8 Ways to Prepare Your Wedding Business for the New Year

Now that the New Year is here- is your wedding business prepared?

You’ve probably already finished the big things most wedding professionals do at the end of the year: take stock of what you have accomplished and set a goal to book more weddings for next year.

But don’t forget to tackle the small stuff as well.

These 8 things can make a big difference in the first impression prospective clients have of your business.

Your ‘To Do’ List:

1)    Refresh your website

The first thing many clients see is your website, so make sure it is updated.

Review your prices and packages, add images of any work from the past year to your portfolio and update your bio to include any press or other achievements.

Check your contact page to make sure everything is accurate and working correctly. Don’t forget to change your website copyright line to reflect the current year.

2)    Update your online listings

If you advertise on wedding directory sites like the Knot or WeddingWire, freshen up your listings there as well. Update your profile photos and check to make sure your information is still accurate and that you have recent reviews from clients.

You’ll also want to make sure that your contact information is correct in online searches.

Search for your business on Google or Bing and see what comes up. If there are sites that have wrong or incomplete information, make it a priority to correct it. Brides can’t book you if they can’t contact you!

 3)   Change your social media images

Out with the old, in with the new – social media is constantly changing and so should your images! Change your Facebook cover photo and keep any of your work shown up to date.

Does figuring out the different image sizes sound like a lot of work? You can update your profile images easily with a free tool like Social Media Image Maker.  The site does all the sizing work for you as shown in this tutorial.

4)    Check your outgoing messages

What impression do clients get of your business when they call you? Listen to your voicemail greeting – is it friendly and easy to understand? If someone is available to answer the phones, how do they greet customers? Is there a way to improve?

Check your email signature and auto reply message to see if any changes are necessary. What can you do to make things easier for prospects who contact you? Consider adding a link to your portfolio, Frequently Asked Questions page or a short intro video into your email auto response.

If you’ve been out of the office for the holidays, make sure you change your phone and email messages accordingly.

 5)   Prepare for new client meetings

Brides and grooms will notice the little things you might overlook and it affects their impression of you and your business.

If you have a space where you meet with clients make sure it is clean and organized. Check your stock of refreshments and replenish as needed. Don’t forget about the front entrance – clean the windows and sweep the floor.

What if you don’t have your own space? If you travel to meet clients make sure your portfolio or other materials are updated and replace anything that has wear and tear. If clients will be seeing your car, make sure it is clean!

6)    Order new marketing materials

Make sure you have an ample supply of business cards, brochures and other marketing materials ready to be handed out to new prospects and at networking functions.

If you are exhibiting at bridal shows, check your display and handouts to see if anything needs to be ordered or printed so you don’t end up making these mistakes.

7)    Organize your space

If you are like many wedding vendors I know you can end up with a ton of things leftover from past weddings. Go through any leftover supplies and old files and sort, store, donate or toss them to make room for new client work.

Order new office supplies and clean or prepare any equipment you’ll be using.

8)    Get inspired!

After a long wedding and holiday season you may experience burnout. Take some time to reflect and reconnect with your passion for your work. What is the “why” behind what you do? How can you better communicate that to your clients?

If you’ve already written out your goals for the year, make sure they are posted somewhere you can see them every day.

Need some motivation and inspiration? Check out these quotes to inspire you to have the best year ever.

What have you done to get your wedding business ready for the New Year?

Photo Credit