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Why You Are Not Getting Quality Leads For Your Venue
Introduction: You're putting in the work, but you're not getting quality leads for your venue. Why?
Sound familiar? It can be very frustrating to feel like nothing is happening or you are getting a lot of leads that don't actually book. We are going to break that down for you as to why that is happening, but to put it simply, it is because you don't actually have a marketing strategy.
This leaves you relying on third party websites like The Knot or Wedding Wire to feed you leads. The issue with that is you have zero control over those channels. Which leads to other issues like not being able to differentiate yourself from other venues, stop traffic you don't want, and actually understand what is working and what isn't working.
That means you spend thousands of dollars a year with these platforms to deal with more frustrations than actual bookings.
You have to take control over your marketing if you want to break free from sites like that and be able to consistently grow your business. This means putting in the effort and time to do this right to set you up for future success rather than jumping right to making sales.
If you're a venue owner reading this and thinking well I'm doing good with bookings right now so I don't need to worry about it. Not even close. You are exactly who needs to worry about this if you want to stay relevant 10 years from now. Your success today does not guarantee your success forever. It is silly to think nothing will change, actually it is dangerous to think that way.
Things will change in your business and there will come a day that what is working now won't, then what? That is what we are trying to prepare you for because a good marketing strategy never stops working and adapting.
So let's break this process down....
Lack of lead capture: You're not collecting contact information from potential leads.
This seems so simple, yet very few venues are actually doing this. What typically happens when we go on a venue's website is there is a lot of information and then contact information. So, it is leaving it up to the person to decide what to do next if anything.
HUGE MISTAKE
People need to be guided every step of the way. So, right off the bat if you are not guiding them and allowing them to provide their contact info in exchange for more value, you are leaving everything to chance. it is a waste of your marketing efforts and money if you are not capturing who is actually coming to your website.
Very rarely will someone land on your website once and decide this is it. In today's economy with more consumer knowledge people want to investigate more. So, while they are in this investigation mode you MUST stay top of mind.
How do you do that? You capture their email to continue a targeted conversation with them that keeps you in front of them while guiding them towards booking a tour.
For our clients we completely set up an email marketing campaign with lead magnets to encourage people to opt in then nurture them to build trust, which leads to more tours booked.
Incorrect targeting & messaging: You're not reaching your target market with your marketing efforts.
Your marketing message can't be talking to everyone. It has to be talking to the people who are most likely to book tours, or your ideal customer. This provides more clarity in your messaging.
Why is this important? Because EVERY buying decision we make comes from a place of emotion. We buy based on how it will make us feel or what we think it will do for us. It boils down to the story that is in their head.
So, if your marketing message is coming across as vanilla or telling a different story than what your ideal customer is telling it will either attract no one or the wrong people.
This is why it is so important to take the time to understand who your venue is best suited for. Who are they, what is their profession? Their lifestyle? Are they more romantic or carefree? These questions need to be answered if you ever want your marketing message to hit. You can't speak to them how YOU speak to yourself. You have to speak to them how they speak, using their words.
Ironically this is also what allows you to differentiate yourself from the competition. When you stop sounding and looking like every other venue it becomes a lot easier to stand out to the right people.
Inadequate follow-up: You're not following up with leads in a timely or effective manner.
The sales are in the follow up. If you're not following up daily with your leads, you're leaving money on the table. Most venue owners we come across and even work with are so afraid to do this that it doesn't happen at all. or very spotty at best.
But, again this isn't taking into consideration buying behavior. People are not great at making decisions and tend to push off having to do that. So, deciding to not follow up isn't helping them or yourself.
Like we hinted at already a huge part of being picked is being top of mind when they are ready to move forward. So, if you have a solid follow up process in place where you are connecting with them while bringing them more value it will greatly improve your odds of them moving forward with you.
People want to know they are being taken care of and not just a number. You not following up is telling them you don't care enough to continue the conversation with them. This is such a simple thing to do as well, but too many look at it as a burden or sleazy.
It is only a burden if you rather not make sales, and sleazy comes from how you are conducting yourself. If you are clearly making no effort to build a relationship with them and just keep asking them to book, then yes that is sleazy. That is not what we are talking about here, this is about building relationships.
You are working with people, and people need connection.
Conclusion: Quality leads are essential for a successful venue business. You can control this process.
If you want to break away from ever needing third party lead sites again then you have to start thinking of your own marketing flow.
How are you bringing in new traffic?
When the traffic lands on your website are they being guided?
Are you making it easy to capture information?
Is your marketing message and targeting making sense?
Then what happens once you get their information?
When these questions are answered and executed, you become your own marketing machine and don't need to waste money on sites that promise "quality" leads anymore.
When you control your marketing you control your business.
For those reading this that want support and proven strategies with building out your marketing machine that is what we are here for. We focus on marketing strategies for venues that set you up for future success.
All it takes to get started is to fill out the short application so we can book a marketing strategy call. In this call we will uncover what is currently happening and what needs to happen to get your venue business where you want it. We won't pitch you anything on this call, it is just to provide you support. If after this call we both feel like working together is an option we can then discuss that with you.
Your venue marketing team,
Justin & Lindsay