm our availability.  (Only if this is true.)

When you let the bride know that you won’t be around forever, it gets her off her butt and into action.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to strategies to warm up those leads and get a response so you can book more weddings!

Want to Learn More Disastrous Mistakes to Avoid?

Watch this video to learn the 10 Fatal Follow Up Myths That Are Killing Your Wedding Business!

*For the sake of brevity I have chosen to use the words “bride” and “she” in this blog post.  I’m not suggesting that only brides or heterosexual couples plan a wedding.  Really.  I just happen to like ladies and ticking off really uptight people.

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Filed Under: Bridal Marketing, Home Page Tagged With: , , , ,

6 Embarrassing Reasons the Bride Blew You Off

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Bride Dismayed

How do you get brides to respond?

Here’s the all too frequent scenario:

  •     Bride (or groom) emails you asking for your “prices and packages.”
  •     You respond promptly with your best professional response and…
  •     NOTHIN’.

(Insert cricket sounds here.)

What the heck is going on?  They emailed YOU for information, which means they must be interested.  Right?  What black hole opened and swallowed up the email response you truly deserve?

Untwist those knickers; we’ve put together a free video series revealing what to do to get a fast response and book more weddings.

First, here are a few likely reasons why she DIDN’T respond.

1. Your response was too slow.

The Kellogg’s School of Management study tells us that the best time to respond to a lead is within 5 minutes.

Why?  Because she’s still sitting at her computer.  (Or hovering over her iPhone.)

If you wait even one hour to respond, you are 21x LESS LIKELY to reach her.  Sorry to crush your fast response time reputation, Speedy.

2. Your response put her to sleep.

Your response went something like this:

Congratulations on your engagement!

We at Acme Weddings specialize in providing high quality, professional [whatever you do] for the best prices.  We’ve been featured in Blah Blah magazine…

Call us for your free, no obligation consultation…

*Snore.*  What?  What was that?  No, I did NOT fall asleep at the keyboard!

The average bride contacts 3-10 vendors when searching for a service.  If your response looks anything like this, she barely even noticed it in stack of emails in her inbox.

3. You didn’t tell her how to respond.

Now wait a second!  I specifically told her to call me and schedule a meeting…

Oh, did you?

If you’re like 99% of the wedding vendors out there, you response went something like this:

If you’d like to meet with me to discuss your wedding, please call me at 555-GET-LOST.

That’s what you “told” her to do, isn’t it?

Unless you give her a specific time, date and ask a direct QUESTION that requires an answer, you’re not likely to get a response out of a busy bride.

4. You scared her away.

This is really the #1 reason why she doesn’t respond.  I know you don’t find yourself very scary (except when you look in the mirror after a long night of binge drinking) but there are lots of things you do that scare her off.

Things such as:

  • Sending her a price list.  Ouch!  Can you say sticker shock?
  • Giving her too many choices.  When faced with too many choices (click here, visit this, call this number, meet with that…) the bride will choose to make NONE.  I’m not making this stuff up; it’s Psychology 101.
  • Asking her too many questions.  If you hit her with a list of 20 questions, she doesn’t have the time or brain space to respond.  She’s a bride planning a wedding, for Ringo’s sake!
  • Your hideous grammar, spelling and lack of proper sentence structure sent her screaming.  If you can’t compose a well-written response in English, you should not be the one responding.

The bride is a sensitive, emotional creature in the wild, easily scared off by wedding pros with good intentions, like you.

5. She’s a little busy right now.

That bride really meant to respond to you, your email was super cool and everything, but really, she’s just been so busy since the engagement…

Her head is swimming and her calendar is booked up.  She just hasn’t gotten around to responding yet.

And she probably WON’T anytime soon because you messed up #3 and didn’t ask her a question that actually requires an answer, and you didn’t give her a deadline the bumps you up her priority list.  Ah ha!

6. You didn’t have permission to email her.

Now, in my original scenario you obviously DO have permission to email her, but hang with me here.

I added #6 because whenever I talk about this topic, invariably someone says, “They never respond to my emails!”

And I ask, “Where did the lead come from?”

The answer: “A bridal lead list I paid good money for!”

If she didn’t contact you, she didn’t give you specific permission to email her, no matter what the list broker told you.  Hence, her lack of response.

You might want to notice what DIDN’T make this list of reasons why she didn’t respond.

