Blog Marketing Strategy

How to Advertise Your Business: 5 Ways to Begin Today

By WeddingPro

For many business owners, advertising can be a daunting process. Getting in front of potential clients can take a lot of time, money and effort if you’re new to advertising. Additionally, even if you attract the attention of newly engaged couples, it can be hard to get in front of the right couples that will actually book you for their event. Because of these reasons, a lot of wedding business owners find advertising to be a chore (at best) or something to put on the back burner (at worst).

If you’ve ever felt this way about advertising, you’re not alone. It’s important to know that there are a lot of options that can help you get your advertising initiatives off of the ground and in a place where you can successfully attract clients. To learn what these are, read more below.

If you’re not sure about where you are on your advertising journey, don’t fret! We’ve created an Advertising Self-Assessment that will help gauge exactly where you are so you can receive personalized tips on how you can take your advertising game to the next level. 

Why advertising matters

If you’re new to advertising–or to the wedding industry, in general–it can be hard to grasp why all of this effort is worth it. But, think of it this way: your business is one in a sea of similar businesses, and even though you have unique service offerings that will appeal to a lot of couples, if you don’t advertise, those very couples may never know about you! 

Advertising helps you:

• Find out who your ideal client is
• Reach new audiences 
• Grow your business
• Get insight into what your audience is looking for
• Learn more about yourself as a business owner

Advertising matters because it helps you create a brand that is well-rounded and able to find the people who will respond to it. And, at the end of the day, isn’t that exactly what you want for your wedding business?

Pro Tip: One of the best things you can do when it comes to advertising is to shift your mindset around the practice. If you’re still not sold on why advertising is something your business should invest in, here are 3 more reasons why you should be advertising. 

How to advertise your business: 5 ways to get started

Beginning your advertising journey, or picking up where you left off, can seem like a huge undertaking, but trust us when we say that it doesn’t have to be. In fact, once you get the hang of it, advertising can be a low lift responsibility that ultimately makes a huge impact on your business. Below are five ways to get started on a sustainable and profitable advertising campaign.

1. Figure out the advertising channels you want to tap into.

Advertising isn’t one-size-fits-all; it’s a practice that needs to be unique to each business. So, once you’ve decided to start advertising, it’s important to find the right channels to do it on. Once you’ve gotten a handle on what advertising is, find the places that will work for your business and create a plan of action for each.

2. Conduct a brand audit and document what makes your brand tick.

Advertising is only effective if you know your brand like the back of your hand. While you may think that you do, it’s always a good idea to conduct a brand audit so you can check in with your brand to make sure it’s consistently telling the story you’re intending it to. Then, document the cornerstones of your brand so that you can easily and accurately use them in your marketing and advertising materials.

3. Do research on how similar pros are advertising their businesses.

It’s important to understand how other pros are advertising their businesses so you can get a sense of what you need to do similarly to yours. First, take a look at our most recent Benchmarking Report so you can see where your business stands up against its competitors. Then, conduct some research on some like wedding businesses, and take notes if you find something that inspires you. But, remember to keep your marketing and advertising unique so your business can stand out against the crowd.

4. Create content that accurately reflects your business.

The next thing you need to do is create content that you can actually use to advertise your business. Content can be literally anything, so be sure that you’re creating something that is authentic to your business. If you’re a florist, for example, take photos of your favorite bouquets and centerpieces, post videos on how to create arrangements or write a blog about how you got started in the wedding industry. No matter what kind of wedding business you have, create the content that will make your services shine and you’ll be surprised at how your audience will respond to it.

5. Advertise your wedding business on The Knot and WeddingWire.

Lastly, one of the best ways to get in front of more couples–without having to spend a lot of time, money and effort doing so–is to advertise your wedding business on The Knot and WeddingWire. With Storefronts on both platforms, you will get in front of the biggest audience of potential couples–period. Also, you can customize your Storefronts to include photos, videos and bios that will help these couples get to know you better. 

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With The Knot and WeddingWire, you’ll get better-quality leads more often, and you’ll be able to build deeper relationships with your couples, even before they reach out to you. So, for an easy-to-use advertising experience, learn more about advertising on The Knot and WeddingWire today!

 

Photo Credit: Pixel-Shot / Shutterstock.com