The four-letter word we’re talking about today can sound as bad to your ears as the ones that come out of a sailor’s mouth after a month out to sea. It can make a new wedding planner’s ears ring and can cause a migraine just thinking about it. Here it is—are you ready? The dreaded “B” word. BLOG. But even if you’re suffering from blog vertigo, I know this little word has been in the back of your mind for months now. I know you’ve been holding off on creating one because you don’t quite see the benefits of starting a wedding planner blog.

There are so many other things to do within your wedding business, and creating a blog is the lowest priority on your list. I have found that new wedding planners often don’t realize the true value of blogging. Here are the top five reasons why I think you should drop everything and get on the blog bandwagon immediately.

SEO/Organic Traffic

Now, I know you’ve heard the term “SEO” thrown around in your wedding planning business. You might not truly understand the value of it or how to utilize it, but it is vital to your business. Search Engine Optimization—SEO—is the very best way to get organic traffic. Organic traffic is free. I love free! You gain organic traffic by using keywords in your content. The downside to SEO, though, is that it takes a while to get the momentum going. It’s not an instant gratification kinda thing, which is one of the biggest reasons you want to start today. But once it does pick up, it has a lasting residual effect. My company, FDL, hasn’t had a Miami consultant in a few years and yet I still get leads from that area regularly. This is a great example of how SEO has no bounds.

Marketing

Having a platform to share your past weddings is critical. This is one of the very best ways to market your wedding planning business. Brides love to see what you’ve done through words and pictures. When a bride is actively looking for a wedding planner, she is going to check out a company’s blog to see if they’ve done a similar theme, worked at the same venue, and/or worked with the same vendors. Blogging about past weddings you’ve done is also one the best opportunities for using keywords and utilizing that SEO we just talked about.

Authority

Your blog is your opportunity to show potential clients that you know your stuff. This is a great medium to educate, give tips, and share a project or product you love. Brides want to hire confident wedding planners who know the industry. Even if you’re doing a little “fake it ’til you make it” at the moment, starting a blog is the way to start becoming a leader in the field.

Brand Building

While your website might stay stagnant, you’ll constantly be updating your blog—brides love that. And it helps with building a stronger brand and finding your ideal client. Using your blog to display a recently styled shoot is yet another way to show off your skills, branding, and what types of wedding you want to do.

Vendor Relationships

I use my blog to help me build strong relationships with vendors. By inviting a vendor to share their wisdom on my blog, I’m creating a tangible bond. Not only is it great to have someone else share their perspective with my audience, but it also helps the vendor gain more exposure. It’s a win-win for everyone! When you’re new, asking a vendor out for coffee and then doing a blog post on them and their company goes a long way in the wedding world.

I know that blogging is difficult, time consuming, and, well, dumpster diving probably sounds like more fun. But if you don’t start a blog today, you are leaving behind a vital opportunity that could very well improve your bookings. So, don’t delay another second. Start cracking!