We all know we need to market our business. To some it comes naturally, to others it’s something that they dread. Whilst a few bridal boutique owners come from a marketing background, the majority have to learn on their feet once they open their store. And that learning process never stops (even for those of us who have spent their entire career dedicated to the profession), as marketing continually evolves. However, there are some fundamentals that stay the same and will set your business up for success. 

Step 1 – Analysis

Use the beginning of the year to look back on last year and figure out what worked and what didn’t when marketing your business. Was there a certain social media platform that worked well for you in 2023? Did your email marketing drive appointment? Were wedding fairs effective for sales or leads? How many people visited your website and left immediately? Is your branding right for your business?

If you aren’t currently analysing the effectiveness of your activity, then I’d suggest you set this as one of your marketing goals for the year, because having this data is vital to understanding where you should (and shouldn’t) be spending your money. 

Once you’ve analysed the performance of your activity you’ll know where to put your focus this year.

Step 2 – Goal setting & focus areas

You can’t focus on everything all at once, so you need to choose where to spend time and money. Here are some questions to ask yourself about some key marketing channels to help you decide what your business will focus on this year.  

Branding – Does my visual brand represent my business? Have I got a set tone of voice and brand guidelines to ensure my messaging is consistent across my marketing channels? 

Website – Is it easy for my customer to find out all the information on my site? Is my website appearing for the right keywords on google?  

Social media – What platforms are my ideal customer using? What’s my best performing type of content? 

Partnerships – Are there any other local businesses in my area that have a similar demographic to me I could team up with? Could I collaborate more with my designers? 

Live events – Do I want brand promotion, appointments or on the day sales? Are the visitors the right audience for my business?

PPC – Do I need to introduce a paid digital advertising channel? How are my ads performing? 
Once you’ve been through the options, decide on what areas you’d like to improve and build on in 2024 and set yourself

SMART goals to work towards. SMART goals are an effective way to ensure you achieve your objectives. 
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-based