If you've landed here, my guess is that you have begun to feel like you want to start doing things differently in your wedding business, particularly with your content marketing strategy. You're fed up of feeding the content monsters known as instagram and facebook, as whatever you've tried, they just aren't working for you. All the time and effort you're putting into trying different things to get sales, just isn't making any difference. So you're questioning; 'why am I even spending all my time there?'  In this blog post I'm sharing my own struggles with social media to let you know you're not alone, we'll be diving into why relying on social media to market your business is a bad idea and we'll be exploring 8 different ways you can market your wedding biz without it, including what the benefits are too.

So first; let me share a little story with you,

I remember when I was starting my wedding business and I heard this rather bold statement;

'Your business doesn't exist, if it's not on social media.'

I can't remember where I heard it, but when I think back, how blooming ridiculous was this! Being a bit naive I thought it must be true, and because I was new to online selling I believed it and signed up to these apps without hesitation, thinking it's what I needed to do to succeed.

When we believe what we are told, it tends to limit us. When we are led to believe that social media is 'king' we spend all our time there. Before we know it we become a bit brainwashed. This definitely happened to me!

Let me explain... before I let social media into my life, I was doing just fine without it. My previous career was a mobile hairdresser and beautician serving my local area. Back then I didn't even really have to market my business, as most of my work came from recommendations. All I had was a small advert in my local newspaper (not every week may I add, just now and again). This business was really successful and I ran it for over 10 years.

Fast forward, to when I decided to open an Etsy shop selling wedding stationery products (which I still run) I again didn't have social media. I spent my time doing the essentials to grow, which was building a website to have an online shop of my my own, and writing a wedding blog for couples getting married looking for tips and inspiration. I also started to use Pinterest to gain traffic to my website. My business took off and before I knew it I could pack up my day job. This was amazing, and may I add again, with no help from social media at all. So building a wedding business without social media can be done, I've just proven it to you!

Photo by 166 Photography

The vision I had for my wedding business did not include spending all my time on social media. 

In fact it was quite the opposite. But somewhere along the line I got sucked in like everyone else. It was new, exciting and felt creative to me, all until I hit a wall. Suddenly I felt like I'd taken my eye off the ball and let social media lead me astray. When it became more difficult to keep up with the demand of content these apps required with little return, I began to question my presence there and how much I was using it.

 Before using social media for work, I used to dream about how good it would be to take a Friday off now and again to enjoy a long weekend, without having to worry about actively being online in the moment to market my business. How was I suppose to have a relaxing holiday if I needed to be present on socials all the time? I couldn't afford to hire someone to do it for me either.

I knew these goals were still achievable for me, so I had to get back to an effective marketing strategy, so that I didn't have to be 'switched on and connected' all the time.

I literally decided to ditch social media over night! There's so much to say about that, but I will share that with you another time.

So first, let's take a moment to see if any of these below resonate with how your feeling about social media, because if they do, it's time to start marketing your wedding business without it.

You can't rely on it

You don't want to rely on social media for your business any longer. Doing so is making you feel very un-easy and unhappy. You know you can't rely on a platform where the algorithm keeps changing. Your reach is down, stories views are at there lowest and what you're posting isn't hitting the mark anymore. It's a tough landscape to be in, and you know it! You worry one day all the work you've put in will all disappear because the app could un-expectedly lock you out (I've heard this happen to quite a few of my wedding industry friends, which is awful!) or at worst the app could just shut down completely. The apps are changing so much, less people are using them, what's to say they will even exist in 5 years time? You hate not having complete control. You've known for a while a back up plan is needed, and now you're ready to start taking serious action. 

You're sick of convincing people to buy or work with you

You can talk until your blue in the face, repeat yourself over and over and it's still not converting people. You've tried it all, from sharing helpful tips, giving inspiration, sharing personal stories, to sharing behind the scenes. You're done with trying to convince people they need your products or your services, you would prefer to attract the right people organically to you that appreciate what you offer, without trying to talk them into it. You would prefer to take a gentler approach that helps and supports your ideal couples make decisions that are right for them, by providing them with high value, quality content that connects.

You're finding it too time consuming

You're sick of feeling like you have to be on social media 24/7 to be visible. The pressure of creating so much content to stay consistent, is taking up a lot of your time. You're spending so much of your time thinking of content ideas and creating it, that you're reaching burn out because the demand makes you feel like you can't keep up. You wish you could create and share content at your own pace with no pressure, spreading your content out into the world at a sustainable, doable speed.

