Embracing the Engagement Season: Renee Dalo Podcast Recap
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Meghan Brown, WeddingPro’s Director of Brand and Content, was featured on Renee Dalo’s podcast, Talk with Renee Dalo, to discuss the nitty-gritty about what to expect from couples in 2022, and how you can embrace the changes. Meghan and Renee talk about the shift in couples’ priorities, expectations and guidance—that wedding pros everywhere need to hear. So, if you’re looking for a refresh on this shiny new year, this is the episode for you!
Listen Here: https://www.reneedalo.com/ep-120-embracing-the-season/
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick recap:
Leads are coming in – fast
As you know, we’re in what’s called “Engagement Season”—the time between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day during which a slew of couples get engaged. And the good news about this year’s Engagement Season? The couples getting engaged are not waiting around to see if current climates improve or change, they are actively planning now.
Pro-Tip: New leads mean new potential bookings – as long as you take the first step to starting the conversation. Learn about the do’s and don’ts of replying to a lead.
In a time of change, it’s important to educate newly engaged couples
Newly engaged couples are optimistic, but can sometimes feel lost when it comes to planning a wedding (after all, they most likely have never planned an event like this before!). They’re looking for a heavier hand to guide them. Especially in recent years, they’re looking to wedding pros to tell them when to relax and take their time and when to start making plans B and C.
Pro-tip: Speaking of plan Bs, inflation and supply chain issues are impacting wedding plans. Find out how to navigate couples through these issues.
With change, comes some rising trends:
- Personalization continues to increase in importance for couples as they look to make their wedding day all their own. Pros should support couples and let them know it’s okay to “break the rules”
- Laidback luxury weddings, weekday weddings, and multi-day events
- Technological opportunities afforded from the pandemic, like allowing loved ones who are unable to travel to still participate in the ceremony via Zoom, are not going away anytime soon
To prepare, pros should focus on branding and marketing
To best prepare for the busy 2022 wedding year (2.6 million weddings anticipated!), pros should look at updating their branding and ensuring their marketing is in place. Meghan says, “You need to be the brand that stands out to authentically connect with the couples you want to reach.”
To do that, Meghan recommends:
- Conducting a brand audit to ensure your language is consistent across your website, social media, and Storefronts on The Knot and WeddingWire
- Evaluate your couple reviews to turn them into strong marketing messaging (Here’s an article on how to do that)
- Update your photos to match current trends
- Update your Storefronts with new reviews, photos, and brand information
While social media is important, Meghan also recommends focusing on advertising. In fact, advertising works just like social media in terms of getting in front of new couples. But advertising allows wedding pros to leverage someone else’s SEO to increase their reach, and do so with a little less effort.
Pro-tip: Learn more about advertising with The Knot and WeddingWire
What’s coming up on WeddingPro to keep pros educated in 2022?
Meghan says pros can expect more events, a bigger focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (from both WeddingPro and our parent company The Knot Worldwide), as well as popular topics including pricing and lead replies. Meghan says, “It’s [The Knot and WeddingWire’s job when you advertise] to get you the lead. From there it’s [WeddingPro’s] job to educate you on how to qualify, follow up with, and convert that lead into a booking.”
Here are some articles to get you started:
- How to get more leads
- How to qualify leads
- How to respond to leads on The Knot and WeddingWire
- How to price your services
- Key pricing strategies you’re getting wrong
- How to close the sale
To stay tuned with all that’s to come from WeddingPro, follow us on Instagram: @weddingpro
Photo Credit: Colorjoystock.com & Courtney Paige Ray
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