Marketing Strategy for Wedding Professionals & Businesses: The Evolve Your Wedding Business Podcast

Heidi Thompson | Wedding Business Coach, Marketing Strategist, & Consultant
  • 4.8 (55)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

As a wedding professional, you're incredible at what you do but when it comes to marketing for wedding pros, you're stuck playing the social media game and hoping the right clients find you. Whether you love or hate the constant hustle, I've got news for you...there's a better, more sustainable way to get more wedding clients and book more weddings without burning out. This show delivers actionable wedding marketing strategies to help you attract dream clients, increase your wedding bookings, & (finally) get your questions about growing a profitable wedding business answered! We'll cover questions like: Getting More Clients: How do I get more wedding inquiries from my ideal clients?How do I book more weddings as a photographer? As a planner? At my venue?How do I turn wedding inquiries into booked clients?Marketing Strategy & Channels: How do I market my wedding planning business to stand out?Should I focus on Instagram, Pinterest, Google, or paid advertising?Is it worth it to advertise on The Knot and WeddingWire?What wedding planner marketing and event planner marketing strategies actually work?Sustainable Growth: How do I market my wedding business on a budget?How do I know if my wedding marketing strategy is working?Can I build a successful business without being on social media 24/7 or working 60+ hour weeks?After helping tens of thousands of wedding professionals around the world build sustainable wedding businesses, wedding business coach Heidi Thompson knows exactly what it takes to attract dream clients without the overwhelm.Through Evolve Your Wedding Business, she's on a mission to help wedding vendors create marketing strategies that work without working 60+ hour weeks. Heidi consistently makes wedding business marketing approachable and exciting! With a mix of solo episodes and guest interviews with successful wedding vendors and wedding marketing experts, you'll hear exactly how to grow your wedding business whether you're a wedding planner, DJ, officiant, florist, venue owner, or any other type of wedding vendor so you can spend less time chasing clients and more time doing the work you love. Ready to take your wedding business to the next level? Press play and visit evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/podcast for show notes, guest info, and even more free resources to grow your wedding business! 🎧

  1. 2d ago

    Why Your Marketing Isn't Attracting The Right Wedding Clients

    👉 Want to finally break free from The Knot and WeddingWire without losing leads? Save your seat for this free training. You're booking weddings. You're making money. And you still wrap up almost every project thinking "I wish they were all like that one." Then the next inquiry rolls in. Someone wants the same thing but cheaper. Someone ghosts the second you send pricing. Someone books and spends the next six months making you question why you do this job at all. Here's the thing nobody tells you: that's not a lead problem. You don't need more wedding clients. You need the right ones, and that's a completely different fix. In this episode, Heidi breaks down why "post more, be more consistent, run more ads" makes a fit problem worse, not better, and what actually changes when your marketing starts speaking to the person instead of describing the service. Get all the links from this episode: http://evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/367 ——— I’m hosting a free live class: Break Up With The Knot & WeddingWire (Without Losing Leads) We’ll cover why many wedding pros feel their directory listings aren’t delivering like they once did, what’s actually working for bookings right now, and how to create a marketing system that puts you back in the driver’s seat. Grab your free seat at evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/breakup ——— Find Heidi: Instagram (send a DM!) The Wedding Business Collective 🩵 (get your first month for $1) Ghosted Lead Booking Wizard 👻 Wedding Business Shop 🛍️ Free Training: Break Up With WeddingWire + The Knot Without Losing Leads 💔 Free Audio Training: Inside Profitable Six-Figure Wedding Businesses: What They Do That You Don’t (So You Can Grow & Scale Too) 👀 Case Study: Wedding Planner Marketing That Works – How Katie Sautter Booked 15 Weddings in Her First Year 🔍 The Knot & WeddingWire: Are They Worth It For Wedding Vendors?🤔

    15 min

  2. Jun 24

    The Instagram Strategy Wedding Pros Need to Book More Clients

    👉 Want to finally break free from The Knot and WeddingWire without losing leads? Save your seat for this free training. You're posting. You're trying to be consistent. You know your couples are on Instagram and you know you're supposed to show up there. And yet somehow none of it is actually translating into leads or bookings. If that's you, you are not alone. And it's not your fault. Nobody taught you how to make Instagram actually work for your business. They just told you to post more. In this episode I'm joined by Elizabeth Marberry, Instagram marketing strategist and host of the Strut It podcast, who breaks down exactly what's missing between showing up on Instagram and actually getting couples to reach out. We get into why one piece of content can do three jobs at once, how DM automation works and why it's a game changer for busy wedding pros, why your Instagram Stories are where the warm leads are hiding, and why the leads and sales are happening in the DMs, not on your website contact form. Get all the links from this episode: http://evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/366 ——— I’m hosting a free live class: Break Up With The Knot & WeddingWire (Without Losing Leads) We’ll cover why many wedding pros feel their directory listings aren’t delivering like they once did, what’s actually working for bookings right now, and how to create a marketing system that puts you back in the driver’s seat. Grab your free seat at evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/breakup ——— Find Heidi: Instagram (send a DM!) The Wedding Business Collective 🩵 (get your first month for $1) Ghosted Lead Booking Wizard 👻 Wedding Business Shop 🛍️ Free Training: Break Up With WeddingWire + The Knot Without Losing Leads 💔 Free Audio Training: Inside Profitable Six-Figure Wedding Businesses: What They Do That You Don’t (So You Can Grow & Scale Too) 👀 Case Study: Wedding Planner Marketing That Works – How Katie Sautter Booked 15 Weddings in Her First Year 🔍 The Knot & WeddingWire: Are They Worth It For Wedding Vendors?🤔

