In the spring, there are only a few last-minute requests for invitation suites from couples who are planning their weddings in the late summer or fall. With summer just around the corner, it’s prime time to drum up some creative marketing ideas for stationers to explore in their off-season. Use these ideas to develop cross-promotional opportunities with your vendor network and in your new customer relationships.
Stationery Suite Samples
From the get-go, show that you put a lot of thought into helping clients make a lasting impression on their wedding guests with your stationery. Put together a stationery sample kit for wedding and event planners. We’re not talking about the cardstock samples you provide directly to planners. Offer them directly to the planners’ clients upon request.
Offer your planner partners the option to have you send your sample stationery kit directly to their clients. All you’ll need is the client’s address, your samples, your business card, a mailer envelope for the couple to return the kit, instructions about how to return it, and a welcome packet or brochure if you have one. Tell your planner network about this cool new service of yours that helps them court new clients. Motivate them to encourage their (prospective) clients to request sample cardstock and invitation suite information.
Make it clear that the planner can offer this as a complimentary service provided by their company. When you make another vendor look like the star of the show, it’s easy to create a partnership with them. From the couple’s perspective, there’s no reason to resist this free service if they need wedding stationery. You’ll become one of the first stationers that your planner network refers their couples to.
Greeting Cards for Clients
Upon gathering initial contact information from your clients, document their wedding date, birthday information, what holidays they celebrate, and which ones are their favorite. This is the kind of data that comes in handy in your off-season. Allocate a portion of your marketing budget to sending birthday, anniversary, and/or holiday cards to your past clients. This serves two purposes: Exhibit your expertise and keep your company at the forefront of their minds.
This marketing tactic works especially well for those whose business traffic primarily comes from word-of-mouth referrals. The idea here is that you give them a card that they can’t help but share with their friends and family. Allude to a surprise inside the envelope in which you send your holiday greeting card.
Inside, include another holiday card that you auto-fill with your client’s signature. Include a short note to your client to tell them you created this additional card on their behalf to send to a loved one for the holiday. While it’s optional to make the short note by hand, keep in mind that handwritten notes are much more likely to be stored somewhere for safekeeping. As a result, you’re setting up your client to leave “breadcrumbs” around their home that remind them of you every so often.
To take it one step further, include an envelope in which your client can seal the card you created on their behalf for their family or friend. On that envelope, auto-fill the front side with the word “From” and your client’s name. Just beneath that, inscribe “Made by” and your company name and logo. This is the kind of personalization that makes an unforgettable impression on your client and the recipient of the card you made for their loved one. This is a simple way that you can make your client feel as thoughtful as you are for the lucky recipient of your card.
You can optionally create a holiday card that matches that client’s wedding color palette to go above and beyond. Over the years, your client is much more likely to collect the cards you send to them as if they were collector’s items. Moreover, it makes it a lot more likely they'll share the experience with their friends and family, unprompted. This is how you build a strong reputation for your business!
Hero photo courtesy of Christina and Jeremiah Photography
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