“The Business Resource For Wedding Entrepreneurs”

When was the last time you booked a hotel for vacation? Did you check the review section beforehand? Most likely, the answer is yes. You want to read others' experiences before deciding where you would be staying. The same goes for all brides-to-be - they want to know the reasons before choosing the vendors for their wedding days. Therefore, your potential clients rely on reviews of you to choose you.

A review is basically a social proof influencing the attitude of a bride-to-be towards your works. It is an honest opinion from a past client that determines a vendor's quality and professionalism, two factors other than price that are also involved in the initial decision making process of a future potential client.

As a wedding vendor, how often do you ask for reviews?

According to a research by BrightLocal, brides-to-be usually read at least 10 of the most recent reviews before trusting a vendor. These reviews matter because they talk about your personality and inform brides-to-be of what can be expected from your services better than what your marketing materials could provide.

Where do you ask your clients to leave their reviews?
Some of you may have your own websites with a review section where your clients can share their experiences. For those who don't have, various social media platforms become easy alternatives, however you risk having good reviews scattered and invisible to future clients. A quick tip for you: have your clients review you on your Bridestory profile, this way you will have a designated page for reviews that potential clients can easily scan.

But, what if I don't like the idea of constantly asking for reviews?
Think again! The reviews you obtain are powerful tools to prove the words-of-mouth heard outside and eventually help you build brand recognition. There could be both positive and negative reviews, however don't be disheartened because having mix reviews actually improve your credibility. Instead of deleting the negative ones (unless they are very offensive), put yourself in the shoes of a potential client and imagine reading only good reviews, aren't you suspicious? Instead, treat both positive and negative reviews as information that helps increase sales.

Another great thing about having reviews is it increases your ranking on the web. You become more important and relevant as the number of reviews about you grows. In addition, reviews provide more keywords that can organically boost you to the top of a search engine for that service category.

So, if you haven't yet, start encouraging your clients to leave reviews after their wedding days. Remind them how reviews help them found you and how their reviews will help other brides-to-be. If you want to share how reviews have helped you and how you collect reviews, don't hesitate to leave a comment below. If you find this article useful, share it to your friends!