5 ways your venue can prepare for the busy engagement season

It’s that time of year again - the build up to the engagement season. Christmas time sees a rise in engagements, so you need to be ready to serve your potential clients and ensure a fantastic customer journey from the onset. Here are 5 ways you can prepare for this busy time ahead:

1. Make sure your website is looking tip-top

Take a few hours out of your week to really analyse your current website. Think of it as a Winter service, ready to be used more than usual in the coming weeks and months post-Christmas. Is it user friendly? Are there several calls to action in order for interested couples to easily enquire and book show rounds? Have you uploaded all the best images and videos from your archives? Are their testimonials on every page? Is all the info in front of the couple, quickly and easily? They won’t hang around, so make it easy for them to get in touch. Obtaining contact details to start shaping a great first impression is the first starting point in relationship building and will be the start of you engaging with the couple.

Don’t forget to take a look at any directory listings you have online. Check the copy is clear, the photos and videos are on point and any call to actions are visible and user friendly.

2. Review your enquiry process

If you can, set up an automated, personalised enquiry responder email. The client enquires via your site, they then receive everything they need to digest immediately. It means when you are chomping down on a mince pie watching your favourite Christmas film, your potential clients are still being served efficiently. Don’t forget to follow up a couple of days later. The personal touch is so important. Similarly, make sure your calendar is up to date for show round appointments (whether that’s virtual or in-person depending on your tier).

3. Schedule socials

You are going to need all the time to be present answering enquires and hosting show rounds and generally selling your gorgeous venue. You won’t want to be using your precious time to post on socials – trust me! Use this time leading up to engagement season to plan content for the next 6 weeks. Use a standard spreadsheet, design some on-brand squares via Canva and automate! I would recommend you use Facebook Creator studio but you can use Planoly or Later (there are lots to chose from). This is a real gamechanger. As if by magic, your daily posts will be generated without you lifting a finger! Use sites such as Awareness Days to help with content, real weddings, trends, supplier spotlights, blogs. Make sure your copy and your visuals always talk to your ideal client though!

4. Sort your staff

It may just be you at the helm or you may have a team. Whatever your situation, get planning your time wisely. Ensure rotas are in place, people know what they need to be doing and when. Make January’s focus that of sales and new bookings. Set out your goals – go and achieve them!

5. Take some time to recharge

This year has been full on, you need a break – we all do! Enjoy some time off over Christmas and don’t feel guilty. If you have worked on the above points then you can take a couple of days rest. It means you will come back to the business refreshed and recharged, ready to take on 2024!

I hope the above has helped.

Let’s make this engagement season the best one yet! Come along to my FREE webinar on Monday 16th October 2023 at 11am to find out what you need to do to get ahead of the game and bring in more bookings!

Olivia x