How To Easily Plan and Write Effective Blogs For Wedding Pros
Want to start a blog for your website but have no idea where to start? You’ve come to the right place. I’m going to share with you my process for writing blogs for wedding pros like you. We will cover planning your content, sourcing ideas, writing efficiently, and additional tips for good results.
Before we get started, let me introduce myself real quick. I’m Stephanie, owner of Stephanie DeCaprio Virtual Solutions. I’m a former wedding pro with experiences from having my own wedding planning business to working for venues, planners, DJs and photobooths. I started this business after years of networking with wedding pros like you and hearing the common pain points that I knew I could help with… and one of the biggest ones was BLOGGING. That is why I offer Content Planning and Done-For-You Blog services. To learn more, check out my services page after you read this awesomely informative blog!
Ok, let’s get started!
Planning Your Content
First, let’s talk about how to plan for your blog content. You’ll want to come up with topics and a strategy for publishing.
Here are four types of blogs to use as a wedding pro (see descriptions of these on the slideshow to your right >>>)
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Educational
Real Weddings
About You/Your Business
Features/Collaborations
I suggest using as many of these as possible… and mix it up! Especially at first to see what drives the most results. You want to spend your time/money doing what is best to attract your ideal client. You’ll also want to time your publishing and promotion to suit the needs of your ideal client. For example, if a venue knows that March/April is the time they expect to get the most inquiries, then sharing blogs about “types of wedding venues” or “questions to ask on venue tours” would be great around that time.
Here are some ways to come up with topic ideas:
Google. Type in a generic topic (ie. Planners vs. Coordinators) and look at the suggested/related searches, and the FAQs. This will reveal what people are searching for on that topic and this is also good to use for SEO keywords.
What are the questions your (ideal) clients are asking you? What are their common pain points? Use your blog to answer them.
(For real weddings and features) What stories do your ideal clients want to hear? What are their interests? Share a wedding you did that they would relate to or interest them. What types of venues do they like/you want to work with? Share weddings you have done there or do a collaboration/feature on them.
Reflect on past experiences. I know that when I was working weddings, I often thought “this would be a good blog post” (and then would forget it). I started carrying around a small notepad where I would jot down these little ideas.
What are some common misconceptions/questions about what you do? Set the record straight. (ie. Why do florals cost this much? Do I need a wedding planner when my venue has a coordinator?)
JUST ASK. Ask your favorite clients (the type of couple you want to work with more) what they look/looked for while wedding planning. Was there something they found helpful or maybe couldn’t find at all and wish they had?
Writing the Content
Warning: This is going to give you high school essay writing flashbacks… but hopefully this is more fun.
Start with an intro. At the start of your blog, you want to state the problem the reader is trying to solve in a creative and relatable way that gets their attention. Then share how this blog will help them solve the problem (to make them want to keep reading, of course.)
You’ll also want to introduce yourself. Tell them about you and what you do in a way that relates to the content of the blog. Reveal why you are the expert they want to learn from. You can see in this very blog that my intro paragraph talks about my experience and skills related to blogging, not really talking about my other services. That is done on purpose… and now you know my secret! Oops?
Share Valuable Content. Write a few paragraphs about the topic at hand. Each paragraph should be no more than 5 sentences, no more than 2 paragraphs per section. Each section should be its own point under the topic. For example, an educational blog post called “Five tips for your outdoor wedding ceremony”, there would be one section for each tip. For a real wedding, each section could be a different part of the wedding day (ie. Getting Ready, First Look, Ceremony, Reception, etc.).
Conclusion. Summarize the content, add some bonus tips, share more resources (such as your other related blogs) and definitely don’t forget your CALL TO ACTION!! Direct them to the next step which will likely be to inquire or book your services, right? Or book a free consultation. Here are some call to action examples:
“Still overwhelmed? Book a free consultation with me (link) and I will help get you started on your wedding planning journey!”
“Now that you’ve learned what questions to ask on your venue tour, book a tour with us here (link) for your dreamy upstate NY barn wedding.”
If you use Pinterest (I highly recommend this for promoting your blog and adding to your SEO success), include a graphic to share so they can “save this for later”.
Tips for Results and Best Practices For Saving Time
Batch your blogs. I love to batch my blog writing as much as possible. That’s just the way my creative flow works. The hardest part is getting started… but once I do, I just keep on going and can slam out 3 or so blogs at once. I like to set aside a whole day here and there just to write blogs.
Don’t forget your SEO keywords and format. Use the SEO keywords used in your blog title a couple more times, and other related keywords. Utilize the SEO settings on your website. Use H1 and H2 text. Make sure your photos aren’t huge files (under 1or 2 MB. Blog Stomp is a great tool for this!) and file names are related to the content. Just a few of many SEO tips.
Get a good headline. I love using CoSchedule Headline Analyzer! A fantastic tool. Also, headlines with numbers (5 ways to…) and “How to…” often do better. Doing location specific topics/headlines are good for attracting ideal clients that may actually inquire.
Use internal and external links. Both are required for best SEO results. We favor internal links as they keep the reader on your website. Direct them to more info on you or your services, other related blog topics, and your contact/booking page. Just do external links to other pros websites that you are crediting in a photo caption (it helps their SEO and perhaps they will return the favor) and here’s a fun trick… a link to your best social media platform counts as an external link but keeps them on your content!
Not too little, Not too much. Keep your blog within 500-1500 words (even 1500 is up there, 1000 is the sweet spot in my opinion). Short and sweet is always good but you want to provide good value. Give them enough to be helpful but leave them wanting more (This blog is a big one at 1315 words….I’m breaking my own rules for you here!).
So there you have it. A complete guide to writing your own blog posts. If you think it’s a lot, I can’t lie, it is. Blogging certainly takes a good amount of planning, time, and creativity but can also be a really powerful tool for your business. If you’ve read this whole thing and you’re thinking that you just don’t have enough time or the capability to do this, let’s chat. From done-for-you services to just some additional guidance, I have a virtual solution that’s right for you. Book a free discovery call HERE or learn more about our blogging services HERE.
Related Blogs:
5 Reasons Why All the Best Wedding Pros Should Have A Blog
How To Outsource Blogging (With Success) For Your Wedding Business
