Email Marketing 101

Last week I talked about the mistake I made that cost me thousands of dollars. That mistake was not creating an email list that I could nurture and continue to market to. This week, I thought it would make sense if I explained exactly HOW to set up your email marketing strategy.

Step 1: Choose An Email Marketing Provider

You are going to need a service that can collect all of your emails and allow for you to easily email your list. I personally use Convertkit.

Step 2: Create An Opt-In

Once you have the email marketing provider in place, you need a way for your website to collect the email addresses and automatically put them in your email provider. You DEFINITELY don’t want to have to do this manually. The way that you collect the emails is by having an opt-in form on your website. You are going to offer them something for free (next step) in exchange for them providing their email address.

Step 3: Create An Irresistible Lead Magnet

If someone inquires about your services via email, then you can easily put them in your email list. But what about all the people that come to your website that don’t inquire? They aren’t just going to freely hand over their email address. You have to offer them something FREE, that is soooooo irresistible, they are willing to hand over their email address for it.

Some ideas for a lead magnet are free downloads, quizzes, guides, mistakes to avoid, how to save money tips, etc. Once you have a lead magnet that you think will be irresistible to your target market, create that resource.

Step 4: Nurture That List

The last thing you want to do is get all of those email addresses and then do nothing with them. To make this all worth while, you need to email your list on a frequent and consistent basis. Only you will know how often you should send out emails. I personally try to send one a week. I recommend doing it no less than once a month. This email can be updates about your business, highlights of your service, advice, or special deals you are running. And what this email does is put you in your customers minds on a frequent and consistent basis so that when they think about who to hire for the service they offer, they automatically think you.

Ready to get service about starting your pop-up wedding business? Want to learn how to be a Proposal Planner? Sign up for my FREE resources below:

How To Identify Your Target Market

If you are a Wedding Planner that is launching Proposal Planning services for the first time, you are probably overwhelmed at the thought of targeting this new market. After all, you are used to targeting brides in your current marking and this is a big change. And if you are new to event planning and starting your own Proposal Planning business, this is likely your first time needing to identify your target market and that can be a lot as well.

If you really want to intimately understand the type of client that books a Proposal Planner, you won’t want to miss my FREE masterclass that is coming up in March. Sign up for the waitlist here. In this masterclass, I go over the characteristics that almost ALL proposal clients have in common. But each Proposal Planner will also have a target market this is more specific to the type of client THEY want to serve. So how do you identify that market?

What Is A Target Market

Before going forward, we should define what exactly I mean when I say target market. A target market is a specific, defined segment of consumers that a company plans to serve with its services. So all Proposal Planners are targeting clients looking to propose. But you want to figure out which segment of those clients you most want to target. Examples might be LGBTQ+ community, luxury clients, etc.

Why This Is Important

You need to know exactly who you are targeting BEFORE you create any marketing materials. Marketing materials include your website, social media profiles & content, blogs, and more.

How To Determine Your Target Market

  1. Think about which segment of the market you want to service. Again, examples of this could be the LGBTQ+ community, luxury clients, etc.
  2. Think about the characteristics of that market and the aesthetic they may like. For example, for the LGBTQ+ community you may want to use bright colors and feature same sex couples throughout your website. For a luxury client, you may wish to stick to a neutral palette and a modern design.
  3. Brainstorm where this target market hangs out online. What Instagram profiles to they follow, what blogs do they read, etc?
  4. What are their hobbies and interests? For example, if you are targeting ultra high end clients, maybe they play golf and fly in private jets.
  5. Think about their values. Do they value exclusivity (being offered something no one else can get)? Do they value equality, being offered the same thing everyone else can get?

What To Do With This Information

Once you have done research on your target market, you will take everything you discovered and use it in your marketing. If you are a Wedding Planner, you will use this to create your Proposal Planning page, your blogs that are geared towards the proposer, your social media content, and your keywords & hashtag strategy. If you are new to event planning, you will use this information to create your website, your social media profiles, and all of your content, keywords, and hashtags.

Wondering if becoming a Proposal Planner is right for you? Check out my FREE downloads below.

