Skyward Social

📸 5 ways to help you impress couples in your initial meeting 🏰

1️⃣ First Impressions Matter: Did you know that 95% of couples say that the visual appeal of a wedding venue is one of the top factors in their decision-making process? Make sure your venue stands out with captivating visuals that showcase its unique charm and beauty.

2️⃣ Location, Location, Location: Convenience is key! Research shows that 80% of couples prefer wedding venues that are easily accessible for their guests. Highlight your venue's convenient location, proximity to transportation hubs, and nearby accommodations.

3️⃣ Align With The Vision: Couples want a venue that aligns with their wedding vision. In fact, 70% of couples prioritise finding a venue that reflects their style and theme. Showcase the versatility of your venue, highlighting different event spaces to cater to various wedding styles.

4️⃣ Testimonials and Reviews: Reviews matter! Over 90% of couples read reviews before deciding on a wedding venue. Encourage past couples to share their positive experiences and testimonials to build trust and credibility among potential clients.

5️⃣ Sustainability Matters: Eco-conscious weddings are gaining popularity. Around 50% of couples express interest in venues that prioritize sustainability practices. Highlight any eco-friendly initiatives your venue has implemented, such as renewable energy sources, recycling programs, or locally sourced materials.

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👰 How to stop being ghosted after your meeting 👻

1. Leveraging Deprival Super-Reaction Tendency 🕒

All humans have something called a Deprival Super-Reaction Tendency. In short, we don't like missing out on things.

By understanding and utilising this tendency, you can create a strong emotional response when something desirable becomes unavailable.

2. Time-Limited Offers: Short and Impactful

While many businesses run deals for a month or more, this extended timeframe can lead to doubt, overthinking, and the fading of the initial excitement potential clients felt during their venue tour. To truly motivate potential clients to make a decision, it's crucial to provide a clear and concise timeframe.

Consider opening up a special payment plan specifically tailored for each client and clearly communicate when the offer will expire. By sticking to this timeframe, you create a sense of urgency that encourages potential clients to take action promptly.

3. The Power of Short Timeframes

When you leverage short timeframes in your sales process, you can witness a remarkable increase in bookings, with potential gains of up to 37%! However, it's important to note that time-limited offers alone are not sufficient. A consistent, multi-platform follow-up system is essential to maximise conversions without necessarily increasing the number of leads you receive.

BONUS: Follow-Up for Success

To ensure the success of your time-limited offers, it's crucial to implement a robust follow-up system. Here are some key tips to consider:

Personalisation: Tailor your follow-up messages to each potential client, addressing them by name and referring to specific details from your previous interactions. This personal touch shows genuine interest and care.

Multi-Platform Approach: Utilise various communication channels such as email, phone calls, social media, and even direct mail. Meet potential clients where they are and engage with them consistently.

Timely Reminders: Send gentle reminders as the offer expiration date approaches, emphasising the value and benefits they stand to gain by making a decision promptly.

Exceptional Customer Service: Provide outstanding customer service throughout the process. Promptly respond to inquiries, address concerns, and offer guidance to help potential clients make an informed decision.
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How to make the most out of your enquiries ✉️

1. 💨 Respond quickly: Respond as fast as you can. Memories fade fast, especially when couples are reaching out to so many wedding vendors. Aim to call up your couples within hours if not minutes, ideally.

2. 😊 Be friendly and helpful: Create an amazing first impression and build trust and the start of your relationship. Answer any questions they may have and provide them with all the necessary information as well as inviting them to have a look at the venue as soon as possible.

3. 💁 Provide value: Offer value by providing them with additional information or resources that may help them in their wedding planning process. This could include tips, recommendations, or even offer an in house coordinator to help take care of some of their planning. This can be huge for some couples.

4. 💬 Follow up: If you take one thing from this post, let it be this. 7% of our clients from 2023 bookings have been from our 4th email!! Send friendly reminders and continue until you get a yes or a no. This may seem pushy, but you it’s necessary if you want more for your money.

5. 📈 Measure your success: Track your enquiry-to-booking conversion rate to measure the success of your enquiry management process. Analysing your data can help you identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions to increase your bookings.

✅ Do’s & Don’ts ❌

Wedding advertising is crucial, but it's important to approach advertising in a strategic and ethical way to ensure that your advertising is effective and well-received.

Here are some dos and don'ts of wedding venue advertising:

✅ Dos:

1. Do highlight your unique selling points using reels and ads: Every venue has unique features and amenities that set it apart from others. Highlight these in your advertising to attract potential clients.

2. Do use high-quality visuals: High-quality visuals are essential for showcasing your venue and attracting potential clients. Invest in professional photography and videography to showcase your space in the best possible way.

3. Do showcase your venue's personality: Wedding venues are not just spaces, they are experiences. Use your advertising to showcase your venue's personality and create a connection with potential clients.

4. Do use testimonials and reviews: This is SO important. Couples will get their confidence from you, your venue and previous experiences. Testimonials and reviews from satisfied clients are so powerful.

