Are You Ready For Engagement Season?
Nearly 40% of marriage proposals will happen between November and February. We define the time from Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day as Engagement Season. So it's now. Engagement Season is now! Here are the five important areas Celebrants and Officiants can focus on to prepare for a flood of inquiries... and book them all!
Audit Your User Experience
Is the information that is most important to engaged couples at the forefront of your marketing materials? We will use your website, Wedding Wire or The Knot pages as examples. Can they easily find your location, contact information, price structure (even if not exact $), and book a video appointment? Finally, can they do these things with less than 4 clicks? Booking that first call is so important and needs to be available without thinking!
Supporting Stats:
- 89% of couples plan their weddings online | 43% of that done on mobile *
- 51% video chat with at least one vendor *
Show Off Recent Testimonials
We saw a record number of weddings in 2022, so your online reviews/testimonials should reflect how hard you hustled this past wedding season. Showcasing recent ceremonies tells couples that your skills are as polished as ever, and you are in-demand right now!
If you are just starting out, chances are there are still many people who have something to rave about you. Ask a vendor from one of your few ceremonies to provide a testimonial about your work ethic and ability to collaborate. Then, offer to do the same for them!
If you have a handful of past clients, but zero testimonials. We swear by these nine simples prompts you can send to them via email to get them talking on your behalf-- use a happy holidays message as a way to reconnect.
Supporting Stats:
- >70% of couples find reviews to be very important when deciding which vendors to contact—mostly focusing on overall rating (96%) and total number of reviews (92%)*
Give Your Costs a Check-up
Are you charging enough for your ceremony services? Inflation is hitting every industry. If it is causing you to increase your fees to cover higher expenses like gas milage or business software, do some fast math so you can justify why your 2023 price is higher than their BFF’s ceremony you performed in 2019!
Let’s forget about your expenses for a second and ask that again, “Are you charging enough for your services?” Do you know see your value and do your fees reflect that, or has your confidence wavered recently? When we’ve answered yes to that question, and we have answered yes many times, we always plug ourselves back into our community and recharge. Most officiants work alone, so community is key to sustaining success (and often your sanity)! Our community includes our Celebrant Academy graduate/student FB Group, Celebrant FB Group, and friends in Scotland who bring an entirely unique perspective to our work.
Finally, Expect to Get Ghosted
Not every inquiry is going to lead to a sale, a meeting, or even a second email. Couples who send a message through your website, Instagram, The Knot, or Wedding Wire profiles have sent messages to several Officiants in their area. After you initially respond, it’s likely some will ghost you and not continue the conversation at all. Leaving you wasting precious time sending follow-up emails to couples who have already hired someone else.
Automating some communication in the sales processes helps you get that time back! Draft 3-5 email responses of varying lengths ahead of time that will help you respond in a speedy manner when emails come in. If you get a lot of phone calls, have an email ready to go with your basic details. Then, customize it after the call and send it out promptly-- couples will know you are on top of your game! These emails can be simply letting your inquirers know you’ve received their message, general information about your services, and a link to your ceremony reviews which speak for themselves!
Automation is also a must on Facebook and Instagram. No one wants to be tied to these apps or their phones. While you're offline, an automated reply can be sent to couples who messages you first. It can be short and sweet, letting them know that you appreciate them reaching out, and you will get back to them in 24-48 hours. Welcome and away messages are two of the most common auto replies used to improve the customers' experience.
Celebrant Academy is built on personalization— we make it easier for you to write and perform unique ceremonies every time. Still, automating the easy stuff will allow you even more time to focus on writing ceremonies and practicing rituals. Those are the things that are going to get you notices, get you 5-star reviews, more referrals, better clients, and more job satisfaction!
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS...
Being prepared, knowing your worth, and setting boundaries. Getting organized now and setting goals for the 2023 Wedding Season will give you a plan as inquiries come in to focus your attention on the couples who are going to fill your joy-bucket all year long. If inquiries don't come in, we can help prepare you for that too!
*Source The Knot 2021 Real Weddings Study
QUICK! Only a few spots left for our next Masters Celebrant Certificate program. New cohort of 12 students takes place from January to June 2023! EASILY APPLY HERE.
