Photo by Alexandra Grace Photography
One of the first questions that I ask when I sit down with an up-and-coming wedding planner or a business owner is “Have you identified your ideal client?”. Often times they may respond back with what type of wedding they want to work with – maybe that’s based off the style, budget or size – but more often than not the response is a narrow focus on what type of work they want to do rather than WHO they are working with. In my opinion, this is the first mistake when identifying your niche and ideal client because it often limits you to a certain style. I don’t know about you, but I thrive on working with different styles for weddings! By focusing on WHO your ideal client is, rather than what type of wedding you want to work with, you will give your company a brand direction to follow that can evolve with time as styles and trends change because the WHO will remain consistent even after mason jars and gold confetti go out of fashion. This also helps save you from having to rebrand each time a trend changes in the industry!
Photo by Lucid Captures Photography
When I was the in process of starting Perfectly Posh Events, I sat down and created an imaginary character that represents my ideal client – I couldn’t figure out a name so I just go by Her. I wrote out what Her identity is; what does she like to do in her free time, where does she shop, what magazines does she read, what is her favorite special treat {she loves macarons & champagne!}, what type of job does she have, what is her favorite restaurant, what are her priorities in life, etc. I wrote out a pretty detail description of Her but I did not write anything about her wedding. I wanted to focus first on WHO she is as a person and focus on attracting Her to my brand based off those merits. The magic behind this is that the style of wedding that she likes can change over time! She may have liked gardens full of pink flowers, lace and wine barrels three years ago but maybe now she is all about mixed metals, an urban setting, and neutrals. Who knows, maybe her next obsession will be gold flamingos and mid-century modern furniture? She still enjoys wine tasting with her friends on the weekend, wearing some fabulous shoes that she probably bought at Nordstrom, volunteering for her favorite charity, and any excuse for a glass of bubbly! That part has remained the same for seven years.
Photo by Shane Macomber Photography
Once you have established WHO your ideal client is, use that in every aspect of your business planning. When you are making a business decision, ask yourself if it would appeal to Her – if not then that decision is not a good fit for your brand. I do this when I am evaluating what services to offer, what our website should look like, what to say on social media, basically EVERY decision is evaluated by if it would appeal to my ideal client or not. I have said “no” to plenty of really great ideas and opportunities because it was something that she would not be interested in. As a result, I am very fortunate to have been able to attract our ideal client for almost every single wedding we plan and to have also been able to create a variety of designs that reflect who the couple is.
Who is your ideal client???
P.S. WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BRANDING AND TAKING YOUR WEDDING PLANNING BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL? REGISTER NOW FOR MY WEDDING PLANNER WORKSHOP IN SEATTLE ON MARCH 13TH! CLICK HERE FOR INFO + PRICING
Cheers!
Holly