You're finding it too distracting

When you do share your content, you then want to know how it's performing out there, so you find yourself checking in multiple times a day after posting. This habit is so disruptive to your working day, meaning you're less productive. It is taking you much longer to get your to do list done and to reach your goals. When we go on there with the intention 'just to check', we can't help but get pulled in with what our supplier friends are doing, getting totally sucked into the scroll.

Now you know that you're not alone with how you feel about it, let's look at the benefits of marketing your business without using social media. 

Gain back your time

Social media takes up a huge amount of time, which is probably an understatement, because for myself, I seemed to spend all my time creating content for those platforms. Especially if we are present multiply times a day! Instead of spending all your precious time on socials, you could be dedicating more time into effective content marketing, such as your seo on your website and blog, to help drive traffic to you.

Increase your productivity

Social media is a huge distraction so this makes us less productive throughout our working days. If you are logging on to share something in the moment for stories or posting on your feed, you are going to lose focus immediately with what you were doing. By removing this distraction you will begin to see that you are becoming more efficient, producing better work and getting more done.

Focus on content creation

Instead of churning out micro content at a rapid speed for social media, you can fully focus your time and energy into making high quality, longer form content, with your ideas, which is going to be way more effective for you in the long run. Concentrating on seo, keywords and the content your ideal couples are searching for, will organically bring you the right leads to your website. If you create valuable blog posts and you tube videos, you can create back links to your website to increase your traffic. The work you produce will last you years and years, instead of the few hour window you get when you post on socials.

Connect with yourself again

When we use social media we can be highly influenced by what we consume, this can really cloud your own thoughts. When you don't expose yourself to this, you will be able to hear your own thoughts again. Maybe you'll realise some of things you were striving for, aren't really important to you anymore. You'll be able to get clearer on your own goals and mission instead of chasing someones else's.

Stop comparing yourself

We've all been there, it's so easy to start comparing yourself to what others in the wedding industry are achieving. Without being there you can avoid feeling negative thoughts about yourself, that don't serve you. Instead you can concentrate on your own goals and mission, your own progress and your own journey. 

You'll feel more pride in your work

As you begin to run your business more efficiently and you start achieving your goals, you will feel like you have made huge progress giving you a sense of pride in your work, that will help you keep going. You'll have your concentration back that enables you to produce quality work instead of quick wins.

Photo by 166 Photography

If you crave more simplicity in your business and you feel the call to slow down so you can enjoy less screen time, this is your sign to take action. 

You're ready!

You're so ready to explore another way, to ditch these social media platforms that are a complete time suck, and find other ways to market your business, without this constant pressure you feel, to keep up. You want to take back control and create content for marketing your business on your own terms that feels good to you and aligns with your values. Content that will actually last, attract your ideal couples, builds a deeper connection with your audience, saves you loads of time, helps you reach your goals and that works really hard for you in the background, while your sleeping. Doesn't that sound like a dream scenario?

I am all about helping you build your wedding business in a way that feels good to you, so you don't feel like you have to be switch on and creating content 24/7. I want you to enjoy holiday or a break without your marketing having to suffer. I want you to spend your free time off your phone. It is possible! My aim is to encourage you so that you put your precious time and efforts into effective marketing strategies. So let's start exploring what the other ways of marketing your business look like, without the need to be on social media.

First let's clarify why you shouldn't be relying on social media to market your business in case you need to hear this.

1. You don't own the platform                                                                                                   What would you do if instagram decided to shut down the app? If you are relying on showing up there to get sales you are putting your business at risk, because you have all your eggs in one basket. We have all experienced these platforms at some point having technical issues where people can't get on the app for a day, or people get locked out of their account. I have seen business's panic in these instances, and to be honest it's a real concern, because you shouldn't be relying on a platform that you have no control over. 
2. It's hard to build a connection                                                                                       Short form video, carousel posts and short captions make it harder to connect with your audience. There is so much to share about the topics you are passionate about, but you have to limit yourself as it can't fit in all in one post.
3. There's too many distractions                                                                                    People are consuming endless micro content at a rapid speed, often very mindlessly, so they are taking in so much information at once. The chances of someone new clicking through to your page for more details is very slim, as there are so many distractions right at their finger tips.
4. Your content doesn't last long enough                                                                                The content you post on social media will only last a few hours, and this doesn't even mean it will be seen. So all your time and effort is short lived. This makes you post more because you think showing up more will gain you more views.
5. It's too time consuming                                                                                                  We know these social media apps are designed to keep us on them, being actively present, posting 24/7. This is just too time consuming and not sustainable to be on them all the time. Marketing your business doesn't have to eat up all your time, they are other ways that allow you to create content at a speed that feels more natural.

