I want to grow my bridal consulting business in Texas. Any ideas?

Question

I am a trained consultant and work with corporate events as well as bridal. I need some ideas from people that will help me grow my business in a small town area in Texas. Thanks in advanced for everyones suggestions. I really will read them all.

Answer 1

You should get as many business cards made AS POSSIBLE.

And put them out wherever you can! Like on bulletin boards, etc.

Another thing is get your friends to mention your business in coversations [AKA "namedropping"]. You need to be highly visible and have your bussiness' name out there.

Got a company logo? Put it on a tote bag and carry that around with you. Or make stationary with it, and use that for notes and whatnot.

If I think of some more ideas, I'll add them!

[j]

Answer 2

Have you thought about pay per click programs? The two biggest, I think, are Yahoo! and Google

A few free resources – check out the sources box for links:

1) Create a blog pertaining to your field

2) Use Yahoo! Local & Yahoo! Groups – Be sure to read the TOS for each one!

3) Write articles pertaining to your field and/or expertise.

4) Advertise on Craiglist

Also, consider signing up for an affiliate program. These programs enable you to advertise on other's sites (your affiliates) and once a sale is made to you, your affiliates & the program are paid a commission.

I listed a few handy sites & articles relating to marketing, promotion & advertising. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* The Complete Idiot's Guide to Marketing Basics by Sarah White
* The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries, Jack Trout
* Creative Advertising: Ideas and Techniques from the World's Best Campaigns by Mario Pricken
* Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide: Over 1500 Great Marketing Tricks That Will Drive Your Business Through the Roof by James Stephenson
* 301 Do-It-Yourself Marketing Ideas: From America's Most Innovative Small Companies by Sam Decker

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 3

First, you need to know that this is not a profession for the faint of heart or easily offended. When you are a working wedding consultant, you will be caught in situations that have to be fixed on the fly. This could require you to physically have to move something or carry something you hadn't planned on moving.

I have had many situations where I wondered how I did that since I've had three back surgeries which brings many physical limitations. Even so, I've run from a ceremony site to a reception site at an Olympic pace in order to grab the bride’s bouquet that she left in the dressing room. I've been down on the floor mopping up water to keep a band from being electrocuted when a rain storm hit so hard it was driving the rain in under the sides of the tent. The band was set up on asphalt and of course, didn't think to platform, so their instruments were sitting right in the water. I mopped up water on my hands and knees for over 2 1/2 hours trying to keep them playing so the reception wouldn't be ruined. Another instance had me running an extension cord from one home to the other through gardens under decks, etc. because the band was blowing circuit breakers. You do whatever it takes to make the day the best the bride could ever want.

Training

You'll either need start up money or great credit card limits, because you should invest in training. This training should come from one of the associations for wedding consultants and could cost approximately $1000. You can start without the courses but I highly recommend you invest in one at least. There are no real requirements on wedding consultants therefore, many starry eyed individuals who have had the idea that it's a fun profession, start up by buying business cards and dig right in, only to find it's more than just a way to attend a party every weekend.

Advertising

You'll need to advertise your business so that potential clients can find you. This can be a very big investment, some bridal magazines ad can cost thousands of dollars and, as you'll soon find out, your competition is in all of the magazines. The internet is quickly becoming a favorite place for targeted, affordable advertising. Free listings for wedding businesses are available right on this site. Just go to our home page and look on the left under "Local Services" to find your state page to list your website locally.

Web Page

Today's bride is technologically savvy and is using the internet to research vendor choices and options. You will need to plan to spend at least $1,000 for a professional website design. There are many free and low cost website templates however if you want to give the most professional impression have your site designed by a professional.

Office Equipment

With the brides using computers to work on their weddings, of course, you'll need to have one too so that you can send and receive emails. You'll need a fax machine so that you can send and receive copies of contracts, floor plans, etc. You'll need a printer so that you can create documents to maintain a paper trail for legal purposes.

Insurance

To protect your personal property you'll need business liability insurance. Be sure if you are seeing clients in your home, that your local zoning provides for this legally and be very sure to get insurance to cover the possibility that a client could somehow injure themselves while on your property.

Legal

You should consider having a lawyer review the contracts you will be presenting to your clients so as not to find yourself involved in a major lawsuit.