5. Do offer deals: Special competitions and deals are a great way to attract potential clients and increase bookings. Offer discounts, freebies, or other special promotions to entice potential clients to book with your venue.

❌ Don'ts:

1. Don't make false claims: It's important to be honest and transparent in your advertising. Don't make false claims or promises that you can't deliver on.

2. Don't use misleading images or descriptions: Misleading images or descriptions can be frustrating for potential clients and it will damage your reputation. Ensure that your visuals and descriptions accurately reflect your venue.

3. Don't ignore your audience: Social responsibility is becoming increasingly important for consumers. Ensure that your advertising aligns with your venue's values and promotes social responsibility.

4. Don't ignore social platforms: Many couples first experience with your venue is your social media. Make sure that you’re maintaining an active presence and responding to tags, comments and messages.

5. Don't have boring ads: When you’re running paid ads, it’s tempting to talk about the things that you love about your venue. Sadly to others, this is often very boring to read through. Keep it short, snappy, and focus on the experience, not the features.

How To Get More Instagram Exposure In 2023📸💥

1. USE REELS 🎥: Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few years, you’ll know about the meteoric rise of short form content, made popular by Tiktok.

💪 With very little effort, if you post consistent entertaining content, you can see huge growth over time.

Work with videographers and ask for funny clips in the speeches, stunning couple shots on your venues grounds and drone shots of your buildings.

Package this up in very short videos and instagram will reward your if people like what they see!

2. Use relevant hashtags: Hashtags have fallen in relevance, but they are still a great way to increase the visibility of your posts and reach a wider audience. Use relevant hashtags that you can find online to help potential clients find your content, and create your own hashtags and make sure people know to post using it during the wedding day.

3. Utilise Instagram Stories and highlights: Instagram Stories are a great way to showcase your venue in a more informal and authentic way. Use Stories to showcase behind-the-scenes footage of events, highlight unique features of your venue, and share client testimonials.

4. Engage with your audience: Engagement is key to building a loyal following on Instagram. Respond to comments, like and comment on other users' posts, and participate in Instagram challenges and trends to increase engagement and visibility.

5. Run Instagram ads: Instagram ads are a powerful way to target potential clients and increase your wedding venue's exposure. Use Instagram ads to showcase your venue, promote special offers and discounts, and drive traffic to your website.

💒 Done right, email marketing can be a very lucrative investment. In fact, according to a report by the DMA, email marketing has an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent 💍

✅ Personalised emails have a 29% higher open rate and a 41% higher click-through rate compared to generic emails.

✅ 38% of couples say that they are likely to book a wedding venue after receiving an email campaign.

✅ 72% of clients prefer to receive communication from businesses via email.

Email is a very effective strategy at driving bookings. At our wedding videography company Destination Reels, we booked in over 20 weddings in a 45 day period with the help of email marketing campaigns and consistent follow up. This REALLY does work.

Email automation saves time and increases revenue: According to a study by Epsilon, automated emails have an open rate of 29.9%, compared to non-automated emails, which have an open rate of 17.1%.

Email automation saves wedding venues time and effort while also increasing revenue through increased engagement and conversion rates.

80% of couples say that they are more likely to do business with a company that offers personalised experiences. Wedding venues can use email marketing to offer personalised experiences to their clients, such as sending congratulatory messages on their wedding anniversary or offering exclusive discounts and promotions.

❗6 HIGHLY effective strategies to bring in more bookings in 2023 ❗

1. Create visually stunning content: Social media is a visual platform, so create visually stunning content that showcases your wedding venue's ambiance, decor, and features. Use videographers and photographers that shoot at your venue. Exchange their high-quality photos and videos to highlight your venue's unique selling points and give back exposure to them on your website and/or social media platforms. Potential clients get a feel of what it's like to celebrate their special day at your venue when you do this right.

2. Host social media contests: Engage your social media followers by hosting fun contests on your page. For example, you can run a contest that asks your followers to share their dream wedding ideas and offer a chance to win a free consultation or a discount on your venue's services. If you want to take that a step further, offering a free wedding per year can really move the needle if you create and market your campaign correctly.

3. Leverage user-generated content: Encourage your clients to share photos and posts from their wedding day on social media and tag your venue. You can repost the content and feature it on your page to showcase how happy your clients are with their wedding experience at your venue. Put stickers/posters around your venue with a hashtag and encourage guests to share their experiences.

4. Share behind-the-scenes glimpses: Share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your venue's preparation for weddings, such as set-up, decor, and catering. This creates a sense of excitement and anticipation among your followers, and they will feel like they're getting an exclusive peek into what goes on behind the scenes.

5. Collaborate with influencers: Collaborate with social media influencers who specialise in the wedding industry. This will help you reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness. You can again offer them a free wedding package or discounted rates in exchange for promoting your venue on their social media pages.

6. Offer exclusive social media and ad discounts: Offer exclusive discounts to your social media followers, such as a discount on bookings made through social media. This will incentivise them to follow and engage with your page and will lead to more bookings for your wedding venue.

