Read This if Your Wedding Bookings Are Struggling (And What to Optimize)

Are you struggling to fill your calendar with weddings as much as you’d like? Are you not making the kind of money that you want to make?

Trust me, I get it. I’ve been there. I really, truly have. And it can be one of the most uneasy, frustrating feelings on the planet. You can feel like you are doing everything right, but nothing quite seems to “stick.”

You can attend all the networking events, shake all the hands, do all the free projects to build your portfolio, post on Instagram, get your business pages all set up, get a website up and running…. but then still….. NOTHING.

And if that sounds like you…. I can feel the frustration from you even without talking to you. Because I see it every single day inside of Facebook groups.  Photographers (both portrait & wedding) are begging for help. They’re wanting to know what the heck to do in order to finally not feel paycheck-to-paycheck anymore and to finally live out those dreams of becoming a true business owner.

Because when you’re struggling with your business, it can definitely feel more like a traditional J-O-B rather than your own business. It can feel like you’re putting in 60 hours a week on top of that day job that you might be working, or feeling that pressure from your spouse to kick your business into gear so that you can contribute more income to your family’s bottom line income.

Money is ugly. I get it.

But without money, it’s like living in a fishbowl of stress, aggravation, confusion, … and both relationships and health can deteriorate. Super sad, but also incredibly true.

 

 

Your bookings have little to do with your portfolio. So, stop wasting your time in Facebook groups asking for CC on photos.

Sure, content quality is paramount… but it’s not THE ONE REASON you aren’t booking clients.

There can be many, many, many things going on. And without a website and brand audit, it can be very hard to truly understand why you’re not booking weddings. You need professional eyes on what you’re doing to give you proper feedback. Not the feedback from an audience online who might also be struggling for bookings and trying to figure things out piece-by-piece as well.

 

Truly do your best to ignore what I call “internet advice.”

Internet advice can be poisonous at best. It can be absolutely detrimental to your business. It can truly destroy your progression. It can make you feel confident in something one minute, and then bleeding money the next minute. Stop it. Stop listening to random advice in Facebook groups, especially if you don’t truly know the person behind the advice and how well that advice has helped people transform their own results.

Do your due diligence.

If you aren’t booking your calendar, and if you aren’t making the number of sales you want, stop posting inside of Facebook groups bragging about some new preset you found, or a preset you love. Nobody cares, and it’s not benefiting your business. If this is your hobby, great. If you are wanting to make new friends, great. But none of these things will contribute to your income.

And this website, my coaching, this blog, my podcast, wherever… it’s fluff-free, BS-free BUSINESS coaching.

The things that help you make money.

Not more shiny objects that distract you from the REAL goal.

And by the way, the real goal isn’t you making more money. Because money by itself doesn’t do anything. It just sits there.

Money DOES give you the REAL goal. The money gives you peace of mind. It gives you a better lifestyle for you and your family. It puts food on your table. A roof over your head. It can give you freedom – when used wisely.

What are you currently doing for lead generation?

That is the #1 most important question to ask yourself when you are struggling for more quality leads and more bookings on your calendar.

No matter how high your conversion rate when a lead inquires with you – business is based on numbers. Math. Plain and simple.

Let’s say that you convert 1 lead into a booking for every 4 leads you get, okay? Just stick with me here.

Now let’s say that your rate is $2,500 for a particular job. Again, just hypothetically.

Now let’s say that you want to make $50,000 a year.

Well, $50,000 a year divided by $2,500 per job means that you need to be booking 20 clients.  And when you put it that way, that seems really manageable. You only need 20 clients out of the 365 days on the calendar. That leaves 345 days for whatever else you want to do – or things you should do.

Now, let’s see how many leads you need to make that income based on your 25% conversion rate.

You need 20 jobs.

And you book at a 25% conversion rate – which means you need 80 leads a year to hit $50,000 in your business.

80 leads a year means just shy of 2 leads per week, on average.

 

What are you doing to generate TWO leads per week?

 

How often are you blogging?
Is your blog being managed with SEO in mind? Are you following the current structure that the Google robots want to see?
How often are you posting to Instagram?
On Instagram, are you using proper hashtags that your ideal audience is using to find someone like you?
Is your Instagram bio designed with your ideal audience in mind, and does it funnel into what you want them to see?
Is your Instagram highlights done with intention?
Are you doing Instagram stories or IGTV?
Are you doing any influencer collaborations?
Are you doing any shoutouts?
How many conversations are you having each day on Instagram that can benefit your business?
Are you forming any strategic relationships with those who can refer you business – authentically?
Are you running any Facebook ads?
Are those Facebook ads dialed in with the right targeting, messaging, graphics, headlines, call to actions, and without discounts or giveaways?
Do you have your personal Facebook profile optimized for sales?
Do you have your business Facebook page optimized for sales?
Do you have value on each page?
Do you keep your pages drama free and always posting with intention online?
Is your website SEO structure on point?
Are you ranking really high for your most competitive key phrases? Do you even know what key phrases your dream clients are using to search for on Google?
Are you having landing pages on your website that lead with value? Do you know what kind of value to lead with?
Are you going to bridal shows? (I don’t go to them)
Are you going to networking events? (I don’t go to them)
Are you shaking hands with venue owners? Are you giving them value? Are you getting on any preferred vendors lists?
Are you using Pinterest? Do you use things like Tailwind? How often are you posting there? Is your Pinterest content copy done with SEO in mind?
Are you doing any video-based advertising (even if you’re not a videographer)?
Do you have any content on YouTube that your ideal audience can find and watch?
Do you have any lead magnets that lead with value?
Do you blog about what your ideal clients are searching for?
Do you stay consistent with your blog?
Do you have a high-converting website?
Do you have a low bounce rate on your website?
Do you have a singular ideal client that your brand messaging speaks to?
Do you have content that resonates with your ideal client?
Do you have awesome personal branding photos that resonate with your ideal client?
Do you have a great about page?
Do you have a great personal brand?
Do you have a portfolio that is done with intention?
Are you focusing your investment page to talk about the experience and process more than price?
Are you sharing too much on your investment page?
Are you overwhelming your website visitor?
Are you confusing them?
Are you collecting the right data in your contact form?
…… I could go on and on and on. This is definitely not an exhaustive list.

