In an era where love stories unfold in the digital realm, wedding businesses must align their sales and marketing strategies with the tech preferences of today’s couples. This article will unpack technology’s role in bringing couples and wedding suppliers together.
Drawing insights from the Easy Weddings 2024 Australian Wedding Industry Report, we uncover technology trends within the industry and offer guidance on leveraging tech to market your wedding business effectively.
Tech Sparks Romance for Today’s Couples
Tech has replaced Cupid as the primary matchmaker for Gen Z and Millennials, signalling a departure from traditional meeting avenues. Online dating apps like Tinder and Bumble are now the #1 way engaged and newly married couples meet, responsible for almost a third (28%) of Australian engagements, according to the 2024 Australian Wedding Industry Report.
Popularity has been trending upwards in recent years, taking a significant leap since 2020, as the chart below shows.
Just as couples are utilising tech to spark romance, wedding suppliers must adapt their marketing approaches to appeal to the tech-centric nature of today’s couples.
Trends and Changing Ways Gen Z and Millennials Communicate
Understanding the communication preferences of our tech-savvy target market is paramount for wedding suppliers.
A resounding 4 in 5 couples (81%) prefer to communicate with suppliers via email, the Easy Weddings report found, overtaking phone calls, texts, and other direct messaging channels by miles. Having email templates ready to go can save you time and avoid delaying your response – which could be the difference in securing the booking.
Learn more about response times and automation by reading our article This is how quickly you need to respond to enquiries.
Despite these overwhelming stats, wedding suppliers will have the best chance of converting enquiries by communicating with couples in the same way they contacted you.
While email should be prioritised in your communication strategies, we recommend a multi-channel approach. Secondary touchpoints like SMS can help convert leads when following up on previous communications. It’s handy to also send a SMS alerting the client of the email and asking them to check their spam folder if they don’t see it.
Our article, How to Respond to an SMS Enquiry, explains more about integrating SMS into your sales pipeline.
Harnessing Tech to Market Your Wedding Business
Technology and social media platforms are pivotal in reaching and engaging with this savvy target audience. Leveraging platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook allows wedding businesses to showcase what they can offer visually, right where savvy couples spend their time. Read more about boosting your online presence with our article: 3 Steps to Help You Get More Instagram Followers.
Ensure your photos and videos are up-to-date across platforms and engaging, featuring trending elements. If your business is new and you are still building a bank of content, consider arranging a styled shoot rather than stock imagery, as that can feel inauthentic.
Additionally, understanding the value of digital advertising and SEO (search engine optimisation) is crucial to maintaining a strong digital presence. You can read more in our article Mastering Research Intent and SEO.
Tech Tools for Communicating with Couples
To remain competitive in the digital era, wedding businesses have benefitted from adopting tech communication tools. The pandemic has shown us the value of virtual meeting tools like Zoom, but businesses are also integrating video messages and meeting schedulers like Calendly into their communications with couples.
Incorporating customer relationship management (CRM) software, automated email marketing, and instant messaging platforms enhances efficiency and responsiveness. These tools streamline communication workflows, allowing businesses to stay connected with couples in real time.
As part of your Easy Weddings partnership, we have a built-for-purpose CRM into our website to help you better manage your couples. Our WedCRM offers an easy-to-use interface to help you manage your Easy Weddings storefront, sales leads, statistics, reviews, marketing, and financials. Learn more in our article, Introducing WedCRM.
Technology’s Role in Wedding Planning
Technology’s influence extends beyond making connections, right to planning the wedding day.
Online planning tools, wedding websites, and virtual planning sessions have become integral to the modern wedding experience. Wedding businesses should embrace these tools, providing couples with seamless planning experiences while ensuring their services remain at the forefront of this digital revolution.
At Easy Weddings, we have leaned into technology to help make the planning process simpler for our couples. The Apple and Android app makes it even easier for couples to plan their wedding day from the palm of their hands.
Our free app allows couples to browse and enquire with around 5,000 suppliers, read verified reviews, create their wedding vision board, access planning tools like a to-do list and budget calculator, manage RSVPs, and more!
Tech Elements on the Wedding Day
Tech integration on the wedding day itself has become a growing trend. From live-streamed ceremonies for distant guests to interactive wedding apps that enhance guest engagement, couples embrace tech elements to create unforgettable experiences.
Tech can provide suppliers with a competitive edge with drone videography, audio and video guest books, and interactive photo booths becoming attractive to today’s couples.
Easy Weddings: Pioneering Tech-Driven Marketing
Easy Weddings is Australia’s go-to wedding marketplace, seamlessly using technology and digital marketing to help promote wedding businesses to our 410,000 monthly visitors.
Blending technology with the charm of wedding businesses, we market our supplier network to Australia’s engaged couples, allowing suppliers to focus on running their businesses and doing what they love.
Our investment in SEO helps us achieve Page 1 Google results for most key wedding-related search terms.
We provide suppliers with extra visibility to their target demographic in their area, with geo-targeted searches through the app to connect with more couples and book more weddings. Our qualified Enquiries are sent directly to your inbox from couples ready to book your services.
Final Thoughts on Tech for Your Wedding Business
In the digital age, the success of wedding businesses hinges on their ability to embrace and leverage technology. From meeting and communication preferences to marketing strategies and wedding planning tools, technology weaves a thread through every aspect of the modern wedding experience. By staying attuned to these technological shifts and adopting innovative approaches, wedding businesses can better market themselves and connect with tech-savvy couples, ensuring they are top of mind in the competitive industry.
If you aren’t yet online with Easy Weddings and would like to see how we can help increase your brand presence and help book more weddings, submit an online enquiry form here, and we’ll be in touch.