    49 min

  3. Jun 17

    Should You Go After Luxury Weddings? Here's My Honest Answer

    👉 Want to finally break free from The Knot and WeddingWire without losing leads? Save your seat for this free training. There is a narrative going around in this industry that luxury is the goal. That if you're exhausted, undercharging, or working too hard for what you're getting paid, the answer is to move upmarket. Raise your prices. Get better clients. Go luxury. I get why that sounds appealing. And I'm here to tell you it might be one of the most misleading things we say to each other. Going after luxury weddings isn't a promotion. It's building a completely different business from scratch. And if you do it for the wrong reasons, which a lot of people are, it's going to make your situation worse, not better. This episode is my honest take on the luxury market, who it's actually right for, who it isn't, what really changes when you move into it, and what to do instead if your current business isn't performing the way you want it to. Get all the links from this episode: http://evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/365 ——— I’m hosting a free live class: Break Up With The Knot & WeddingWire (Without Losing Leads) We’ll cover why many wedding pros feel their directory listings aren’t delivering like they once did, what’s actually working for bookings right now, and how to create a marketing system that puts you back in the driver’s seat. Grab your free seat at evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/breakup ——— Find Heidi: Instagram (send a DM!) The Wedding Business Collective 🩵 (get your first month for $1) Ghosted Lead Booking Wizard 👻 Wedding Business Shop 🛍️ Free Training: Break Up With WeddingWire + The Knot Without Losing Leads 💔 Free Audio Training: Inside Profitable Six-Figure Wedding Businesses: What They Do That You Don’t (So You Can Grow & Scale Too) 👀 Case Study: Wedding Planner Marketing That Works – How Katie Sautter Booked 15 Weddings in Her First Year 🔍 The Knot & WeddingWire: Are They Worth It For Wedding Vendors?🤔

    18 min

  4. Jun 10

    Turn Your Wedding Marketing Into A Theme Park With Becca Pountney

    👉 Want to finally break free from The Knot and WeddingWire without losing leads? Save your seat for this free training. The marketing funnel was invented in 1904. Before cars. Before social media. Before couples woke up the morning after getting engaged and immediately opened 25 browser tabs while watching Netflix on a second screen. And somehow we're still teaching marketing like it's a straight line from A to B. It isn't. Not even close. My guest today is Becca Pountney, a brilliant marketing mind from the UK and someone I've been meaning to get on this podcast for way too long. She has a framework that perfectly captures how couples actually move through your marketing right now, and it's called the Marketing Theme Park. In this episode we break down her SCREAM framework. Each step is a piece of what it actually takes to book more weddings in 2026. By the end you'll never think about the marketing funnel the same way again.  And by the end you'll never think about the marketing funnel the same way again. Get all the links from this episode: http://evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/364 ——— I’m hosting a free live class: Break Up With The Knot & WeddingWire (Without Losing Leads) We’ll cover why many wedding pros feel their directory listings aren’t delivering like they once did, what’s actually working for bookings right now, and how to create a marketing system that puts you back in the driver’s seat. Grab your free seat at evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/breakup ——— Find Heidi: Instagram (send a DM!) The Wedding Business Collective 🩵 (get your first month for $1) Ghosted Lead Booking Wizard 👻 Wedding Business Shop 🛍️ Free Training: Break Up With WeddingWire + The Knot Without Losing Leads 💔 Free Audio Training: Inside Profitable Six-Figure Wedding Businesses: What They Do That You Don’t (So You Can Grow & Scale Too) 👀 Case Study: Wedding Planner Marketing That Works – How Katie Sautter Booked 15 Weddings in Her First Year 🔍 The Knot & WeddingWire: Are They Worth It For Wedding Vendors?🤔

