Engagement season runs from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day essentially, which means wedding pros should be prepping now for the new rush of couples looking for wedding vendors. That’s why we’re going to cover the top 5 things every wedding pro needs to know to prepare for this romantic — and profitable — season.
ENGAGEMENT SEASON 101
Over 40% of engagements happen from November to February and nearly 20% of those engagements happen in December alone.
Top 10 Days to Get Engaged (In Order)
- Christmas Day
- Christmas Eve
- New Year’s Day
- Sunday before Christmas Eve
- Valentine’s Day
- New Year’s Eve
- 2nd Saturday Before Christmas
- Saturday Before Christmas
- 2nd Sunday Before Christmas
- Independence Day
This season where families gather together and emotions are strong is a popular time to get engaged because people are often evaluating their life and values — plus they have many opportunities to celebrate with loved ones.
Engagement Stats to Know
- Over 90% of couples announce their engagement on social media within 24/48 hours.
- The average couple is engaged for 15 months.
- Over 85% of couples start discussing their wedding preferences like guest count and type of venue prior to getting engaged.
- Two out of three couples are taking action in wedding planning even before their engagement — such as seeing if vendors or dates are available.
- Pre-engaged actions include — creating Pinterest boards, researching wedding costs, research venues, checking cost, and availability of wedding venues, read reviews of potential vendors, start following vendors on social media.
- 88% of wedding planning is done online with a relatively even split on mobile and desktop.
- 75% of couples/brides follow their vendors on social media — the majority of them even before they book.
What does all this mean for you, as a wedding pro?
It means that right now, couples that are going to get engaged this season are already scouring the internet for potential vendors. And it means that you’ve got to take some proactive steps to be ready for them.
5 THINGS EVERY WEDDING PRO NEEDS TO KNOW TO PREPARE FOR ENGAGEMENT SEASON
The good news is that there are some simple ways to make sure you stand out when those newly engaged couples start looking for wedding vendors. Let’s cover the top seven things you need to know — and do — to prepare for the
1. Review and update your website information.
Read through your website and social media to be sure that everything is up to date and easy to understand. Be sure your information reflects any changes in pricing, process, team members, etc. With COVID, there may be changes to your business or topics that brides need to know in the initial questionnaire, so be sure to think about those details.
It’s important to have your basics covered in this area. Read through all your content like you were a customer. Don’t take anything for granted.
2. Do a web and social media audit. Make sure your message and imagery is consistent.
Sometimes even the best of us can end up with disjointed content and imagery. Do a web and social media audit to make sure your logos, imagery, and calls-to-action are all aligned.
In addition to that, be sure to audit your numbers such as —
- Your website stats. (Including web visits, page views, bounce rate, demographics, etc.)
- Your social media engagement. (Including likes, follows, mentions, shares, etc.)
- Your email marketing efforts. (Including subscribers, open rates, click-through-rates,etc.)
The goal of this step is to make sure you are presenting a consistent image and message across all platforms where customers can find you. This is crucial for success because consistent brand presentation across all platforms increases revenue by up to 23%.
3. Refresh your email marketing strategy.
Both the Gen Z and Millennial demographic groups highly utilize emails still and successfully interact with brands there. In fact, nearly 43% of millennials surveyed reported checking their email before getting out of bed.
Not having a robust (and authentic) email marketing strategy can significantly impact wedding pros. There is a great opportunity to infuse this into brand consideration.
Now is the time to review your email marketing strategy.
Things to include in your email marketing efforts —
- A welcome series that informs people about who you are and what you offer.
- A lead magnet that gives couples a reason to sign-up for your email list. This is often a checklist, how-to, video, or download.
- Automation series that nurture interested couples into reaching out for more information.
4. Up your social media game.
Couples who are engaged — or are about to be — will be looking on social media for all kinds of inspiration, so now is the time to be creative and bring out the best you have to offer.
Here are a few ways to up your social media game —
- Try Reels or Instagram Stories to showcase your personality and your expertise.
- Try digital ads on social media to target newly engaged people with your helpful lead magnet or great blog post to bring them to your site.
- Come up with a giveaway or hashtag campaign.
- Create carousel posts with a round-up of ideas or tips for newly engaged folks.
- Collect your positive reviews and share them. (Don’t overdo it, but be sure to add delighted customer feedback to your social game.)
Remember that video is the most highly consumed piece of content on social media. Your clips don’t have to be professionally produced — they just need to be interesting and relevant to your audience.
Use your downtime as weddings slow a bit to get creative here!
Pro-Tip: Make sure your photos are high-quality and attractive. Instagram and Pinterest are visual mediums that couples love, so be sure that your imagery is up to the task.
5. Create Engagement-Focused Content
Here’s a statistic that should capture your attention. Businesses with blogs produce nearly 705 more leads per month than companies who don’t have a blog. Blogs actually account for over 400% more of indexed pages on Google.
Having an updated blog with content that will attract and serve the newly-engaged demographic is helpful for a few different reasons.
- It increases your chances
for organic website traffic because people are searching for topics, not business names for the most part. - Blogs give you a resource to share on your social media with potential customers.
- They allow you to answer F.A.Q.s that help convince your potential customers of the value of your service — and works for you while you do other things.
- It is where you can send potential clients from your social media ads and email marketing efforts.
- Plus, an outdated blog looks like you don’t have much going on and doesn’t communicate the true excellence of your service.
Create a list of relevant topics that speak to your expertise and what your potential clients are looking for.
Topics could include —
- What to Do Now That You’re Engaged
- 10 Fun Ways to Announce Your Engagement
- When to Buy an Engagement Ring
- What to do Before You Propose
- How to Start Planning Your Wedding, etc.
Other types of content could include your most updated and best weddings from the last year, a behind-the-scenes look at your process, and more.
Not great at coming up with content ideas?
Get inspiration from other wedding media outlets. Search questions on Google to see what is popular. Try to champion a few pieces and focus on those for this season.
Now that you have everything you know to be prepared for engagement season, check out 10 Blog Topics Every Wedding Pro Can Use to Grow Their Business.
Are you still feeling stuck? It might be time to call for some professional help. Check out how Brandlink Media can help you get ready for the
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Written by Corrie McGee
