One of the most common questions we receive from professionals is, “How should I follow-up with brides?” Pretty much everyone is afraid of being annoying, spending too much money, or just plain turning off the brides on the leads list they just received.
In this 5 part series, I am going to lay down 5 Tips for Bridal Show Follow-up Success that will help you craft your perfect after bridal show follow-up plan.
As we reveal each guideline, please feel free to hop in and comment.
Tip #1 for Bridal Show Follow-up Success
1. Make Your Messages Content-Based. One of the best things about designing any marketing campaign in the wedding industry is that brides (consumers) are looking for detailed, non-advertorial information.
The key to not beginning annoying is sending your leads actual, good, quality information that helps them educate themselves about your product or service. News flash, nobody cares about your “15% off winter weddings special,” we all service clients in the Northeast, we are all giving 15% off winter specials; it’s slow.
All of the time, brides are receiving promotional emails from wedding companies, sometimes 4-5 times a week from the same company about a special they are running or an open house they are having. Sending the same message (or slight variation) over and over again is a great way to increase your unsubscribes and decrease the prospect’s interest level.
Let me give you an example. Let’s say you are a very courageous reception venue and you want to send 3 emails to your email list a week (the most we recommend is 1 email every 12 days, but nevertheless). I would recommend a campaign that looks like this:
Day 1: 7 Things Wedding Reception Venues Don’t Tell Brides
Day 2: No email
Day 3: No email
Day 4: 3 Tips to Help You Save on Wedding Catering
Day 5: No email
Day 6: No email
Day 7: Our Top 10 Favorite Tablescapes at VENUE NAME
In a different post we will discuss in great detail about designing emails for conversion, but you can infer that while each email will have the content that was advertised in the subject line, but will also have your call to action to schedule a site tour (i.e. 15% discount) and perhaps a link to sign-up for an upcoming bridal show.
Remember, the goal is to create value by sending out content based messages that helps the buyer get to know your venue, product, and/or service; not to start a price war with a competitor.
Does your business need help creating an after bridal show follow-up plan or an effective email marketing campaign? If so, you are in the right place. As a full service bridal marketing consulting agency, we are here to help!
To learn more about our bridal show follow-up plan and email consulting packages, click here.
Check back next week for Tip #2 for Bridal Show Follow-up Success.