Image: Slodak Photography
I can’t believe it’s May. I really can’t. 2018 is flying by and this year is about half over. And as I continue to type this, I think I am freaking out more and more about that. We’re flying into wedding season, I am entering my 3rd trimester, and 2019 prep for CapRo Wedding Coordination is probably already past due. Oh. Em. Gee.
So let’s get off the topic of flying time, and instead re-focus on this point of today’s post: the importance of networking with other wedding vendors. This isn’t a new idea, people all across the business spectrum will tout the importance of networking, but as a wedding vendor, in the DC space, I can’t tell you how much trusted relationships with other wedding vendors (which in turn, translate to the vendor recommending our services to prospective clients) is the key to our wedding coordination business‘ success. I’ll go so far as to say that I find this to be more lucrative than paying for advertising on wedding blogs/sites – why? Because other than time spent cultivating the relationship, this is FREE.
And obviously, as a business that also depends on ad revenue from vendors (advertise with us!), I’m not completely discounting paying for private or targeted advertising to help your business grow and thrive, I think each business needs to assess their marketing strategy and put their money and time where they think they will get the best return. That being said, I couldn’t help but share our personal success with getting client inquiries, solely through vendor networks.
Let me share this nugget: other than the marketing we do via this site and our own social media platforms, the only way we get inquiries is through venue, catering, and OTHER wedding coordinators recommending us! Yes – you read that right, other wedding coordinators. What some might call ‘your competition’, we have found to be our best resource for inquiries. How’s that for community over competition? Think about it: we all get inquiries for dates we are already booked/not available, and as a small business owner focused on helping ANY person I come in contact with, I feel better responding to the inquiry with a list of suggested other businesses for them to try, then to just say, “sorry, we’re booked, best of luck!”. We send business to our fellow, favorite wedding coordinators & planners, and they return the favor.
So with 6 months left in 2018, and 2019 booking season just about upon us, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate the vendor relationships you’ve established and see where you can get on some ‘recommended lists’ (both formal and informal!). For us, we’ve luckily been added to recommended lists, based solely on the fact that we are good at what we do :) Venues like recommending us, because they know they will get a tight event, with minimal risks, and a clean space at the end of the night. Caterers like recommending us, because they know we will work alongside them, as a partner in the event, working hard to ensure the wedding & food services goes as smooth (and on time!) as possible. And to any vendors out there recommending us that I missed – THANK YOU! Let us know and we can help return the favor :)