Licensing

Although licensing is not required to become a consultant, some localities require licensing. Check your local Licensing Department to determine their requirements.

Education

Any formal education in marketing, business management, the hospitality or food and beverage arenas are plusses to your professionalism.

Answer 4

Advertise if possible, participate in area bridal shows and get a web site that you can advertise on your business card. A phone book ad is expensive but helpful. good luck to you.

Answer 5

It would be very nice if you could have a bridal fair or show. You could let local churches, schools, colleges know. It would be great if you could get a dress to give away as a prize for attending. As far as the corporate goes you have to network. If you can get your name in at one company they may recommend you to another.

Answer 6

It sounds like you're already in business, so I'll assume you have business cards and have done the basics mentioned in some of these other answers. Growing a business is different from starting one in a number of important ways. There are two types of "growth" - the kind you get when you're the biggest (most staff, most outlets, and often, the cheapest) and the kind you get when you remain small (just you or you and a few others, not taking every wedding in a 20-square-mile area, not the cheapest).

This advice is aimed at the latter type. This type of small business grows for a finite, but reliable, number of reasons. The most obvious reason is word of mouth - that's where you've done so well as a bridal consultant to date that all your clients are recommending you to their friends, relatives, and acquaintances, who are in turn recommending you. This is the best possible marketing, so you must be sure that you've covered this base first.

That means that you must be doing everything you can possibly do to make your clients happy. Being good at your job is crucial, but always think of those tasks in terms of a) solving problems and b) communicating. People will forgive a lot of things if you, in the end, solve the problems and make the event rememberd as something special, not for the issues that cropped up (because they always do!!). They will also forgive problems if you keep them informed in a calm, consistent, steady way. And the communication should be nearly constant from your first encounter with the client throughout the event and then at regular intervals long after the event.

As for the latter, there are ways you can remind clients of their special day. Flowers or another thoughtful gift on their anniversary. You can also set up a service that sends a small, thoughtful present from you once-a-quarter reminding the couple - subtley - of their wedding day (ideas: a small bottle of champagne with their names on the label, an inexpensive framed photo of that day - that they don't already have - for their fridge door, something seasonal like a pot of pansies for their new home/yard). Real estate agents do things like this for the very same reason - to keep their clients reminded of them long after the big event has passed.

Another reason businesses grow is because they have something special and unique. You can make this happen by looking at all the providers you work with and finding at least one of them that does something that no one else does, or going out and finding this kind of person. Lots of bakeries will make wedding cakes, but there are cake decorators that do spectacular work - this is someone you could be connected with and "use" as a focal point in your marketing. It could be the videographer/photographer, the caterer, whatever - their expertise can make your business grow in a variety of ways.

Finally, one major mistake that small business owners make when they're looking to expand is thinking that that means they should be marketing to more people, more broadly. Unless you're planning to be the Wal-Mart of weddings, the opposite is actually the truth. Small businesses expand because of niche marketing and by focusing their efforts where the business can be the most successful. You can see why this is true if you go back to the first concept - the better you have focused your efforts, the better you'll be at your job, then the better the word-of-mouth, and finally, the more business you will get, and around it goes.

So this means that you must look carefully, closely, and honestly at what you do best and the clientele with whom you work best. If you're great at finding bargains and creating a beautiful wedding on a small budget, then those are the types of clients you should be looking for and the type of thing you should say in your marketing. If you believe you're good at doing expensive, one-of-a-kind weddings for the well-heeled, then that is where you should focus you marketing. Your clients need to know (by you telling them, by seeing it in your activities, by seeing it in your marketing materials) which kind of wedding consultant you are so they can tell the other people they know in the same boat. As crude as it sounds, the truth is that wealthy people hang out with wealthy people and share tips with each other about who caters to them. So does every other group of humans.

Another mistake small business owners make is thinking they can go after particular clientele without having the connections to and understanding of that clientele. Be honest with yourself about who you have worked with, can work with, and prefer to work with - then your ability to solve problems and communicate effectively will naturally lead to good experiences for your clients, referrals, and a stronger business working well within its niche.

Answer 7

Advertise in the local church bulletins. Captive Audience!