When we talk about marketing as creative professionals, we cannot begin the conversation without first talking about the impact of client experience on your marketing. 

In this industry, having an impeccable client experience leads to better reviews and stronger referrals. Those, in turn, make it easier to market yourself. As a wedding professional you are typically considered a “high ticket offer”, and that means that an integral part of appealing to ideal clients is the thoughtful & unique experience you offer. 

Let’s break down some of the specifics that influence the impact of client experience on your marketing: 

• Reviews are really important for our businesses. Why? Because they give new couples social proof. What does that mean? It’s essentially just evidence that people in their shoes have used your service and had a good experience. Don’t underestimate the power that can play in marketing. I recommend using reviews on your website, and across your social media. A good practice is to post reviews to your Instagram stories, and save them in a highlight. So when ideal clients land on your page they automatically have that powerful social proof available.
  
• Personal Referrals are unicorn marketing! With a personal referral, couples do the marketing FOR you (Yes please!!). You want to have a brand that creates an excitement around working with you, so that your clients will sing your praises to their friends. Newly engaged couples will take the suggestions of trusted friends far more seriously than a Google search. Crafting your client experience to create this kind of reaction ultimately means a mindset shift and shift in the way you market. 

So now that we know the impact of client experience on your marketing, let’s talk about HOW that information influences the way we market ourselves! 

1. We change our language. We pivot from talking about Features to Benefits. This is a subtle but powerful shift in the way we talk about our business for marketing purposes. Here is an example:
   
   Feature – “I hold a timeline planning call with you six months before your wedding to sketch out a timeline for your wedding day.”
   Benefit – “We’ll plan several months ahead to ensure you have the time you need for the photos you want, all while giving you the most time possible to celebrate with loved ones.”

Do you feel the difference between those? Features are about YOU and what you offer. Benefits are about the COUPLE and how their experience will be improved.

2. We start speaking to our ideal clients with intentionality,  instead of hustling to reach any and all new couples in a sea of competitors. In turn, we’re more persuasive and connect more easily wit the clients we most want to work with.
   
3. We get clear on what to post & how to write captions. When we realize the impact client experience has on our marketing, instead of never knowing what to say, we turn to educating our potential clients and being a resource to them. As experts in the wedding industry, we know SO MUCH that our clients don’t and we can help make the planning process easier for them by sharing our knowledge. As we do this, we become a trusted expert they appreciate.
   

Let’s get technical for a minute. How does where we spend our marketing dollars shift when we start focusing on client experience? Here are some ways I’ve reallocated my marketing budget to great success:

• No longer pay for ad spots on wedding websites (yay!) 
• Instead, spend that $$$ on my couples
• Invest in a CRM system to provide consistently high quality communication, education, and service
• Surprise and delight couples with thoughtful tokens of appreciation

I hope this post has convinced you of the impact that providing a great client experience has on your marketing. I’m all about being more strategic with our resources as service providers, and I hope you feel more clarity around how to position yourself in the market and up your game when it comes to your clients’ experience with you!