How To Be Inclusive In Your Proposal Planning Marketing

LGBTQ marriage proposal
LGBTQ marriage proposal

June is Pride Month, and it is the perfect opportunity to talk about inclusion. When you plan marriage proposals, the majority of your clients will be men proposing to women. However, you will also have same sex couples asking you for your services and you want to make sure that your messaging feels inclusive to them as well.

One thing that has always made me sad and cringe is when a person asks me, “You are ok with same sex couples right?” It literally hurts my heart that someone has to ASK if I am OK with THEIR choice on who they love. So I really do my best to use gender neutral pronouns in my marketing on my website, The Heart Bandits.

I am not always perfect, but when I am writing copy on my Proposal Planning website, I try to always say “they” instead of “he” or “she.” And I always try to say “partner” instead of “girlfriend.” It doesn’t make any difference to the heterosexual couple, but it makes ALL the difference when someone from the LGBTQ community is reading my messaging and doesn’t feel alienated.

Here is an example of how I do it! Let’s take The Heart Bandit’s Mission Statement for example:

“Our mission is to create a marriage proposal that is as unique as your love story.  We ensure that when your partner experiences their proposal, they know that it was created just for them and more importantly, it was created by you.  To do that, we use a holistic approach in our proposal planning.  We don’t just focus on your partner and what they would like, we also focus on what makes you unique as a couple.  We also take great care to focus on what is unique about you, the Proposer, so that the proposal is truly reflective of your style and persona.

See how easy that is? Just a small change in your marketing can really make a difference for someone else.

If you want to learn more tips on how to market to the proposer, I am actually doing a Facebook Live on Tuesday, June 16th at 10am PST. Here is a link and you can set up a reminder.

My goal is to teach Wedding Planners and Entrepreneurs how to market to the client looking to propose to their partner. I am a Proposal Planning coach that has been planning proposals for a decade and now I am here to help you get started on your Proposal Planning journey. If you are ready to get serious about starting your Proposal Planning company or adding it on as a service, I have created a completely FREE resource for you called, “4 Things You Can Start Doing TODAY To Start Proposal Planning.”

I can’t wait to see what you do with what you learn!

Why Saying You’re A Proposal Planner Isn’t Enough

epic proposal idea
How Mike proposed to Candace with an intimate New York floral rooftop proposal at Ink48 and planned by The Heat Bandits Photo credit: © Petronella Photography http://bypetronella.com

I’ve been in this industry a long time. 10 years to be exact. I have seen many “Proposal Planners” come, and many of them go. The reason that I think they end up quitting is this. A lot of people think that you can simply add “Proposal Planning” services to your website and you will start getting Proposal clients. But the truth is, if you want to become a Proposal Planner, that’s not enough.

The reality is that there are several very reputable Proposal Planning companies on the market now. So if you want to throw your hat in the ring, you are going to have to do a lot more than just use the term on your website.

Now, I know what you might be thinking.

You might be thinking, UGH, this is too much work. But the reality is that anything worth having does take some time and effort to build. But successfully marketing Proposal Planning doesn’t have to be some huge, impossible, overwhelming undertaking.

In fact, in my upcoming course Proposal Planning Formula™ I will teach you everything you need to know about successfully marketing Proposal Planning.

But for now, here are some questions I want you to think about when you are wondering why you aren’t getting enough or any Proposal Planning clients? Get out a piece of paper and write the answer to these questions.

  1. Does your website and social media really speak to that audience? If not, what are some ways you can start doing that?
  2. Are you addressing their pain points? Do you understand their pain points?
  3. Do your assets make it seem like Proposal Planning is an afterthought?
  4. What would make someone trust you to plan their proposal versus other established companies?

Now I want you to really spend some time thinking how you can improve on your answer for each section.

In my upcoming course, I teach you how to properly address all of these things. But this is something you can also start doing on your own if you really want to create a transformation in your business.

I also created a FREE resource for you to help you get started on your Proposal Planning journey. It’s called 4 things you can start doing TODAY to start Proposal Planning. If you are serious about Proposal Planning, this is a great place to start.

I’d also love to invite you to our Proposal Planning Academy Tribe where you can ask questions and get support along your journey! When you join, leave a message letting us know you downloaded the resource and tell us what you are looking for in a Proposal Planning Coach.

