Maximizing Small Wedding Business Advertising Budgets | 4 Ideas That Cost Little To Nothing

Photo Sasha Adato from Business News

Small wedding businesses are my favorite because they are the heart and soul of the wedding and special event industry.  They have many challenges that face them and perhaps work harder than larger businesses because they have to wear many hats and do whatever it takes to stay afloat and in business.   Small wedding businesses also have one of the greatest assets that make them shine:  the ability to create a personal experience for each and every client and guest.  It is this guest experience that makes a brand.  And because they are smaller and do not have the financial resources of many of the larger brands, they are forced to think more creatively when it comes to marketing and advertising and this is , I think, one of their greatest super powers. 

One of the greatest challenges facing boutique wedding businesses is
the miracle they need to perform by getting maximum advertising outreach on more limited budgets.  While there is a whole plan on which we work with our clientele on maximzing marketing and advertising for smaller businesses, below are four ideas to get the word out on your business for little to no money to get you started.

1.  Host an Open House. Showcase your wedding venue or wedding business with other vendors as sponsors donating services and goods in exchange for mention in publicity.  Invite all prospects and have your contributing sponsors invite all their prospects as well.

2.  Generate a Press Release.  There are free templates you can Google that are AP (Associated Press) friendly.  Remember, your press release should be news-worthy - not just an advertisement for a promotion. For example, did your company recently get an award?  Was an employee recently promoted to a new position? Are you offering a new service?  Hint: the more your item can involve the community, the more editors are likely to print it.   These are all newsworthy items that editors may find of interest and run in the newspaper, providing you and your business with complimentary exposure.

3. Invest In Your "Internal" Walking Advertisements: Your Employees. Employees are an extension of your sales force and how they interact with guests is a constant way to advertise you and your brand.  Invest in training at every level for your employees, starting with the customer experience your employees are giving your guests/clients at the very first contact.  What are they conveying to the guest about your brand?  How is the customer receiving the message and interacting with it?  Engaging Inspiration specializes in evaluating your current method and helping to create new, fresh and inspired paths consistent with your Mission so your employees can be walking advertisements for your brand. 

4.  Make Every Customer a Walking Advertisement.  If you do nothing else on this list, this should be your only one.  With online reviews, word of mouth and so much more, providing your clients/guests with a phenomenal customer experience and not just customer "service", you will turn every customer into your own personal walking advertisement at no charge.

As small wedding businesses and entrepreneurs, we are geniuses at getting creative and making magic happen from limited resources.  It's not just about "thinking outside the box". It is about creating a whole new shape with no boundaries and then capturing the attention of your prospective clients and revenue-generators with your approach.

Photo by Keith Dunlop | Frame 37 Photography

Engaging Inspiration offers sparkling marketing, strategy, leadership & service training to inspire and engage the thinking special event and hospitality professional.