In the wedding industry, marketing isn’t just about getting a quick spike in inquiries—it’s about building a brand that resonates with couples over time. Marketing is much like planning a wedding: it requires vision, patience, and consistent effort to see the beautiful results. While you could plan a wedding in weeks, you get a better event if you take months.

One of the first questions I get asked on discovery calls is, “How can you get me more clients?” The answer is—it takes time. Today, I’m sharing the differences between long-term and short-term marketing and the ways we explore each option for our clients at Ava and The Bee.

What Is Long-Term Marketing?

Think of long-term marketing as planning a wedding. You start with the basics – a venue, a date, and maybe a design vision. Then, you build up with additional vendors, rentals, and design details. Each piece ties into one another, and the wedding couldn’t have happened without each and every piece. That is what long-term marketing is like – each piece builds up on the other, leading you toward the ultimate goal: a recognizable, trusted brand.

At Ava And The Bee, our specialty is long-term marketing, because we know it works. Our clients are often in the up-leveling stage: raising their prices, niching down, and entering higher budget markets. This type of business adjustment doesn’t (and can’t!) happen overnight. It takes strategy, time, and consistency.

Take a minute to think about your favorite brand. Let’s say you are a huge Glossier cosmetics brand. Glossier was started in 2010 as a beauty blog. She became one of the first beauty blogs to use Instagram, and Glossier was launched in 2014. The brand is focused on truly knowing and understanding its audience, captivating and witty copy, stand-out branding (you know its brand as soon as you see Glossier Pink!), and publishing incredible quality content. All of that was built on each other, year after year.

What Long Term Marketing Includes

Building Brand Recognition

Brand recognition is the name of the game. Literally, look at any consumer product business. They go ALL IN on building a brand. One of the biggest mistakes I see wedding vendors make is focusing on just what they do – and not on building a brand. Yes, you are a planner, or florist, or photographer. But first and foremost – you are a brand.

Consistent marketing efforts ensure that your brand becomes familiar to your target audience. Over time, repeated exposure to your brand helps couples recognize and remember you when they’re ready to plan their big day. And it makes your sales process much easier – it’s easier to sell to a warm audience!

Establishing Trust and Credibility

Trust is earned gradually. And for someone to spend $$$ on your business, you better believe trust is incredibly important. By consistently delivering high-quality content and maintaining positive interactions with your clients, you build a reputation as a reliable and professional wedding vendor.

Creating Emotional Connections

Emotional connections also don’t happen overnight. Through storytelling and sharing your brand’s unique values, you can create a deeper connection with your audience. Weddings are incredibly emotional. They are one of the most emotional purchases a couple will ever make. So lean into that.

Improving SEO

SEO is a long game – but the dividends are endless. If you are relying on referrals and Instagram to bring you clients, you are not going to be able to compete in this overly saturated industry. SEO involves regular content creation, link building, and website optimization to see lasting improvements in your search engine rankings.

This is why the first place we look to update when you work with us at Ava And The Bee is your website. Without a strong website, we can’t do our job marketing your business. Every single thing I do is to get people on your website! Blogging? Your website. Instagram? Your website. Pinterest?  Your Website. Ads? Yep – your website. See the pattern?

What Is Short-Term Marketing?

Short-term marketing strategies are like sending out save-the-date cards for your wedding. They create immediate awareness and excitement, letting everyone know something important is coming soon. Short-term strategies provide immediate gains that support your long-term goals.

Driving Website Traffic

Increased website traffic means more eyes on your services. More eyes = higher chances of conversions. Now, of course, that means your website needs to be fully up to date, easy to navigate, and engaging – which we talk about in detail in this blog post.

• Targeted Paid Ads: Use platforms like Google Ads or Meta Ads to reach your ideal audience with precision targeting. One note: boosting a post for $10/day isn’t going to get you the ROI you are looking for. We recommend at least $500 per month in Ad Spend, and hiring an expert to do this for you. While this isn’t something we offer at Ava And The Bee, we recommend I Do Society + Fly Dog Digital for this!
• SEO Updates: Enhance your website’s existing content to improve its search engine ranking and attract organic traffic. This is one of our favorite offerings!
• Social Media Promotions: Run contests, giveaways, or polls to generate buzz and attract new followers.

Increase Lead Generation

• Free Resources & Growing An Email List: Emails lists are often one of the most over-looked platforms by wedding vendors, but can be an incredible short term and long term strategy. Offer free guides in exchange for email addresses, then send monthly newsletters to stay at the top of your mind.
• Wedding Shows: Bridal showcases and local events can provide immediate exposure to a large audience of potential clients.
• Partnering With Other Vendors:  Most venues will have monthly open houses for perspective couples. Think of ways you can partner with them! Whether it is taking free pictures, providing flowers for the event, or creating unique signage – there are plenty of ways to offer your services! Also, consider local bridal shops. These are often an early purchase, and partnering with boutqiues can allow you to get in front of couples at an earlier stage.

 

[Looking to get started with Email Marketing? We have a course for that – only $47!]

Boosting Conversions

• Special Offers and Discounts: Provide limited-time promotions to encourage immediate bookings. This could include free album upgrades, mini-sessions, or sales.
• A/B Testing: Experiment with different headlines, calls to action, and landing page designs to see what converts best. Marketing is all about A/B testing!

TLDR: Long Term vs. Short Term

Time: Long-term strategies span months or years, while short-term strategies focus on immediate results within days or weeks.

Goal: Long-term strategies are about building your brand, whereas short-term strategies aim to drive immediate actions.

Plan: Long-term strategies include content marketing and SEO, while short-term strategies involve paid advertising and promotions.

Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Marketing

Successful marketing balances both short-term actions and long-term goals. Here’s how to do it effectively:

1. Short-Term Actions:
   • Run promotions or special offers to generate immediate interest.
   • Use social media and email campaigns for quick engagement and conversions.
   • Implement paid advertising to quickly boost visibility.
2. Long-Term Goals:
   • Consistently produce high-quality, valuable content to build brand authority.
   • Focus on SEO to improve your search engine rankings over time.
   • Foster client relationships through excellent service and engagement, encouraging long-term loyalty and referrals.

Hire A Team For Your Wedding Marketing

Marketing in the wedding industry is a long-term investment that pays off through increased brand recognition, trust, and client loyalty. While short-term strategies provide the immediate wins needed to keep your business moving forward, long-term strategies ensure sustained growth and a strong market presence. At Ava And The Bee, we are wedding industry experts who understand how to balance both short-term and long-term strategies. View our services to see how we can support you!