I see it a lot, especially when I’m on social media, wedding vendors jumping all over a bride, groom, or couple like a piece of fish in shark-infested waters.

Today, we’re going to talk about the number one thing that brides hate the most about vendors and that’s blindly pushing their brand in front of you.

Wedding Vendors Acting like a Shark Frenzy

One of the biggest things wedding vendors do a bad job at is listening to couples and their overall needs.

I mean they do, but they don’t.

Today, I was on my regional Facebook group that I administer and I noticed a bride that’s looking for a wedding photographer in our part of Virginia.

She only said she was getting married in the Fall and gave her a budget range of $2,500-$3,000, oh, and the style that she was seeking too.

Unfortunately, she didn’t put a date, so everything that made a comment has no idea when the wedding is or if they are available.

Within a matter of 5 hours, she had 63 recommendations, mostly from the local photographers.

That bride wasn’t a bride at all, in fact, it was our friend Celina who helped us out by putting a post out there just for the blog.

I decided to break down the ones mentioned (a couple of clients mentioned us too) and put them into a database to show you how no one is really listening to the bride.

Most of the people that sent a response didn’t listen, in fact, 78% of those that said something was simply out of the price range of what the bride was saying.

That means roughly 20% of the responses met her criteria and the rest were not what she was looking for in a wedding photographer.

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Here’s the thing, most wedding vendors are marketing themselves the wrong way, tossing Jell-O at a wall, and seeing what sticks is not the way to do business, in fact, it’s a turn-off.

Why Wedding Vendors Are Marketing to You Wrong

This is really a message more about wedding vendors than couples getting married.

Being a good listener is one of the BEST things you can do as a wedding vendor.

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Just because a bride, groom, or couple jumps out there wanting something that you offer doesn’t mean that they want to hear about how cheap your business is, or suddenly you want to chat with them and become best-friends-forever.

In fact, if you don’t meet their criteria, they shouldn’t even say anything.

Now, this is different if a bride or past client may mention you, then you can put your two cents worth into the pile of other vendors that you’re competing with.

The problem is that everyone just wants your business (your money) just to be able to fill the calendar, that’s the truth of the matter no matter how you sugar-coat it.

When it comes to marketing there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.

The wrong way is just shoving your brand into a couple’s face because they are seeking someone specifically and I see it way too often.

Why Some Wedding Vendors Market Poorly?

It boils down to money.

Vendors just want your business and they will put their name out there just so you will jump at the chance that you will connect with them.

Here are a couple of typical examples vendors will send:

I’d love to work with you guys, here’s my website…
Congrats guys, I’m available and affordable.
How exciting, We’d love to work with you guys!

The truth is that the majority of wedding vendors are great at the skills they do for weddings, not so good at business marketing. When you have say 70-100 posts of people offering their services, most likely the vendor will not be hired, let alone considered.

But that’s different if someone else recommends them.

Letting your clientele speak for your brand has a much better pull than the vendor doing it themselves.

Nick Kolenda who is a Marketing and Psychology professional says that explains that people are 71% more likely to listen to a past customer review or recommendation than to listen to the business offering the product or service.

That tells vendors like us for example, that it speaks better volumes to have great reviews, to have brides recommend you rather than you recommending yourself.

We’ll still put our name out there only if we fit the criteria, because we may be a good fit for the couple.