This article is about how to market your wedding business at a wedding expo, bridal expo, or bridal fair
There are several ways to market your wedding company, including social media, online ads, and printed advertising. However, one of the best ways to expose your wedding services and products to your target audience is at a bridal fair or wedding expo.
In this article, I’m going to share my top tips to help you market your wedding business at a wedding expo or bridal fair.
To Market your wedding business at a wedding expo or bridal fair, you will want to follow these simple guidelines:
Keep it simple
Wedding expos and bridal fair events can be quite overwhelming for some bridal couples, especially if there are a lot of stands to meander through.
As a CEO of a national bridal fair events company here in South Africa and an ex-wedding planner, I know a thing or two about how to market your wedding business at a wedding expo.
By keeping your stand simple, you will have a better chance of attracting bridal couples as they walk through the exhibition area.
It is also essential to show off what you do. I’ve seen it countless times when a wedding company offering a specific service missed the mark by showing off its unique services or products. For instance, if you have a wedding venue – you could get mistaken as a wedding décor company if you set up your stand like one.
Use Branded Stationery and Banners
As with the topic above, bridal couples will have a lot of information to swallow as they enter the wedding expo. If they don’t have a chance to talk with you in person at the expo, they may not remember you after the event.
By using branded stationery and banners – you can leave a lasting impression on the bridal couples as they collect various flyers and business cards for later planning.
Offer a Special Offer or Discount
Brides and bridal couples love bridal shows and wedding expos because of the special offers, discounts, and competitions. By offering a special offer that is only valid for a specific time period. You will have more chances of getting a bridal couple to say yes to working with you. Especially if the offer is significant.
My advice is to be big and bold with your special offer so that you can stand out from the crowd and use the proven urgency marketing method to speed up their decision-making process.
Offer a Competition
If you want to stand out at a wedding expo and benefit from bridal leads that you can follow up with after the show – there’s no better way. The competition allows you to engage with the couples firsthand as they enter their details for the competition.
The prize you choose for the competition can be small – but again, my advice Is always to go big. The bigger the competition – the better the results. You will generate more leads from a big giveaway than from a smaller one that doesn’t bring a lot of attention to your stand.
Be Present
There’s nothing worse at a wedding expo than an empty stand. When bridal couples like what they see, they will want to chat to gather more information and details. If you’re not at your stand – you could miss out big time.
Another point to mention is to make sure you are there. Hiring another person that doesn’t share the passion you have for your wedding business will hurt the results you get from the expo.
Don’t Pack Away Too Soon
At my bridal fairs, I’ve noticed that a lot of the main networking and bridal engagement happens at the end of the event when things are quieter. If you pack up your things too early, you could miss out on some big deals and networking opportunities.
Market to the Grooms
Wedding expos and bridal fairs can be very bride focused and sometimes you will find grooms-to-be hanging around in the background not knowing what to do with themselves. Especially if the bride-to-be is looking at bridal gowns.
This leaves you with a great opportunity of striking up a conversation with the groom. In general, grooms are practical buyers. They will be interested in honeymoons, DJs, contracts, photography, and videography so if you offer any of those services – this could be a great chance for you to grab their attention and start up a relaxed conversation.
Give Them Something to Remember You
Giving a bride or a bridal couple a little gift, chocolate, or even a simple rose is one of the best ways to stand out and be remembered after the wedding expo. When a bride gets back home to go through her bridal pack, she will then come across your gift and immediately remember you, your business, and your services.
Stand In Front of Your Exhibitor’s Table
If you have an exhibitor table, you might be tempted to sit down at the wedding expo. This is a big mistake and could cost you a lot of wedding bookings and leads. By standing in front of your table, you are showing interest in the brides and bridal couples instead of hiding behind your table.
TIP – Get off your phone too – the number of times I see exhibitors sitting down looking at their phones as a bridal couple stands at their table for more info. It’s crazy.
Get Enough Sleep
Wedding expos are demanding and will leave you feeling exhausted at the end of the day – especially if it runs for a few days. My advice is to get plenty of rest and sleep the night before so you are bright and breezy for the event the next day.
Dress Comfortably
Don’t overdress for wedding expos. When you dress up too formally – you can come across as too corporate or too professional (as crazy as that sounds). Bridal couples want to work with people they can relate to and trust.
If you dress smartly but relaxed at a wedding expo, you will have a better chance of engaging with your target audience.
NOTE – If you’re exhibiting at a 5-star venue that attracts wealthy and luxurious weddings – you can ignore this tip as you will then want to dress to always impress.
Conclusion
If you want to market your wedding business to your target audience, wedding expos and bridal fairs are great. You will have the chance to engage in one-to-one conversations and create that all-important rapport with them.
If you’d like to know more about marketing your wedding business this year – I have a couple of options for you to consider. Binge through my articles for some other top tips and advice (for free)
- Register for my new course – Wedding Business 24 Course
- Find out more about my Done For You Services (VA Services)
Until the next time,
take care,
Nats
