Storefront Storefront Tips

How to Grow Your Business Online: 7 Tips to Make The Most Of Your Storefront

By WeddingPro

As a wedding pro, you’re likely wondering about how to grow your business online in the most effective way. After all, engaged couples report conducting 91% of all their wedding planning online—and this includes searching for their vendor team.

Fortunately, we have the answer. Your Storefront is the first impression couples get of your business when they’re searching for wedding pros on The Knot and WeddingWire. That’s why it’s important to keep it up to date. This way, your content will remain fresh and you’ll put your best foot forward to attract more of your ideal clients (we recommend at least once per season as a general rule of thumb!). It really is the best way to grow your business online. 

So, where do you start? Make sure that your Storefront looks its best and works hard for you with these seven simple tips to help grow your business!

How to grow your business online tip #1:

Highlight the best photos and videos from your recent weddings.

The photos you display on your Storefront help your potential clients learn a lot about your style and what it might be like working with you. So, when it comes to making sure you’re giving couples what they want to see, we recommend that your Storefront gallery includes at least 20 high-quality photos from the recent weddings you’ve worked. 

We understand these numbers might be intimidating if you’re a newer business, and, if that’s the case, do your best to curate a handful of really strong photos and add more photos over time. 

Pro Tip: Not sure which images to use? Go through your social channels and look for photos that performed particularly well. Also, make sure to choose photos across different weddings to really represent the breadth of your services. 

Here are a few best practices to follow based on your category:

• Photographers should include photos that give couples examples of how you shoot portraits and details, as well as ceremonies and reception spaces.
• Venues should include photos that showcase the outside of your venue and the different spaces available.
• Florists should include photos of your different style of floral arrangements, like bouquets, table greenery, centerpieces and more.
• Caterers and bar service companies should showcase spreads and a variety of food and/or drinks.
• DJs, bands, and entertainment pros should share photos and videos of packed dance floors as well as a few professional photos of you working.
• Wedding planners should upload photos showcasing the details of weddings you’ve planned alongside the ceremony and reception spaces.
• Wedding attire and jewelry boutiques should share photos that showcase different styles of dresses, suites, rings, and accessories as well as a few photos of the studio space.
• Stationery designers should include flat lays of invitation suites and photos of stationery alongside a couple’s wedding-day details.

Remember that any photography uploaded to your Storefront must have proper licensing. So, if you’re a photographer uploading images, it’s best to use your own photography (or ensure you have a sublicense to the image). If you’re not a photographer, make sure you either own the image or have a license and/or permission from the copyright owner (i.e., the photographer) to use the photo as marketing material.

How to grow your business online tip #2:

Display your pricing information.

While it may feel counterintuitive to grow your business online by revealing your pricing, the truth is that if you want to drive highly qualified couples your way, then pricing transparency is the way to go. Why? When you display your pricing (even just a price range), you’re more likely to attract couples who are comfortable with that range and ready to work with you. 

In fact, nearly 80% of couples say that seeing pricing before inquiring is important to them. On The Knot and WeddingWire, you can add price ranges for your services and answer popular pricing FAQs.

How to grow your business online tip #3:

Add your business website and social handles to your Storefronts.

Your business website and social media are great ways to showcase your services to your audience, and whenever a prospective couple has found your Storefront, they may want to do a little research to learn even more about your business. Make it easy for them to find you by linking your website and social media profiles to your Storefront.

Pro Tip: When you see your performance insights from The Knot and WeddingWire, one of the key metrics you’ll get access to is social media and website clicks, so you’ll be able to measure how many people are going to your profiles from your Storefront. Couples may reach out directly from here, so ensure that the content you display here is fresh and up-to-date.

How to grow your business online tip #4:

Answer their questions before they ask with FAQs.

If you want to make better matches with potential clients, you can answer their  questions upfront directly on your Storefront. Including FAQs helps couples get a better understanding of who you are and if you provide the service they need. This is easy to do by completing the FAQs section on WeddingWire, and the Products and Services section on The Knot.

Pro Tip: Beyond your bio and the services you offer, make sure you’re giving couples a really great understanding as to who you are, what you offer and why it’s important to you. Couples are looking to connect with the person and the brand behind the photos so don’t be shy about sharing!

How to grow your business online tip #5:

Make sure you have plenty of recent reviews.

When it comes to reviews, more is more. Over 90% of couples read reviews to help them select their vendors. Reviews can help build credibility and trust with potential clients and make you stand out from the crowd. Make sure your Storefront includes recent reviews to help couples understand more about you as a person as well as a service provider. Easily request reviews on The Knot and WeddingWire with the Review Collector tool which allows you to draft and send emails directly to clients, or copy and share your personal review form link.

As you’re collecting new reviews, it’s a great signal to couples to respond to the ones you’ve already received (both positive and negative!). Responding to reviews demonstrates responsiveness and shows your past clients how much you care. Instead of just replying with a “thank you so much!”, include a short note that includes your highlights of their day. And don’t forget to mention them by name.

How to grow your business online tip #6:

Include a business description.

One of the many perks of advertising with The Knot and WeddingWire is that you’re able to use your Storefront as another place to highlight the incredible business you’ve built for potential couples. So, use it as an opportunity to talk about your business with a business description and couples searching for their wedding team can easily learn more about you. 

Our team will help optimize your business description for SEO and ensure that it meets our community standards, all while still being completely authentic to you and your business. We’ll help with key things like formatting, keywords, and word count so your Storefront can be more discoverable by couples searching for pros on search engines like Google. Be sure to take a look at the content guidelines for The Knot and WeddingWire for more information.

How to grow your business online tip #7:

Share a personal bio.

Show couples who you are by sharing personal bios for your team members on your Storefront. A personal bio can help establish credibility and trust as well as showcase personal branding. 

When writing a personal bio, include your role at the company so couples understand how they may be working with you and share some details about your experience, skills, background, location, and contact info (don’t be afraid to write it in a way that feels true to you and shows your personality!). Also, choose a high-quality headshot for your bio that represents you and your professional brand.