It’s not because:

  • The ONLY thing she cares about price.
  • She wasn’t really interested in the first place.
  • She went with someone else.  (Well, it might be that, but probably not if you responded within 24 hours.)

Now that we’ve covered what NOT to do, I’ll reveal what you SHOULD be doing instead to get a super fast, enthusiastic response that leads to the exact action you want…coming soon in my next article!

Until then…

Want to Learn More Disastrous Mistakes to Avoid?

Watch this video to learn the 10 Fatal Follow Up Myths That Are Killing Your Wedding Business!

*For the sake of brevity I have chosen to use the words “bride” and “she” in this blog post.  I’m not suggesting that only brides or heterosexual couples plan a wedding.  Really.  I just happen to like ladies and ticking off really uptight people. 

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If you'd like to get more free information and strategies like this, join our Wedding Business Tips email list here.

Filed Under: Bridal Marketing, Email, Home Page Tagged With: , , , ,

What Should I Do With That Bridal Show Lead List?

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You’ve got that bridal show lead list in your hot little hands, but before you start blasting out emails, take a gander at the CAN-SPAM Act. These guidelines dictate what you can and cannot do with email addresses if you are using them for commercial purposes….which you are.

Mailing

What You Can’t Do and Must Do with the Bridal Show Email List

  • YOU CAN’T Use a deceptive subject for your email. If your purpose is commercial, you have to make it clear.
  • YOU CAN’T Use a fake name or business in your “from” address.
  • YOU MUST Identify your message as an ad and include your mailing address.
  • YOU MUST Make clear how the recipient can opt-out of receiving emails from you and remove them from your email list promptly when requested.

Unless the brides have specifically requested email information from you, it’s very likely that you will be reported as spam. If this happens, you can be fined $16,000 per violation. More likely than that, if your email receives even a few spam complaints, your IP address can be blacklisted, which means your emails will end up in brides’ spam folders permanently.

My recommendation: don’t email brides unless they give you their email address separately at your booth. Don’t subscribe them to a list unless they agree to be signed up.

I know, I know, you pay for those leads! But if it’s unsolicited and it ticks the bride off, is that really going to get you more business?

What to Do With Those Leads Instead

1) Send a direct mail piece.

A postcard can be a powerful marketing tool if you design it correctly. Include an attention-grabbing headline, an image that reminds them of your bridal show booth, and make sure you include a “call to action” giving them a reason to contact you.

An example of that call to action: “Call today for your FREE [insert cool service here]!” or “Visit our website to get your FREE copy of [insert cool free report]!”

Want the bride to actually read your mailer? According to Tom Quiner of Breakthrough Marketing, the most effective direct mail piece is a hand-written envelope containing a letter, a brochure and a reply card.The same principles apply: use an attention-grabbing headline, a compelling benefit-driven offer and a call to action. Don’t just sell yourself; provide valuable free information that makes them want to get more, and tell them exactly what to do to get it.

2) Send your very best leads a “lumpy mailer.”

Christine Boulton of Think Like a Bride recommends that you cherry pick your lead list down to the very best locations and affluent zip codes, and send those premium leads a more expensive direct mail piece in a real “lumpy” envelope they’re guaranteed to open. 

Very few of your competitors will be sending a direct mail piece, let alone one that stands out. Check out this blog post for 30 brilliant direct mail pieces.

3) Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up

Don’t just rely on one meeting at the show to book the wedding. It typically takes 3-7 exposures before the customer is ready to buy.

In your direct mail pieces, encourage the bride to opt-in to your email list. Get her to happily give you her email address and permission to follow up by offering a compelling “Bride Bribe” in the form of a free report with information she really wants.

Follow up by email (without violating anti-spam laws) and different forms of direct mail.

I’m not a huge fan of “cold calling” because it’s usually unwelcome, ineffective because few brides even answer the phone anymore, and downright unpleasant to do.

The best follow up is personalized with the couple’s name, date and location, but 90% pre-done so that it requires little of your time and energy. Email and direct mail services like Aweber  and Sendpepper (which offers direct mail services, too) make this personalization easy.

What’s the most effective method you’ve found for bridal show follow up?

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How Can I Get Leads When I’m New to the Wedding Business?

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Brides

We all start off brand new. No experience, no reputation, no referrals.

