Unleashing the Power of Technology in Your Wedding Business

Kristina Stubblefield: [00:00:00] Thank you for tuning in to WedPro Business Solutions. I'm your host, Kristina Stubblefield. I know there may be people listening that are hesitant about embracing technology for your business. And I want to talk to you today about how incorporating technology can revolutionize your business and honestly, help it go to the next level.

I'm really excited to talk about this topic because a lot of people don't know that I actually have an IT background. I went to school for my MCSE, which is your Microsoft. Certified Systems Engineer and I also have a Marketing Background, so I really enjoy helping people with getting comfortable using technology and implementing it in their business, and a lot of that has to do with systems and [00:01:00] processes, which can save you so much time, energy, effort and money. So let's start off with talking about some of those reservations with using software or tools that are available to you. And there are so many out there because there's such a wide range of benefits that can help you transform. Your wedding business and how you operate it. And when I say it like that, I don't want you to think that it has to completely change how you are running your business.

It's there to be a guide to help you. Sometimes some of the software I refer to as being an assistant in your business. And let's start by talking about a CRM or an all-in-one business software. I think those are so important because it can help you manage not only your client data, but also your leads, [00:02:00] your inquiries that come in.

It can help you with streamlining or making it easier to communicate. And help you stay on task with those leads or inquiries as well as with clients that you already have booked. One of the things I like to talk to people about when it comes to a CRM, because they're so nervous, they've done it their way, whether that be Word, Google Doc, Google Sheets, a piece of paper. I've worked with some wedding professionals that just use a calendar to keep track of their events. Some of them have never even kept track of their inquiries or their leads. They have just kept the information for their booked events. So what I want you to open your mind to is a CRM or an all-in-one business system.[00:03:00] 

It sounds a lot more complex than it really is. A CRM is a customer relationship management system. It is to help you keep up with the business or the inquiries that you have. And some of the biggest hurdles is getting it implemented because a lot of the softwares just, you get access to them. A lot of them are online and you have to do some of the own setup work to get it to work how it needs to for your specific business.

And I've helped a lot of people over the years with that hurdle, but I don't want that to deter you just because there's some setup work that needs to go into it. From using that technology that's available because here's what I want to share with you. In my years of doing this, I have seen people go from pieces of paper, binders of [00:04:00] paper to a Google calendar, then to a CRM or a all in one business system.

And not only have they saved time and money, They've actually made more because they weren't tracking their leads, they weren't following up. They weren't actually communicating to the best of their abilities with their existing clients, which can then turn into more referrals. There's so many pluses to it.

The key is figuring out which software is best for your business and your needs, and then getting it set up to how it can work best for you and helping you with your daily, weekly, monthly, yearly processes in your business. Now, if that's something that you're not currently utilizing and you don't know where to start, don't worry.

You [00:05:00] can actually reach out and set up a discovery call with me and we can have that conversation. Maybe you have purchased a software. I come across people a lot of times, wedding professionals that have purchased, maybe not just one software, but two or three softwares. They purchased it and did nothing with it because they didn't know how to get started.

There's no dumb questions. There's nothing that you should already know. You know your business probably inside and out, but implementing software and tools can be a challenge, and me and my team can help you with that. The key is I want people to realize that technology is there to help you, not to be a burden.

But to help you, and this is just one of the first pieces of software or technology that I want to mention in this episode. There's so many others out there, I. And I want to piggyback off on what I was just talking about with a [00:06:00] CRM or an all-in-one business Software is digital contracts and payments.

I have people to this day that actually still do paper contracts. They actually send an email and attach a PDF or a Word document that a client then has to print off, sign it and then scan it and be able to send back to the wedding vendor. Now the problem or the hurdle with that is a lot of people want to be able to do things from their phone or their tablet. Not easy to do, some people don't even have printers anymore. I've had that come up with a couple of customers recently who had people come to them, they didn't have a way to print it.

Their only way to do the contract was to come in person. That's a problem if they are not local to you. And that's just one of the things we need to talk about, convenience and [00:07:00] efficiency. And having a system that allows for digital contracts and payments not only makes it easier on you as the wedding professional, but also, that lead that you're converting into a client, you want to be the most efficient, but also convenience plays a big role for you and your business and your clients, and it's also professional in. I have really worked with people over the years that are, they say they're old school and it's hard for them to change.

I get it. Believe it or not, it's not the easiest for me to change. I've had to work through a lot of things in regards to my own mindset that caused things to hold us back in business, and it is okay. To have a problem or not adapt well, to [00:08:00] change would be the other way to put it. And what it comes down to is working with someone to be that guide along the way to help you implement software and technologies that are going to allow.

For digital contracts and payments, it makes it so much easier for your client and for you to keep everything kind of in a file cabinet online for your booked events. This is something I could go on and on about, and. Some engaged couples find it shocking that vendors out there are still doing paper contracts and there is a easy way to implement technology to help you. Get up to speed, so to speak in your business. It all goes in line with elevating your business as a whole.

So another piece of technology that I want to talk about is social media [00:09:00] scheduling tools. I've said it before, that it's a game changer. This is something, a tool to help you schedule your social media can help you maintain a much stronger online presence. Why? Because you can post on multiple platforms at one time.

