May 2, 2023
Are you a wedding vendor looking to build an email list, but not sure where to begin? Maybe you’ve heard about the benefits of email marketing but aren’t quite sure how to get started? Today, I want to share a few tips for starting an email list as a wedding pro and if you don’t have a favorite email marketing tool yet – let me introduce you to Flodesk! You do need an email marketing platform to (legally) keep and grow an email list so if you don’t have one yet, use this Flodesk coupon code to get 50% off your first year!
First let me address what you may be thinking: building an email list for your wedding business is NOT as complicated as it may seem. It’s also well worth the effort! Email marketing (even if you stop at just a welcome sequence – more on that later!), can lead to more clients and better engagement with your audience. In this blog post, we’ll discuss lead generation ideas, why someone would sign up for your email list, and if you haven’t signed up yet, some of the benefits of using Flodesk.
Before you start building your email list, you need to determine what value you can offer to your audience. Why would someone want to sign up for your email list? Before you start to get overwhelmed, here are some ideas when enticing people to sign up for your email list:
To receive exclusive offers and discounts (but be careful if discounting your services – I have more tips about pricing your offers here).
To be the first to know about new dates opening up (like 2024 wedding days!)
To gain access to relevant and helpful content (we know how much wedding couples love to Google)
OR, to receive free resources or downloads (I’ve found this to be the most popular!)
Once you have determined what value you can offer, creating a “freebie” can be a GREAT way to entice potential couples to sign up for your email list. A freebie can be anything from a guide to planning a wedding on a budget to a checklist for choosing the perfect venue. The key is to make it valuable and relevant to your audience (and what you offer!).
Once someone signs up for your email list, you should also create a welcome sequence to introduce them to your brand and service offerings.
Let’s back up a second! Put simply, a welcome sequence is a series of emails that get sent after someone opts in to your freebie. It’s typically anywhere between 5-9 emails spaced out a few days apart for up to 3 weeks.
Why do you need one? Having a well-crafted welcome sequence will allow potential customers to get to know you, without the barrier of needing to reach out to you (which they may not be ready for!) first. You can share things you might want your potential customers to know, without you directly telling them (like for me, I love to point them to my “how much to budget for wedding callligraphy” blog post.
I share my wedding calligraphy pricing pretty transparently, which is why I use my complete wedding decor checklist as a freebie instead. However, using your pricing guide as an “opt-in” or “freebie” can be an incredibly effective strategy too! Many couples struggle with budgeting for their wedding, so providing them with a guide that outlines your services (and explains your process) can be incredibly valuable for both of you.
There are a couple of other reasons why you might want to create a pricing guide for your “freebie”. First, it provides a barrier for vendors to compare their prices with yours (although I personally don’t worry too much about that – if they want to sign up, they still can). Second, if you are trying to price yourself in a new bracket, “hiding” your pricing behind an opt-in is also a great way to test conversions and see how your market is responding to your pricing! It can be easier to raise or lower your prices when it’s not as public.
Now that I’ve shown you the benefits of having an email list, I’d love to share why I use (and love) Flodesk for email marketing.
Too subtle? In all seriousness, when it comes to creating and managing your email list, there are so many options available. Here are a few reasons why Flodesk is the best for wedding pros.
First, let me just say that wedding pros (or any creative business really) should have a website to establish their online presence and showcase their work. That said, it can take time and effort to create and maintain a website. One of the reasons I love Flodesk is that you can easily create a landing page to collect leads or share your pricing list to promote your new offers or services without adding a new page to your website. You can even customize it to align with your brand’s look and feel.
While having a website is still a crucial aspect of your online presence as a wedding pro, Flodesk’s landing pages give you an additional tool to boost your lead generation and reach more potential clients faster (and with more ease). You can see this in action right here when I recently started an email list for fellow service providers and creatives!
Now that Instagram lets us share 5 links, you can even embed the link directly on Instagram!
In the wedding industry, you’ll want everything you do to be pretty and branded. Unlike other industries, we don’t have the luxury of sending out a boring text-only email (I mean, we can, but it won’t have customers reaching out to book their wedding with us!). Flodesk’s templates are designed with a focus on beautiful visuals, making them perfect for wedding vendors who want to showcase their work! And yes, you SHOULD be showcasing your work in every email!
If you are a wedding pro using Flodesk email marketing, you can segment your audiences and create funnels to target specific groups of people. You can send different emails to your existing and potential clients, making each message relevant to their interests and needs. For example, I have a segment of my email list that is filled with potential couples who might want to hire me. I also have a separate segment for creatives who want more business advice and mentoring. Those two segments don’t need to receive the same emails!
Use this code to get 50% off your first year!
At the end of the day, building an email list is a great addition when marketing your wedding business. By providing value to your audience and using tools like Flodesk, you can create a strong email list that helps your business grow. Remember, when creating your email list, it’s important to focus on providing value to your audience and building a relationship with them. With the right strategy and tools in place, your email list can become a powerful asset for your business. I can’t wait for you to get started!