I’ll see you there!

Think Proposal Planning Is Just Like Wedding Planning? Think Again!

marriage proposal in ballet theater
marriage proposal in ballet theater

For the established Wedding Planner, you’ve planned elaborate weddings with a lot of moving parts. (If you are new to Wedding Planning, don’t worry, this article is still for you!) You have executed flawless weddings with complicated timelines. And yes, that experience WILL definitely help you as you embark on this how to be a proposal planner journey.

But I am willing to bet that MOST of you haven’t had to organize the entire cast of the Nutcracker and make sure the proposer hits his knee as soon as the song crescendos with NO REHEARSAL! I am getting hives just thinking back on it.

Or has anyone had to work with a magician and make a client disappear in a cloud of smoke to set off a scavenger hunt? Coordinate a rose petal shower with a drone? Dress up as a Knight to play a role in a medieval proposal?

These are just some of the few crazy things I have been asked to do in my 10 year career as a Proposal Planner. And this is one of the reasons I want to address a misconception that if someone plans weddings, they can easily also plan proposals. Now, I am not saying they can’t do it, but it is not as EASY as a shift as one might think. Here are a few reasons why:

1) No Rehearsals

One aspect of Proposal Planning that is COMPLETELY different than Wedding Planning is that with a marriage proposal, there are no rehearsals. Sure, if you are a lucky and your client actually lives nearby the proposal location AND they can sneak away from their partner, they may do a walk through. But the person he is proposing to will never be there so there will always be a chance that things could go in a direction you never saw coming. And because of that, you have to see everything coming.

2) One Person Is In The Dark

As I mentioned above, one huge challenge to Proposal Planning is that one person that will be experiencing the proposal is always in the dark. With weddings, for the most part, the Bride and the Groom are in on what is going to happen that day. Sure there might be a surprise here and there, but mostly they are on the same page. However, with Proposal Planning, the person being proposed to is NOT on the same page. They are not even on the same book. They have no idea what is going to happen, which way they should walk, how they should stand, how to react, how to dress, etc. And because of all of this, the Proposal Planner has to anticipate what she will do, how she will walk, where she will stand, how she will react and then have a plan B if she does not do any of that.

3) Requires Different Vendors Often

One thing that I love about Wedding Planning is that you can use the same vendors over and over again. You always need a venue, officiant, photographer, florist, musicians, and rental company. And with Proposal Planning, you do use some of the same vendors too. But as a Proposal Planner, you will be frequently asked to find vendors you have never worked with before. One day you may be researching a helicopter or private jet, the next day you are asked to find an opera singer, a fire dancer, or to rent baby pugs. You are just always on your toes with Proposal Planning, there is never a dull moment.

4) Demands A Different Marketing Strategy

The first 3 reasons I gave above are all in regards to how different it is to actually PLAN a proposal. The obvious elephant in the room is that before you can even start planning proposals, you have to adapt a completely different marketing strategy than what you use for Wedding Planning just to get the clients in the door.

And this is why most of Wedding Planners will throw in the towel and say, “I don’t have time,” “I don’t know how to market Proposal Planning,” “Or this sounds too hard.” But not you!

You are here because you are an innovator.

You take risks when you believe the risk will be rewarding.

So today, I challenge you to download my FREE “Top 3 Reasons You MUST Add Proposal Planning Now” PDF. You see, there is a way to learn how to leverage your existing skills and apply it towards being a successful Proposal Planner and Proposal Planning marketer. All you need is a coach, a cheerleader, a mentor. And I got you!! I am confident once you see the benefits to adding Proposal Planning to your services, you will be motivated to make time to get started.

I wish I had a Proposal Planning Coach 10 years ago when I first started Proposal Planning. But I am passionate about sharing everything I know about Proposal Planning with you so that you can learn from my mistakes and launch quickly.

A $70K Marriage Proposal

marriage proposal planning teacher

As a Proposal Planning coach, I want to both educate and inspire you. I hope this blog does both. Some people don’t realize just how much money there is in Proposal Planning.  Sure, there are simple proposals out there which will require you to set up rose petals and candles.  And for those, the profit margin isn’t super high. There are also lovely custom proposals that you plan where your profit margin can be one to two thousand dollars.  But if you plan a luxury proposal, your profit margin can be extremely high.