Not only can you post it immediately, but you can also schedule out post. Most of the social media scheduling tools that I am familiar with and or use with clients also allows scheduling for reels tos, Google Business Profile, Pinterest. Not all softwares out there do that, but I feel like those are really important platforms for wedding professionals.

So making sure that the social media scheduling tool incorporates the platforms that you use or that you're set up on for your business.[00:10:00] As I mentioned, I believe social media scheduling tools are a game changer. I said that in the beginning, and if we take just a minute and be real with each other, coming up with content, engaging content, post, whether it be graphics or videos, it can be time consuming. And then you add in the step about scheduling it, whether you're doing it yourself for your business.

If you're a solopreneur or you have a team, maybe you have a VA or an admin or someone on your team that does that scheduling part. It can be time consuming. And I've worked with people out there that don't use a tool, and until they really tracked their time, they didn't realize how much time it took to post on their different platforms.

They were on the different types of content. And one of the other things to add is I really think that a scheduling tool [00:11:00] can help you, as I mentioned, stay consistent because. It allows you to do it in advance, and that really helps ensure that your online presence on multiple platforms stays active. And social media is really important.

I feel like a lot of people leave out Google business profile, and I feel like that should be one of the first places that you really focus in on for your online presence. But I also know from speaking with engaged couples, how important YouTube. TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn. It seems like the list is never ending, and that's where I feel like a social media scheduling tool can help you increase your online visibility.

And as I said in the beginning of this episode, it's all about elevating your business [00:12:00] and. Reaching your goals. One of the other things I've done a podcast episode on in the past is online booking links. I think this is one of the best tools out there. If you schedule a discovery call with me. I utilize an online booking link and it has saved me.

So much time with getting appointments, meetings, discovery calls, all the different types of things scheduled and in working with people for as long as I have. A lot of times people don't realize with an online booking link that it connects to your calendar in regards to your availability, but you also have so much control over what days are available.

Times are available and one of the softwares that I utilize myself even does reminders automatically by text and email. What that's done for me is helped eliminate [00:13:00] phone calls, text, or emails to confirm those appointments or meetings over the next few days. So I've worked with wedding professionals and they are so surprised how many hours a week they had been spending on phone calls, emails, text messages to try to schedule an appointment, but then to go back through the same thing to confirm appointments, was an issue as well. With an online booking link, you're basically putting your availability out there and engaged couples, or potential clients can look to see if this is when this person is available for me to schedule.

There's so many other things that wraps into this technology part. Because it also too comes down to convenience. It's more convenient for you and in the end it's more convenient for the [00:14:00] engaged couples. They may have parents, grandparents, part of the wedding party that they want to come to the different appointments.

And with an online booking link, it's on them to figure out the best day and time that works for them, not back and forth with you. As the wedding professional, it ends up consuming a lot of time. I have one client recently, they swear that it saves them at least five hours a week in setting and confirming appointments by utilizing an online booking.

Technology. So that's just another one of the things that I really like to talk about. And I know in this episode that I've talked about, technology can really help revolutionize your wedding business. And you probably are thinking, okay. Gosh, how do I go about adopting some of these technologies? Well change, we all know it can be [00:15:00] intimidating, especially when you throw in the word software tool or technology, Ugh. People just freeze and they just don't know the next step. But keep this in mind, these things that I've mentioned and the other amazing tools that are out there. Are here to assist you and honestly make your life easier.

And this is where I would share with you to start. Start with one piece of technology. If you don't have a CRM or an all-in-one business system, that probably would make the biggest impact in your business. However, if you are really struggling with keeping up with your online presence, and what I mean by that is posting consistently on the social media platforms, it may be better for you to utilize a social media scheduling tool.

That can help eliminate some time that it [00:16:00] takes to show up online. The key is don't try to do everything at one time. You will get overwhelmed, frustrated, and then my experience tells me you won't end up using anything. You'll be back at where you started. And I don't want that for anyone.

I don't want to talk about these technologies and how wonderful they can be and make such a big impact in your business. And then you feel like, okay, this is way too much to implement, now I'm not doing anything. I don't want to waste your time. So the other thing that I would share with you in getting started, make sure you find the right tool or technology for your business.

Most of these different softwares, there's different ones to choose from. They have different features. So it depends on your specific business and your needs, what your business specifically needs. So make sure [00:17:00] you find that right, technology, software or tool for your business as you start to implement tools and start to see some results.

You saving time, your client saying how much easier it is or how smooth that was. It will encourage you to do more, to take the next step. And that's why I say just start off small one thing at a time. And I will share with you this much, my experience and all of this and the years I've done this, it's about results and all of these things I've shared with you.

I know people that have implemented on their own. I have worked with wedding professionals to help them implement. They have gotten results, and that's why I want to keep talking about the benefits of tools, softwares, technology as a whole, [00:18:00] because as you strive for bigger goals in your business or to level up your business, this is some of the keys to helping you all around.

I wish there was a magic wand that I could wave to make things easier in your business. From a standpoint of day in and day out, technology is one of the closest things that we can get to that magic wand. 

I encourage you to go to my website, wedprobusinesssolutions.com and get that discovery call scheduled. If you're not already part of my free Facebook group, please join today. I talk about different tools, softwares, strategies, and other things outside of the podcast episodes. You can find it on Facebook WedPro Business Community.

Until next time, everyone, [00:19:00] take care and keep working on your businesses.