How to STOP no shows 🥂👰

🛑 No-shows can be a major challenge for anyone. To minimise this issue, it's important to attract the right clients and create an enjoyable first experience.

- 62% of couples book their venue within a month of getting engaged 🏰 -WeddingWire

- Targeted ads can increase ad relevance and engagement rates by 29% and 33%, respectively 🎯 - Facebook Business

- 76% of couples prefer email communication from venues 📧 -WeddingWire

To attract the right clients, be clear about your venue's offerings and ideal client profile on your website and marketing channels. This will help ensure that only serious and interested couples schedule a tour. Additionally, consider using targeted ads to reach engaged couples who are actively searching for a wedding venue.

Once a couple schedules a tour, confirm the appointment and send them a multiple reminders before the scheduled date. THIS IS CRUCIAL TO REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF NO SHOWS.

To further increase the chances of couples showing up, consider offering incentives for attending a venue tour. A survey found that 59% of couples said incentives would make them more likely to attend a venue tour.

This could be as simple as a complimentary glass of champagne or a small gift. When someone gives you something, you want to give something back.

By implementing these strategies, you can minimise the occurrence of no-shows and INCREASE the chances of booking the right couples for your wedding venue.

Remember, the key is to attract the right clients and create a positive experience that leaves a lasting impression.

How to deal with local Competition😬

Competition in the wedding industry can be tough, with new venues popping up all the time. So, how do you make sure that your wedding venue stands out and attracts couples who are searching for the perfect place to say "I do"?

Many venues have unique selling points that they don't share with their competition. Detailed targeting makes it possible to get in front of your ideal couples over and over again. While traditional marketing methods like print ads and hosting wedding fayres can be expensive and difficult to track, things like Facebook ads offer a targeted and cost-effective way to reach potential customers.

You can target your audience based on demographics like age, location, and interests. This means that you can reach couples who are specifically looking for wedding venues in your area, and who are more likely to be interested in what you have to offer.

In addition to targeting, they also offer the ability to track your results and make adjustments to your campaign as needed. This means that you can see which ads are performing best and adjust your strategy accordingly, ensuring that you are getting the best possible return on investment.

So, while competition in the wedding industry can be tough, utilising targeted digital marketing channels like Facebook ads can help you stand out and attract the right customers to your wedding venue. With the ability to target your audience and track your results, you have a powerful tool for wedding venue owners who are looking to grow their business in a crowded market.

Are Wedding Fairs Still Relevant for Wedding Venues in 2023? 👰‍♀️

You may be wondering if hosting wedding fairs is still worth the investment in 2023. While there are certainly some positives to be gained from attending wedding fairs, things have changed a lot, and the logistical restrictions among other things may be harming your business more than it's helping.

Wedding fairs can provide a great opportunity for you to showcase your wedding venue to a captive audience of engaged couples. You can also network with other vendors in the industry and get some great exposure for your brand.

However, one of the biggest challenges that wedding venues face when hosting wedding fairs is the logistical nightmare of putting the entire day together. Venues have to decide on a date that everyone can attend, coordinate everything effectively, and staff it for the entire day. This can be a huge drain on time and resources.

With the rise of social media and other digital marketing channels, many couples are finding it more convenient and efficient to do their wedding planning online. This means that attendance at wedding fairs is declining, and venues may not see the same return on investment as they once did.

Additionally, with clients attending multiple wedding fairs, it's becoming harder for venues to stand out and make a meaningful connection with potential customers. Venues are competing against each other in a crowded space, making it even more challenging to create a lasting impression.

So, while wedding fairs can still be useful for couples who prefer to see things in person, wedding venues should also focus on building a strong online presence and utilizing targeted digital marketing channels to reach potential customers in 2023. This will help ensure that your marketing efforts are reaching the right audience and generating the best possible return on investment for your business, without the logistical challenges and expenses of attending wedding fairs.

We wish you a busy wedding season!

- SkySo team

3 Advantages Facebook Ads Have Over SEO

1. More Precise Targeting: Facebook ads allow you to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviours. For our niche targeting engaged couples cuts out a lot of people who aren't interested in a wedding venue.

2. Faster Results: With Facebook ads, you'll start seeing results within hours or days, whereas SEO can take weeks or months to show results. SEO is a light drizzle, FB ads are torrential RAIN.

3. More Control: Facebook ads give you more control over your ad spend and targeting, allowing you to adjust your campaigns based on performance and optimise your budget for maximum ROI. Don't do this too often though! Averages show themselves over time!!

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Hi! I'm Ryan.

I'm the founder of Skyward Social & part time wedding videographer.

This is the official page for our new installable system that we used to completely book out 2023 with bookings. Now we want to help all of the struggling wedding venues that aren't finding success with the 'traditional' (outdated) marketing strategies.

We are here to help you drive tours to your venue and completely fill all your available dates on your calendar.

We will post FREE information on this page regularly, so make sure that you like our page for updates.

Speak to you soon!

Ryan & Skyward team

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