If you’ve got a new wedding business and don’t know where to start getting leads, here’s what to do:

   1.    Do your homework first.

Use The Wedding Report to find out the real stats about your local wedding market: how many weddings, the average price for your services, average wedding budget. This is vital information you’ll need to figure out what to charge and if there is enough demand in the market to support your new business in the first place.

Spend some time online in the bride local chat rooms of the Knot  and visit the Top 100 Wedding Blogs. What are brides looking for in your service that they can’t find? Look for an unmet need you can meet.

Scope out your competitors online. You’ll need to be different to get business. If you can find a need in your market that isn’t being met, you’ll have an instant edge over your competitors.

   2.    Find a mentor.

The fastest way to get referrals, jump start your business and starting making money is to get a mentor behind you.

Use the Power Lunch strategy to pull this off, just like we did. Identify 5 respected wedding professionals in your local area. Ask friends for recommendations of super nice people because a personalized introduction is a great way to start the relationship. Someone who isn’t a direct competitor will be easiest, but don’t rule out someone who already does what you want to do, especially if you have a connection with them.

Call them up. Tell them that you admire their work (be sincere!) and that you’re just starting out. Ask if you can take them to lunch to get their advice and help for your business.

Not everyone will respond, but you’re just looking for one person to teach you their secrets, give you advice and eventually send you referrals.

  3.     Make friends in the wedding business. Lots of them!

Identify the local wedding associations in your area and join them. Industry groups like ABC, NACE or the ADJA  often have local chapters.

Make it your goal to meet three new people at each networking meeting. Find a way you can help them and you’ll be come fast friends. It’s a quick way to get your first referrals.

   4.    Follow up with everyone you meet.

When you meet someone, especially if they work in the wedding industry, take their card. Jot down a note about your conversation on the back.

Send them an “Unforgettable Postcard” with a personal note mentioning your conversation. The Unforgettable Postcard has a friendly, smiling photo of you on the front and your business information and a blank space for a note on the back.

Send this postcard to everyone after each meeting. If you stay consistent, people will remember you and the referrals will start coming. It’s the best cheap marketing you can do!

   5.    Use your inexperience as an asset.

One of the trickiest questions to answer when you’re just starting out is, “How many weddings have you done?”

Eeek. You don’t want to lie, but who wants to be your very first wedding?

First, don’t tell them you haven’t done any weddings unless they ask. If they do ask, use your inexperience as an asset.

Explain any related experience and work references you have and then say, “We can offer you an extreme discount because we’re still building our portfolio. We’re just starting out, so we work even harder to make sure you’re happy!”

Practice your answer to this question until it’s smooth and natural. That way you can relax during your meetings.

   6.    Advertise at a bridal show.

A bridal show is the best place to meet brides and network with other vendors. You’ll be available for popular dates your competitors have already booked, so your investment will be paid for in no time.

Ask the wedding vendor friends you’ve made to recommend the best bridal show in the area. Do your research about how many brides attend, the information that’s provided afterward, and attend as a guest first so that you’ll know what to expect.

Arrive early for the show and bring munchies to share so that you can make friends with all the vendors. (This tip comes from Meghan Ely of OFD Consulting.) You’ll make tons of vendor friends if you bring along Dunkin Donuts munchkins or other goodies!

   7.    Spend your advertising bucks on Facebook.

Don’t spend your precious advertising dollars on expensive magazine or print advertising right away. You need flexible, easy to change advertising that will maximize your limited budget.

Facebook lets you target your audience down to their location, relationship status (you’ll want “engaged” or “in a relationship”) and even their likes and the Facebook groups they’re a member of.

You won’t pay unless they click on your ad and you can set a limit for your daily ad budget that’s comfortable for you. Ease of changing your ad and testing out different headlines and pictures makes Facebook the best beginner advertising investment.

   8.    Start a blog and write at least once a week.

Having a blog on your website is absolutely essential to capturing FREE “organic” search traffic, those are the people out there searching for someone like you who haven’t heard of you yet…which is pretty much everyone when you’re brand new.

Make sure you use the names of local cities, towns, regions and venues in your posts. This will help more people find you and you’ll see your traffic increase over time.

As a new wedding business, you bring passion and enthusiasm that the old timers just don’t have, and your clients will respond to it. Make friends, meet the brides, and your business will be off to a great start!

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