The bigger question for most of our Aisle Planner event pros is how to achieve client connectivity without breaking the bank. How do we stay proactive in communicating with our clients without going completely overboard and creating a significant time suck for our businesses? Let's break it down.
Counting Down the Days
Obviously, how you connect with your clients changes considerably depending on whether their wedding or event is one month away, six months away, or a year or more away. But, the basics are still the same.
Here are a few steps to keep ahead of your clients.
- Create a planning calendar so your clients know how and when all of the planning pieces come together. Knowing what happens next shares clear communication and sets expectations!
- Create reminders for yourself to be proactive and reach out to them 7-10 days before that next target date. Ask them questions, arrange necessary details, and get them moving on those upcoming projects you are beginning.
- Just by the nature of event planning, as you get closer to the event date, you'll have more touches as you begin to finesse the final details. It's also great to just add in one or two simple touchpoints leading up to those upcoming projects.
Streamline Your Process
It's easy to simplify your process and streamline your work. Some of your touchpoints can be as simple as sending them inspirational photos from your Design Board before meetings about the ceremony layout, décor, or even wedding cake. You might even have a collection of uplifting quotes to send with a "Hi, how are you?" note. Other productive touches can be to send a top 10 list of the most popular ceremony readings, first dance songs, or popular wedding favors.
Send your emails with links to relevant posts on your blog! This can serve two purposes. First, it can streamline your work by sending clients important information with just a few clicks. But it also allows clients to connect to other related posts and increases your SEO.
How Much Is Too Much?
For some, the answer to that comes when your business begins to suffer. We sometimes hear the comment that the "inmates are running the asylum." Too much communication often comes when you're not proactive in sharing information with clients and vendors. Their contact and requests sometimes come in a flood when you're in the middle of a hundred other things. If you suddenly start to find yourself in situations of being reactive rather than proactive, it might be time to schedule a few more meetings with that client.
The Gang's All Here!
Take advantage of your social media and the Aisle Planner tools to stay connected with your favorite event vendors. Tagging them in posts of real weddings and styled shoots or quoting them in tips and trends blog posts pushes everyone to the forefront. Sharing their posts is good for both businesses and lets people know you have a good working relationship.
Invite your clients to like your business page and create content that people want to share! We love this blog post by Tammy Waterman, an ABC Master Wedding Planner who tackled what couples are feeling and wishing their guests knew about postponing during COVID-19. It got couples and wedding pros talking. Remember that word of mouth is enormously valuable in this industry. You want to put your best foot forward and engage with your clients appropriately and positively. You don't want to walk away from COVID-19 or any challenge with clients who are angry and won't refer you to their network. At the end of the day, communicating is key!
Hero photo courtesy A & L Events and Lauren Renee
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