You see with social media, there is this underlying need of urgency and pressure all the time, because of the rapid speed people are consuming and sharing micro content. You're made to feel like you have to stand out to be visible and shout about your work to be heard over your competition. That doesn't feel nice or natural does it? 

 I see more and more wedding business owners every day becoming wise to this and announcing they are spending less time on the apps. 

 The good news is there are many ways of effectively marketing your wedding business in a more quieter, softer, sustainable way, that allows you to create content at a pace that feels good to you and aligns with your values. So I hope you feel pretty damn excited about it! I'm sure you already feel much freer and lighter, knowing you haven't got to be posting on socials all the time! What a relief!

I love that you have chosen, strategic silence over saturation

Ok so let's dive in! I'm sharing 8 places you can market your wedding business, these are the ones I have had the most experience with so far. But there are lots of other ways too that I am still exploring myself. These are just to get you started, and I'm sure if you do one or choose a few options to work on, you will make huge progress with marketing your wedding business without the need of social media.

Pinterest Marketing

If you're not marketing you're wedding business on Pinterest it's time to start. Seriously! All the brides I work with have a Pinterest board full of inspiration they have been saving since they got engaged, ready to share with their wedding suppliers when the time comes. Couples planning their wedding are on Pinterest, they are looking to be inspired, they are searching for ideas, they are building their vision on the platform and not only that, they are also shopping there once they find what they are looking for. So let me ask you, why wouldn't you want to be there? Front and centre with your work so they can find you. Especially when they are at beginning stages of planning their wedding.

 Pinterest is not like social media at all, it's a powerful search engine for starters. Whenever you search something on google, often you will notice Pinterest related content will pop up at the top of search. This is why it should be part of your content strategy. If you create content with amazing seo, your ideal couples are more likely to find you.

The fact that is a search engine means that the people visiting are actively searching for something in the search bar, which means they are a warmer audience. Which means they are more likely to buy when they discover what they are looking for.

The idea with your wedding business profile on Pinterest is to optimise it so that your ideal couples will find you more easily. When you create pins for the platform you need to take the opportunity to link back to your website. You can lead them to product pages, your services page, your portfolio work and your blog, serving up high value, quality content to have a really good chance at converting them into a sale or a booking.

As a wedding business owner you would be really foolish not to use Pinterest!

Blogging

I can feel you rolling your eyes at me as I'm about to talk about why you need to start blogging to help you market your wedding business! Let's just clarify, blogging is not dead! There I said it, and it's true. Writing a blog to accompany your wedding business has so many benefits. For starters, if you provide rich quality, high value content with really good seo, you are more likely to rank higher in google search. Meaning your ideal couples will find you as you'll be showing up. The more you blog consistently the more google will understand what you offer and who you are trying to reach, therefore pushing your content out to the relevant searches. Blogging is a great way to create content that your ideal couples are looking for, it's a way to start attracting them into your world. You can target them with your niche topics that act like a magnet.

Having a blog also positions yourself as an expert in the wedding industry, helping you build trust with the couples that are considering to work with you. There are lots of things you can blog about, from real weddings you've done, answer frequently asked questions, share industry trends to sharing your expert tips. Before you start blogging, you may want to brush up on your seo so that you know what keywords to use for your business to rank higher in search, so all your efforts pay off. Start a blog, you won't regret it!

Website 

Spending regular time on your website is essential for marketing your wedding business. I know wedding business's owners who haven't updated their website at all since they launched it. Shock horror! How do you think this looks if a couple actually find you? You don't want potential couples to be put off because you haven't kept your website up to date now do you? You don't need to be an expert web designer to create a great website either. There are plenty of website templates these days for you to use, to quickly create your own. If you have professional images from real weddings or styled shoots, get using them on your site, to make it look amazing. 

I see your website as the hub of everything, so it's wise to keep pouring love into it. It's your space, you own it (not like social media) so fill it up with helpful, inspiring content.  This is where the body of your work lives. It has your about page, your offerings, your prices, your enquiry form, your wedding portfolio, your blog and so on, so it's super important that you keep it up to date. It's the place your couples will want to visit to check your legit, before they commit to booking or buying from you. So try your absolute best not to abandon it.

Photo by 166 Photography

Start a You Tube Channel

You tube is another powerful search engine so this is why it's made my list. I can confirm that couples are searching for wedding planning advice and ideas on you tube. We all prefer to consume content in different formats, so why not turn your blogs into videos for the people who prefer to watch and listen. Video is amazing as it builds a faster connection with your audience as they get to see more what you are like as a person. It's again great for your seo as when you search on google a particular topic, you tube videos will always appear at the top of the first search page. You could use your you tube channel to showcase your products, sell your digital products, encourage viewers to sign up to your mailing list or to simply start an extra income stream.

