As a wedding business it is crucial that you develop an emotional connection with your clients as early as possible. Your clients’ weddings are the happiest and most important days of their lives so far. So they will be emotional and you need to brand yourself in such a way that their emotions feel validated. But your branding also needs to be authentic and an accurate representation of your style and values, as this will make it easier to attract your ideal clients who are more likely to connect with you.
If you can become a master at developing meaningful emotional connections with clients you are bound to find success and hopefully some lasting stability in the wedding world. However, this is obviously easier said than done. In this blog post I’ll be talking about how to emotionally connect with your clients and keep them hooked, and then I’ll give you my 4 best tips for doing this at the end.
How big brands connect with their clients and how to emulate them
Big brands are masters of making their customers feel understood, like they belong. Great branding creates deep emotional connections between brands and customers. For example, a brand may promote health and sustainability with the aim of making their clients feel like they are doing something good when they shop there. Or you might find high end luxurious brands aiming to make their clients feel important, valued and respected. These types of emotional connections are the foundations of a loyal customer base. Another big part of branding is how you convey your values to your ideal clients. AirBnB brands themselves as open-minded, curious and adventurous, with the hope of connecting with customers who also think of themselves in this way. Other examples include Nike – motivated, inspired, confident. Or Red Bull – energetic, fearless, daring. When people relate to these values they become loyal which ultimately leads to more engagement and most importantly more sales. Now you might be wondering how loyalty is relevant for wedding businesses, since most people tend to only (hopefully) marry once right? Well yes, but happy clients are likely to have friends and/or family members who might want to get married in the future. And if they pass your details onto a friend, this is essentially a display of customer loyalty. As they were so pleased with your service that they wanted to send more business your way. So never underestimate the power of a single but significant emotional connection with one client, especially as a wedding business where the power of word of mouth is so significant.The power of branding for a wedding business
I’ve been in the wedding industry for over 14 years now, working as a stationery designer at Polka Dot Creations. So I understand the struggle and what it takes to build a successful wedding business. Over the years I’ve created a reliable brand image which has a luxurious but also ethical feeling, allowing me to connect with those ideal clients who want this special feeling for their wedding. Through my branding, my clients already know that I understand their desire for that luxurious special feeling they want for their wedding. They can see this at first glance. Meaning they already have some confidence that I can bring that special feeling to life for them through my wedding stationery before we even speak for the first time.4 tips for developing emotional connections with clients in the wedding industry
- Focus on the experience of the customer. This is vital for developing an emotional connection. You need to be able to do this in person but also digitally with your branding, as many people have their first experience with a brand online. Make sure everything is user-friendly and showcases the image, values and feeling you want the brand to have.
- Show you are a trustworthy brand. According to the STATE OF THE CONNECTED CUSTOMER REPORT, 4TH EDITION, “90% of customers believe companies need to improve their trustworthiness.” Make sure to emphasise that the beautiful bride is in safe hands and they have absolutely nothing to worry about when it comes to deadlines, quality or efficiency.
- Focus on the visual brand elements. The visual elements of your brand are very important in maintaining and showcasing what your brand represents and what it can bring to a wedding. It includes the logo, colour scheme and typography. These visual aspects MUST be on point because customers are so quick to pass judgement. If you don’t capture their imagination straight away with your visuals they won’t bother to look any further.
- Have a consistent brand identity. The whole package needs to align to be able to connect with clients in the wedding industry. Your brand identity is made up of various elements, including your logo, website design, social media presence and overall messaging and tone. This all comes into play when a client is thinking about hiring you and all of it needs to capture that customer experience that you are trying to sell. This consistency needs to also play out in any administrative documents that your client receives such as the proposal, contract and invoice, so ensure that these are fully on-brand too.
