Staff profile: Alex Ignatenko

What do you do at Easy Weddings?

I am a Senior Business Advisor and my main role involves bringing on board new clients, as well as assisting our existing clients with their digital advertising campaigns in order to grow their businesses.

I love this role because it involves everything from helping clients set up great looking profiles on Easy Weddings, to designing modern and high-performing websites for our clients. In addition, I am involved in providing training and assistance to the rest of the team, as well as attending expos and education nights.

By offering great advice and genuine support for our partners, we end up creating advocates for what we do here at Easy Weddings and I really get a kick out of that.

What did you do before you joined Easy Weddings?

I used to work for a company involved in the manufacturing and retail of sheepskin products both online and to brick and mortar stores across Australia. The role helped me learn a lot about digital marketing, eCommerce, as well as B2B sales, but after seven years, it was time to move on.

There are only so many pairs of ugg boots and sheepskin rugs a man can own!

What are three of the most common questions you hear from EW clients?

Should I have my prices listed on my website?

This is a common question and the answer is ‘Yes’ an ‘No.’

Generally, price is the first thing potential clients ask for but it should be the last thing that you talk about.

There is no point telling a customer the price if you have not shown the value of what is being offered for that price.

The role of a website is to get potential clients intrigued in what you have to offer and get them to inquire. Having the prices shown can turn potential clients away, because they may not understand the full value of what is being offered. However, you can have the minimum starting price indicated to attract the right kind of client for your business and filter out those that clearly cannot afford your service from the start.

How can I make my profile stand out and perform well?

Your profile is your store front on Easy Weddings. Therefore, it is very important to update your profile regularly, by uploading fresh great images, getting reviews, adding businesses to your Pros We Know network, getting more reviews and replying to existing ones. Potential clients will view your profile multiple times, so when they see you are being proactive with your profile it will give them confidence that you will be just as proactive with their wedding needs.

What is the best Social Media platform and should I be across all of them?

There are heaps of different Social Media platforms out there and unless you have a team of people managing your Social Media it is simply impossible to use them all well. This is why I recommend choosing one or two platforms and using them regularly. Generally, Facebook and Instagram or Pinterest is what brides use, therefore these are the social media platforms I recommend to clients.

However, there is no point in having a Facebook page, for example, if you are not active on it, so make sure you update it constantly.

What is the best time to ask a client for a review?

Generally speaking, two weeks after the wedding is the best time to ask for a review. It allows couples to come back from their honeymoon, while still ensuring their memories are fresh.

Don’t be afraid to ask for a review because it is standard practice these days and the worst thing that can happen is that the couple will not leave one.

What do you like best about working at EW?

I love the people and the culture at Easy Weddings. We are a very tight-knit group and have lots of fun together, whether its at work or at our regular social outings. Lots of laughs have been had and are still many more to come, I’m sure.

I really love the fact that I am working for a company with such a strong client focus and have personally established some great relationships with our partners.

Oh, and we have a slide that lets us whizz down to the ground floor. What else do I need to say?

What’s something fun we don’t know about you?

I love trying anything new that’s a little different and exciting. Whether it’s skydiving, eating giant grasshoppers or deep-sea fishing (all of which I’ve done, btw), the experiences and memories are irreplaceable. You only live once, right?