Email newsletter

A great way to market your wedding business is to use email. If you don't have an email list I would highly encourage you to start one. This method is so under used, but it can be highly effective because the people that chose to sign up, actually want to hear more from you. Emails are a personal space so this makes it the perfect place to chat about how you can help them. Dropping regularly into their inbox will keep you top of mind. And if you supply them with regular inspiration and helpful tips that will help them along their wedding planning journey, they are more likely to want to work with you, as you have built up trust and aligned yourself as an expert. It's also important to mention that they may not be checking if you've added a new blog post to your website, or that you've uploaded a new video to your you tube channel, or they may not of noticed you launched some new products in your shop, so they will be delighted that you have keep them in the loop. You increase your chances every time you send them an email, especially as there's less distractions going on like on socials, so be sure to use this in your market strategy. 

Wedding Directories

Get yourself on some wedding directories, local ones for your area are fantastic, but websites like bridebook and hitched will help you get your name out there, and they are free to join. Of course you can upgrade to a paid plan, but see how you do before you make that commitment. Make sure you fill in all the details including as many photos as you are able to. Some even let you upload videos which is great for sending more people to your you tube channel. I don't pay for bride book but I come top of the list for wedding stylists in my area, because my competition haven't kept their profiles up to date. Giving me the advantage with a few hours effort of filling it all in. It's worth taking some time to check the kind of couples you want to target are going to be using that directory. You can do some research for this using there annual trend reports they create as they are super useful for checking this kind of thing. Any that you do decided to use, I would advise giving your profiles a refresh when peak wedding season is over and you have new professional images of recent work to upload.

It's so important to not forget about all the places you market your business, as they are all working hard for you in the background remember.

Wedding Open days or Wedding fairs

There's nothing quite like meeting couples in real life, so attending a wedding fair or being part of an wedding open day is a great place to be visible. You get to have in person chats and the couples can get a better sense of what you are like to work with. It's a fantastic opportunity to showcase what you can do in real life as well so putting the time and effort into your wedding stall is crucial to make the right first impression. For me I have found this type of marketing is particularly more effective for my wedding styling business. This tends to be more of an investment for couples, therefore they want to meet the person they will be closely working with. 

Photo by Danny Inwood 

Feature in wedding magazines or on Wedding blogs

I have done this a few times now and it's a great way to get in front of a new audience. By writing a guest post for your chosen wedding blog that aligns with your dream couples, means you are increasing your chances of getting found on google. When writing your blog post you want to use your seo knowledge to help the article get found using the appropriate keywords. The author of the blog is also going to share it with their audience which will increase reach for you. I usually find a blog I want to write for, then I reach out with a topic I have in mind. It can be a great opportunity to showcase your work, talk about your offerings and gain their trust as the go to expert. It's a really effective form of marketing, using your content ideas that will continue to work for you over years to come. Make sure to include credits to any wedding photographers and links to your website to start benefiting from all the extra traffic you will gain.

So there you have it, there's 8 effective ways you can be marketing your business without social media. And you don't even have to spend a penny, as they are all forms of free marketing. It's a win win!

They are not to be under estimated either! 

Here's a fun fact for you; 

When I was regularly blogging and pinning on Pinterest when I first started my wedding business, my website was receiving over 1,000 visitors a week. That's a lot of people! As soon as I started to put time and effort into social media content, I noticed that my traffic was being affected. I was lucky if I got 500 people a week. That's half my traffic gone. Just like that! If you want to up your traffic so that you don't have to peddle so hard all the time, then I hope you use this advice I've shared, so that your wedding business can soar instead of sink!

Stick at it, my friend!

I will warn you, if you want to create a wedding business that doesn't rely on social media, you need to stick at these things for some time to see your results. You will probably assume it's not working because you're so used to the instant feedback that social media gives us. So it will require some patience because it can take some time to build a body of work and see the results of that. You have to keep going and push past those initial thoughts of 'is it even working' Just concentrate on doing the work first then after some time, say 6 months, you can look at your analytics. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. You can't expect it to work over night for you. You are playing the long game here. 

I know wedding suppliers that never 'switch off' because they are running their whole business with social media. That doesn't sound like the dream job to me. Remember; strategic silence over saturation. 

I would love to hear from you

If you have enjoyed reading this blog post and feel like you have gained lots of knowledge you can start using, I would love it if you left a comment below. You could share what marketing method you are going to start using or you might want to share your experience with social media. I love to chat so please don't be shy.

Photo by 166 Photography

 

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