    45 min

  5. Jun 3

    How to Book More Weddings With Clients You Love

    👉 Want to finally break free from The Knot and WeddingWire without losing leads? Save your seat for this free training. Four weeks ago we started talking about the booking problem most wedding pros have but can't quite name. We looked at the data. We dug into why bride isn't an identity and why the ideal client avatar exercise is just a guessing exercise with a fake name on it. Today is the payoff episode. Your best clients already hold everything you need to build marketing that actually works. The words they used when they were searching for someone like you. What made them certain you were the right choice. What they were actually worried about at 2am before they ever reached out. That's the foundation of a marketing strategy that doesn't require you to guess, hope, or post more into the void. This episode is about what happens when wedding pros stop guessing and start asking. And it's the episode I've been building toward for a month. Grab your copy of Clone Your Best Clients at https://evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/clone Get all the links from this episode: http://evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/363 ——— I’m hosting a free live class: Break Up With The Knot & WeddingWire (Without Losing Leads) We’ll cover why many wedding pros feel their directory listings aren’t delivering like they once did, what’s actually working for bookings right now, and how to create a marketing system that puts you back in the driver’s seat. Grab your free seat at evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/breakup ——— Find Heidi: Instagram (send a DM!) The Wedding Business Collective 🩵 (get your first month for $1) Ghosted Lead Booking Wizard 👻 Wedding Business Shop 🛍️ Free Training: Break Up With WeddingWire + The Knot Without Losing Leads 💔 Free Audio Training: Inside Profitable Six-Figure Wedding Businesses: What They Do That You Don’t (So You Can Grow & Scale Too) 👀 Case Study: Wedding Planner Marketing That Works – How Katie Sautter Booked 15 Weddings in Her First Year 🔍 The Knot & WeddingWire: Are They Worth It For Wedding Vendors?🤔

    16 min

  6. May 27

    The Costly Ideal Client Mistake Most Wedding Pros Make

    👉 Want to finally break free from The Knot and WeddingWire without losing leads? Save your seat for this free training. You've probably done the ideal client avatar exercise. You gave her a name. An age. An income bracket. Maybe you decided she loves brunch and golden hour photos and has a Pinterest board with 400 pins on it. And then nothing really changed in your business. That's not because having an ideal client doesn't work. It's because what most people call ideal client work isn't actually ideal client work. It's a guessing exercise dressed up as strategy. A paper doll with a Starbucks order. Here's the real problem. Bride isn't an identity. It's a role. A temporary role that millions of completely different human beings step into every single year. The couple who wants a black tie ballroom reception for 300 people and the couple who wants barefoot vows on the beach with their 12 closest friends are both brides. They have nothing in common. They want completely different things. And when your marketing is aimed at brides, it speaks to neither of them. This episode is about what to do instead. Get all the links from this episode: http://evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/362 ——— I’m hosting a free live class: Break Up With The Knot & WeddingWire (Without Losing Leads) We’ll cover why many wedding pros feel their directory listings aren’t delivering like they once did, what’s actually working for bookings right now, and how to create a marketing system that puts you back in the driver’s seat. Grab your free seat at evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/breakup ——— Find Heidi: Instagram (send a DM!) The Wedding Business Collective 🩵 (get your first month for $1) Ghosted Lead Booking Wizard 👻 Wedding Business Shop 🛍️ Free Training: Break Up With WeddingWire + The Knot Without Losing Leads 💔 Free Audio Training: Inside Profitable Six-Figure Wedding Businesses: What They Do That You Don’t (So You Can Grow & Scale Too) 👀 Case Study: Wedding Planner Marketing That Works – How Katie Sautter Booked 15 Weddings in Her First Year 🔍 The Knot & WeddingWire: Are They Worth It For Wedding Vendors?🤔

    18 min

  7. May 20

    Why Wedding Pros Are Marketing Harder But Booking Less

    👉 Want to finally break free from The Knot and WeddingWire without losing leads? Save your seat for this free training. I surveyed over 640 wedding pros and asked them two questions. 1. What's your biggest obstacle when it comes to booking more weddings? 2. And what do you think you need to do to fix it? The answers to the first question were all over the place. Not enough inquiries. Getting ghosted. Price shoppers. Leads that don't convert. Can't stand out from the competition. Real, specific, painful problems. But he answers to the second question were almost identical across the board. Post more. Run more ads. Be more visible. Show up more. Get on more platforms. More, more, more. Here's what stopped me in my tracks. Most of these wedding pros are already doing these things. They're already posting. They're already paying for advertising. They're already trying to be more visible and it's not working. So their solution to it not working is to do more of the same thing. When something isn't working, doing more of it isn't a strategy. It's a hope. And hope is not a marketing plan. Get all the links from this episode: http://evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/361 ——— I’m hosting a free live class: Break Up With The Knot & WeddingWire (Without Losing Leads) We’ll cover why many wedding pros feel their directory listings aren’t delivering like they once did, what’s actually working for bookings right now, and how to create a marketing system that puts you back in the driver’s seat. Grab your free seat at evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/breakup ——— Find Heidi: Instagram (send a DM!) The Wedding Business Collective 🩵 (get your first month for $1) Ghosted Lead Booking Wizard 👻 Wedding Business Shop 🛍️ Free Training: Break Up With WeddingWire + The Knot Without Losing Leads 💔 Free Audio Training: Inside Profitable Six-Figure Wedding Businesses: What They Do That You Don’t (So You Can Grow & Scale Too) 👀 Case Study: Wedding Planner Marketing That Works – How Katie Sautter Booked 15 Weddings in Her First Year 🔍 The Knot & WeddingWire: Are They Worth It For Wedding Vendors?🤔

