The four key steps in helping your business grow

4 steps to helping your business grow

Being a small business owner means wearing many different hats on any given day. One hat that gets left hanging on the hook when business is thriving is the Marketing Hat. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you don't need leads when times are good. Inevitably the rush will die down and you'll be left with few clientele to keep momentum. To ensure you have a steady stream of leads and customers for sustainable sales year-round, follow these four steps to helping your business grow through digital marketing.

1. Be found

You could have a list of photography accolades longer than a roll of film, but unless customers can actually find you, your chances of being hired are bleak. At a minimum, your wedding business should be; listed on local directories; investing in Google Ads; building communities on social media; and offering existing clients rewards for referrals.

Easy Weddings suggestions:

In addition to mainstream advertising, make the most of your Easy Weddings listing with:

  • A directory promotion
  • A Priority or Premium position listing
  • Spotlight advertising
  • Business blog or Real Weddings feature
  • Brand advertising

Easy Weddings solutions:

If you're not sure where to start, speak to one of our expert consultants who will advise you on the promotion strategies needed to meet your business goals within a realistic budget.

2. Be chosen

Being visible through advertising is just the first step, but just because people click on your website, you're not guaranteed a sale.

You need to ensure your unique selling proposition (what makes you unique and better than your competitors) is visible and compelling enough to make people think, "I trust this brand with my wedding plans to make a purchase".

Just selling beautiful, quality wedding dresses is not enough - all your competitors are doing exactly the same thing. Here's what you need to be the preferred vendor:

Easy Weddings Suggestions:

  • An outstanding listing image: If your Easy Weddings image is pixelated or dated, it's time for an upgrade.
  • 12 professional photos: People want to see all aspects of your business. People sell; include pictures of you and your staff to personalise your brand.
  • 10 reviews: Reviews are powerful tools capable of influencing customers' purchase decision. If they can see someone just like them who had a positive experience with your brand, they will be more inclined to buy.
  • 3 review responses: If your customers have gone to the effort to write a review, go to the effort to reply and thank them, or in the case of negative reviews, empathise, apologise and rectify. Don't leave reviews unanswered.
  • Well written service descriptions: Don't be too general. You are asking people for their business. Give them all the details they need and more to make an informed decision and trust you with their wedding.
  • A local address on display: If you are local, you are accessible. Include your local address so people know where to find you.
  • Social Media Links: Let people behind the scenes of your brand by inviting them into your social media community. If you have created accounts since creating your Easy Weddings listing, speak to a consultant about having your links added to your profile.

Easy Weddings solutions:

Contact one of our expert ad designers who will update and optimise your ad to achieve the highest results. We provide strategies on increasing reviews and analyse your results with our comparison tool.

3. Be contactable

Ok, so you've got them on your website, but how can you ensure that visitors take the next step and contact you? Does your website turn brides into buyers? Do 10% of brides that visit your site make an enquiry? Here's a short checklist to ensure your website is performing: 

Easy Weddings Suggestions:

  • Is your website design modern & professional? When it comes to websites, it couldn't be truer that you get what you pay for. If you've paid below industry standard, it probably shows, and when faced with a more professional look and feel, brides will always be lured to the more modern, polished and intuitive design.
  • Contact details easily found? Clients want to know that you're accessible in times of need. If they're going to let you into their exclusive wedding planning club, they need to know they can talk to you when they need you. Hiding your contact details somewhere obscure on your website or not including at least two contact options could send the wrong message.
  • Enquiry form has less than fields? The longer your enquiry form, the greater resistance people have to completing it. Don't make things like landlines mandatory; rarely do people own one these days and if they can't submit the phone without one, your website will go straight into the 'Too Hard Basket' and they'll move onto the next vendor.
  • Mobile-friendly website? Global Web Index report reveals that 80% of adults who use the internet now own a smartphone. If this rate increases, 2015 will be the year smartphones reach parity with the 91% of internet users on PCs and laptops. More people than ever are using mobile devices and there is less tolerance for sites that are not optimised for mobile viewing - don't get left in the minority of the non-responsive.

Easy Weddings solutions:

Our website designers specialise in building cutting edge, enquiry generating websites. If you'd like to know how your website compares to industry standards, get in touch with your Easy Weddings Consultant to ask about our free website evaluation service.

4. Convert and track

Are you converting enquiries into sales? Do you know where brides found you so that you can be sure you're spending your advertising dollars on the right mediums? Without testing your processes you can't be sure which channels are effective, and those that are not producing a return on investment.

Easy Weddings Suggestions:

  • Install Google Analyticsit might sound daunting, but installing Google Analytics on your website is not all that difficult and extremely valuable in helping you identify where your visitors come from and how they found your site.
  • Add Analytics Goalswhen you have initial data to benchmark, create realistic goals for increasing these figures and map out a simple strategy for reaching those figures. Google Goals will then measure your site's progress in reaching those numbers, whether it's conversion on an e-commerce site, booking an appointment or submitting an enquiry form.
  • Phone brides and aim for a face-to-face meeting: we're sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but good things don't come to those who wait; they come to those who proactively engage leads and follow up enquiries with the goal of securing face-to-face meetings that help build rapport and instil trust in your products and services.
  • Response Times < 4 Hours: how many direct competitors do you have? That's how many other websites customers will be looking at in the time it takes you to return their call, respond to an email or reply to a post on social media. The longer you let an enquiry go unanswered, the more time the bride has to connect with your competitors.
  • Use a CRM to track enquiries: customer relationship managers like Campaign Monitor or Microsoft Dynamics help streamline enquiries with automated email sequences for segmented email marketing, offering a more targeted and systemised way of indexing clients and their needs.
  • Continuous follow-up: you sealed the deal - fantastic! But showing you genuinely care about the customer through post-sale follow up is invaluable for encouraging repeat purchases and taking the relationship beyond vendor-client. If your customers feel you are more enthusiastic about the sale than the most important day of their life, it's unlikely they'll refer you to their friends. Pick up the phone and give them a call!

Easy Weddings' solutions:

If HTML and coding aren't your forte, our Easy Weddings designers can add Google Analytics and Goals to your website at no cost, all you have to do is ask!

For more tips on keeping your brand at the forefront of wedding marketing, business development and customer service, follow our Pro-Education series each month and get in touch with your Easy Weddings Consultant to find out how we can help you make the most of every dollar invested.

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