It comes down to your marketing, lead generation, sales, and how visible you are to your ideal clients.

 

What are you doing to be found on Instagram?
What are you doing to be found on Facebook?
What are you doing to be found on Google?
What are you doing to increase those rankings?
What are you doing to build out the number of key phrases you rank for?
What are you doing to improve the value of your blog?
What are you doing to be found with paid strategies?
What are you doing to be found with free strategies?
What are you doing to be on preferred vendors lists?
What are you doing to build your referrals?
What are you doing to build brand trust?
What are you doing to improve your work-life balance?
What are you doing to build your targeted relationships?
What are you doing to build a high converting website?
What are you doing to build communication systems?
What are you doing to build automation?
What are you doing to ensure you don’t burn out?
What are you doing to convert more leads into bookings on your calendar?
What are you doing to get absolute clarity on knowing what to do? – Stop guessing at what to do.

You can see it’s not an easy answer about “how do I book more weddings?”

I help wedding photographers get clarity on strategy on all of those things in that list – and more – without the overwhelm.

It’s all inside my online courses. And it’s all step-by-step.

 

 

But first, it’s important to understand the real problem (or problems) that is causing you to not book as many of your dream clients as you want. And again, that usually starts with a solid website and brand audit. But

 

Are you taking the long, excruciating, confusing, and stressful route of going at this alone? Or do you have a coach?

Better yet, do you have a coach that actually helps you with things that get you results?

 

Stop putting educators on pedestals. They do not belong there.

 

I don’t want you to put anybody on a pedestal. Don’t just sign up for an influencers workshop because of their name or number of followers. Those things don’t benefit you. It seems like a no brainer… but every single year, I see workshops being sold out that influencers lead simply because they are looked up to.

But even if that influencer books work… doesn’t mean that they know how to get their students booked up as well.

We’ve all heard about those wedding workshops and photography workshops that are complete nightmares. How you show up, think you are going to have a productive day, and then realize that you aren’t going to learn a single thing… and you’ve lost all your money. Of course, I don’t want that for you. I don’t’ want that for anyone. But most of these things start because someone put someone’s name on a pedestal.

An educator is only as good as the results they get their students. And for a look at the results I get my wedding business students, check out the Book More Weddings System reviews HERE.

 

Stop buying bad courses. Buy the good ones instead.

 

This just comes down to your due diligence. Again, an educator is only as good as the results they get their students. So, talk to their students. And if you can’t do that, look at their case studies. Look at their reviews and testimonials. If they have video testimonials, watch those in their entirety. Watch all of them.

And if you’re still on the fence, talk to the educator. Some educators are super happy to chat with you to help you understand if it’s the right fit. Others won’t even respond to your email, your DM on Instagram, or your message on Facebook. Talk to the educator. The person who is the right fit for you will truly help answer your questions. Maybe not questions about how to build your business (since that is in the program), but questions to see if you’re the right fit. And the right educator will be honest and transparent with you about that.

Personally speaking, I only want people in my programs that I can help. Again, sounds like a total no brainer, right? After all, and in full transparency, I want their awesome case studies. I want those HUGE transformations for them. Because those transformations help me build the trust in my own coaching programs. So you are damn sure that I am going to put my all into it and leave ego out of it. Because of the bigger the transformations in their business, the more trust I have in my own coaching business.

 

Stop doing things on your own, by yourself – ASAP.

 

The best thing I ever did for myself was to get mentors, buy courses, attend masterminds — simply, to invest (and keep investing) into education. I’ve bought bad courses, bad masterminds — but my overall ROI far outweigh the bad ones… so just keep investing and keep doing your due diligence. I promise you… with the right people, it’s a true shortcut.

The educator/coach has probably gone through all those hurdles. All those painful, stressful things. Learn from them on how to avoid those things a “natural progression” of a business would normally endure.

I’m not saying to get a coach because I am one. Truly, I’m not. I’m saying get a coach (or at least a course)… because the right ones TRULY can help you. And I say that from the bottom of my heart. A good education is priceless because it can pay off in dividends over the course of your entire life.

 

For a look at my coaching & courses, just pop on over here.

If you want more wedding bookings and want to attend my free masterclass (webinar), pop on over HERE TO WATCH IT.

If you want to skip that and to learn more about The Book More Weddings System… just GO HERE.

 

Seriously, just think…

 

How much do you charge for a SINGLE wedding?

$1000? $2000? $3000? $4000? $5000? $10,000? $20,000?

 

Do you think I can help you book ONE wedding in the lifetime of your wedding business? Because when you do book one… you more than cover the cost of the investment of the program. And with the payment plans available, there should be literally nothing holding you back. Just check out THESE REVIEWS proving it works.

And if you ever have any direct questions for me, just use my contact form. I’m an open book, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Chat soon!

 

Kyle Goldie