    14 min

  8. May 13

    The Booking Problem Every Wedding Pro Has (Whether They Know It Or Not)

    👉 Want to finally break free from The Knot and WeddingWire without losing leads? Save your seat for this free training. There are three booking problems that keep wedding pros up at night. The first is ghosting. Someone finds your website, explores your work, fills out your inquiry form, and hits submit. You write back fast. You put real thought into it. And then nothing. Day one, nothing. Day two, nothing. Day three you send a follow-up. Still nothing. They just vanished like the conversation never happened. The second is price shoppers. Your minimum investment is right there on your website, clear as day. Someone inquires anyway, you do the call, you build the connection, and then they tell you they can't go above a number that's a thousand dollars less than what you already told them you start at. You smile, you wish them well, you hang up, and you groan like Tina Belcher staring at the ceiling. The third is the quiet inbox. Not zero for months quiet, just quieter than it should be given how hard you're working. And there's no clear feedback to point to, so you try everything. More posts. Another directory. A new Instagram bio. And the needle barely moves. Three different problems. Three different things to keep you up at night. But here's what most wedding pros don't realize: they're not three different problems. They're three symptoms of the exact same thing. Get all the links from this episode: http://evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/360 ——— I’m hosting a free live class: Break Up With The Knot & WeddingWire (Without Losing Leads) We’ll cover why many wedding pros feel their directory listings aren’t delivering like they once did, what’s actually working for bookings right now, and how to create a marketing system that puts you back in the driver’s seat. Grab your free seat at evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/breakup ——— Find Heidi: Instagram (send a DM!) The Wedding Business Collective 🩵 (get your first month for $1) Ghosted Lead Booking Wizard 👻 Wedding Business Shop 🛍️ Free Training: Break Up With WeddingWire + The Knot Without Losing Leads 💔 Free Audio Training: Inside Profitable Six-Figure Wedding Businesses: What They Do That You Don’t (So You Can Grow & Scale Too) 👀 Case Study: Wedding Planner Marketing That Works – How Katie Sautter Booked 15 Weddings in Her First Year 🔍 The Knot & WeddingWire: Are They Worth It For Wedding Vendors?🤔

    18 min
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4.8
out of 5
55 Ratings

About

As a wedding professional, you're incredible at what you do but when it comes to marketing for wedding pros, you're stuck playing the social media game and hoping the right clients find you. Whether you love or hate the constant hustle, I've got news for you...there's a better, more sustainable way to get more wedding clients and book more weddings without burning out. This show delivers actionable wedding marketing strategies to help you attract dream clients, increase your wedding bookings, & (finally) get your questions about growing a profitable wedding business answered! We'll cover questions like: Getting More Clients: How do I get more wedding inquiries from my ideal clients?How do I book more weddings as a photographer? As a planner? At my venue?How do I turn wedding inquiries into booked clients?Marketing Strategy & Channels: How do I market my wedding planning business to stand out?Should I focus on Instagram, Pinterest, Google, or paid advertising?Is it worth it to advertise on The Knot and WeddingWire?What wedding planner marketing and event planner marketing strategies actually work?Sustainable Growth: How do I market my wedding business on a budget?How do I know if my wedding marketing strategy is working?Can I build a successful business without being on social media 24/7 or working 60+ hour weeks?After helping tens of thousands of wedding professionals around the world build sustainable wedding businesses, wedding business coach Heidi Thompson knows exactly what it takes to attract dream clients without the overwhelm.Through Evolve Your Wedding Business, she's on a mission to help wedding vendors create marketing strategies that work without working 60+ hour weeks. Heidi consistently makes wedding business marketing approachable and exciting! With a mix of solo episodes and guest interviews with successful wedding vendors and wedding marketing experts, you'll hear exactly how to grow your wedding business whether you're a wedding planner, DJ, officiant, florist, venue owner, or any other type of wedding vendor so you can spend less time chasing clients and more time doing the work you love. Ready to take your wedding business to the next level? Press play and visit evolveyourweddingbusiness.com/podcast for show notes, guest info, and even more free resources to grow your wedding business! 🎧

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