There is a disconnect between COUPLES who are not feeling special and VENUES who are being ghosted.
In our recent 2021 Industry Survey we asked couples how the venue enquiry experience made them feel. 14% said they felt like just another number and 53% said nothing (about the experience) really stood out.
It is SHOCKING that just 30% of couples were made to feel special when they enquired to a venue – this is a HUGE missed opportunity for venues to shine and outstrip competitors.
We also asked couples for specific open feedback about the enquiry process and here are some of the responses:
“We enquired with two hotels. One had little to no communication with us even though we emailed multiple times over a few months. We emailed a second hotel that were so helpful. We booked the second hotel.”
“Some were amazing. Some were asking for deposits before they even knew our surname.”
“I found this really varied from place to place. It was more generic with the more popular wedding venues and more personal with the lesser known venues.”
How can we bridge the gap:
Couples:
- Want to feel important and special about their big day
- Often say there’s nothing special about the interaction with the venue.
- Are underwhelmed about the response received from venues.
- Get the feeling the response is personal.
- Don’t receive enough or any responses.
- Are kept waiting and want timely responses.
Venues/You
- Are handling high volumes of enquiries and often dealing with more than just wedding events.
- May be working reduced hours.
- Have competing priorities.
- Are multitasking: write marketing copy, engage on social media, deal with multiple sources of new leads, manage sales pipeline, report to management, execute the smooth running of the event.
- Have large volumes of manual administration, emails and data entry.
It’s challenging to keep on top of every single enquiry at every stage in the pipeline, with everything else going on. We have the solution.
WedMail by WeddingDates
allows you to work smarter not harder
WedMail is a series of emails designed to be used at key touch points in the wedding planning journey. We identified 18 of these touch points and have arranged them into five key stages of the journey.
- Chase Stage
- Show Round Stage
- Provisional Stage
- Booking Stage
- Post Wedding Stage
Each touch point email is customisable allowing you to insert your tone of voice and personality to better connect with your couples. You can also personalise your email signature and use your personal email address.
The beauty of WedMail is that the system automatically triggers the next touchpoint and generates the draft emails but they are never sent automatically. You always remain in control of the communication. You can Preview and Edit before hitting send.
Once triggered, the WedMail appears in your Task List on the Dashboard. You will see the trigger date, the couples name and email, the stage of the journey and the source of the enquiry.
Each WedMail is tracked in the Enquiry Manager giving you visibility of when things were sent, delivered and opened by the couple; providing a clear trail of communication.
WedMail is a useful tool to keep on top of chases/follow ups and also when communicating with couples who have a confirmed booking but their wedding is still some way off.
Because of COVID, engagement to marriage lead times are now on the rise again. It could be two years between a couple confirming a booking and their wedding actually taking place. Be proactive and regularly send them useful and relevant information relating to their event. It puts you in a good light and helps them feel valued. It’s as if you are counting down with them and sharing in their excitement. For example:
- “Just 12 months to go! I have put together some décor inspiration ideas to help you on your planning journey.”
- “6 months to go! Have you thought about XYZ yet? Lets get your menu tasting arranged”
- “Only 3 weeks to go… etc”
Show them that you care just as much as they do. This can be hard to manage when you have many other couples with dates before theirs. Using WedMail you are significantly cutting down the time spent on admin.
Next week I will share some ideas on how to WOW couples during this communication process.
Work smarter not harder
- Have you experienced ghosting from couples after they enquire with you?
- Do you have a structured and automated communication process in place?
I would love to hear your thoughts and experience in the comments.
If you are curious about WedMail and how it can assist you in your daily wedding administration, I’d be happy to have a no obligation chat.
Feel free to book a call with me to find out more >>Book A Call<<
This article was inspired by our Lunch & Learn webinar series from March this year, you can watch them back via the links below.
A copy of the 2021 Wedding Industry Report can be downloaded below:
