How can we capture attention?

How do you respond to couples that makes you stand out from the crowd and capture attention, once you’ve received the enquiry?

Amazingly 33% of WeddingDates venues are still using a generic template which is a huge missed opportunity to capture attention.

Customised to your venue isn’t the same as personalised to your couple

An email might be customised to a specific venue and mention certain things to do with that particular hotel, but it can still be seen as generic and impersonal to a couple.  In my role at WeddingDates I see a lot of email templates that are used to respond to enquiries. Some are better than others and yield better results.

Here are a few things to consider when creating a personalised enquiry response template:

Share in the excitement

Find a way to share in couples excitement. Think outside the box – it doesn’t always have to start with “congratulations on your engagement”. How many times do you think newly engaged couples will be hearing that? A great template example I saw recently simply started with “Look who put a ring on it….” It is fun and different from the norm.

Focus on them

You must make it about the couple and not about the features of your venue.  The information about your venue should be contained in your website and brochure. The couples are clearly interested in what you have to offer because they have enquired with you.

If you acknowledge the range of emotions and empathise with them means you will build a connection with them before you have even met or spoken on the phone. You know the couples are likely to be feeling excited, confused and possibly overwhelmed.

Use your knowledge & experience

In previous articles we have looked at how couples are bombarded with so much information that your expertise can be used to position you as a valuable source of information.

Can you link to a blog post on your site or even a guest blog/article you have written sharing your top tips for wedding planning?

Article: What 1st impression are we making?

Article: It’s time to shine

A clear next step

Making it clear what will happen next can help alleviate any worry couples may have about how the process works (remember they have probably never done this before) as well as helping you come across as trustworthy.

For example – let them know when to expect your call.

You could also direct them to social media where they can find inspiration and start visualising their big day at your venue. This links back to using your knowledge and experience.

Open up a conversation

Always ask questions which encourage a response – just like a face to face conversation. Try making a suggestion for when you can all catch up – rather than leaving the ball in their court and saying “get in touch”.

Did you know WeddingDates helps you capture the attention of all enquiries?

The WedPro software sends the Initial Response to all enquiries received via the Enquiry Plugin, your listing on weddingdates.co.uk and those you manually enter from all other sources.

The key thing to remember is use the software available to you.

The Initial response

This is where you need to combine automation and personalisation. Even an automated reply can still be the warm/friendly reply couples want to receive. There is no need for it to be a robotic “holding” email.

• How do you think your 1st response to enquiries makes couples feel?
• When did you last review your enquiry response email?

You can download your copy of the 2021 Wedding Industry Report:

UK Report Ireland Report