Take Christian for example. He hired my company, The Heart Bandits, to plan his epic marriage proposal.  He is involved with the Pittsburgh Steelers and he had an unlimited budget. He really wanted his girlfriend to get taken on a journey for her proposal.  He didn’t just want her to walk out into a room and see a nice proposal set up.  He wanted it to be a multi-level experience that was different from anything he had seen.  

He also had one special request.  He wanted a rare Christian Louboutin bag presented to her before he proposed.  I must have called every Christian Louboutin store in America for that bag….but I got it!

proposal planner education

Now, on to the Proposal Planning.  Christian and his partner are used to traveling the world.  In fact, travel is a huge part of their story.  So we presented him the concept of a “Jet Setter” theme and he loved. it.  First, we rented out one of the most incredible rooftop gardens in Manhattan.  We stationed a butler right near the elevator to greet the couple with Champagne.  When they arrived on the rooftop, we had an orchestra playing under an Eiffel Tower replica built of moss and lights.  When the couple walked out of the elevator, she was completely floored as the orchestra played “All Of Me,” by John Legend.

be a proposal planner

After the orchestra serenaded the couple, Christian lead her through hundreds of stunning red and pink florals and to a faux grass wall fashioned after a Parisian cafe.  Displayed on the wall were large canvases of the couple on some of their travels together.  After spending some time there, they walked out onto the garden and a string quartet began playing. It’s then, the couple passed a replica of a Venetian gondola with roses spilling out of it.  This was to represent their travels to Italy.

wedding proposal planning

Christian escorted her over to some beautifully displayed Louis Vuitton luggage where she found a surprise gift.  The gift contained the rare handbag I was able to find which was Mexican themed and represented their travels to Mexico.  Finally, he walked her over to the pool where we had a custom monogrammed proposal message at the bottom of the pool that said, “Will You Travel The World With Me Forever?”  The pool was lined with gorgeous candles and rose petals. Christian proposed and she of course said, “YES!”

teach me to be a proposal planner

After the proposal, we transformed the garden for an intimate dinner for the couple to share.  The dinner was catered and came with a waiter to make sure they had a one-of-a-kind experience. The string quartet continued to play as the couple enjoyed their celebratory dinner.

proposal planning education
proposal planning school

Now, I know what you are thinking.  You’re thinking “Whoa, if he spent that much on a proposal, what would he spend on the wedding?”  And that is exactly what I am here to point out to you, and exactly what I want you to think about.  Really let that sink in.  If he spent $70K on a proposal, what would he spend on a wedding? And what if YOU were both the Proposal Planner AND the Wedding Planner for him?

If you have the opportunity to not only earn a significant amount of revenue for planning a luxury proposal, AND you get to earn the trust of a couple before they get engaged, why wouldn’t you? If you could have a built in lead in to be their wedding planner, why would you not take it?

And that is exactly what Proposal Planning can offer you.  It can not only increase your revenue and diversify your income.  It can provide you more leads for your wedding planning business. To find out more information on why I think you need to get started Proposal Planning right away, download our freebie below.

Download the FREE Top 3 Reasons You MUST Add Proposal Planning Now here.

We have another great FREE resource for you too that will come in handy when you are ready to get started Proposal Planning.  It’s called the 4 Branded Resources You Must Create To Start Offering Proposal Planning.

If you are ready to learn how to be a Proposal Planner, sign up for our email list below so we can send you more curated content and tips.  

After planning proposals for over 10 years, my company runs itself so I have decided to teach others how to become a Proposal Planner. And I am truly passionate about helping entrepreneurs and Wedding Planners LEVEL UP and start offering Marriage Proposal Planning services using profitable action steps and my proven SEO & Marketing strategies. I will be launching a FREE webinar soon as well as a course. But for now, I hope this blog inspires you.

proposal planning coach

Proposal Planning: The Heart Bandits

Florals & Rentals: Martin Jobes Design

Photography: Michael Justin Studios