Are Wedding Wire and The Knot Worth it?
Wedding marketing is not easy-peasy as many may think. It’s a game that requires skill and strategy because, as a wedding professional seeking clients, you can easily fall prey to sweet-talking marketing websites that might turn out to be a scam in the end. No one wants to be scammed, especially not after investing a ton of money and expecting wild returns. This is why as a wedding professional; you should be very careful about where you spend your wedding marketing budget. Recently, tons of wedding marketing websites have come up, all claiming to help you book your calendar solid.
However, over time, people have started debating the legitimacy of these websites and their ability to deliver the promised “heaven.” I’m sure you are familiar with websites like Wedding Wire and The Knot. These two websites are the giants that have been ruling the wedding marketing field for a while now. Over time there have been debates on whether paying to list your business on such sites is worth it. Some wedding pros have been claiming that it’s a waste of money, while others swear that they have been reaping sweet fruits from the same.
But rather than playing a game of chance by investing in such websites, isn’t it wise to invest in your website?
Let’s propagate this thought further by looking at the pros and cons of these two websites versus the plus side of having your website.
Pros of Wedding Wire and The Knot
1. They are popular hence have traffic.
These two websites boast of millions of visits by potential customers each day. Everyone wants to go for what is popular or what everyone in town is talking about, and these two are exactly that. A website with more visits, needless to say, has more leads which is why most wedding professionals consider such websites as a good deal for their investment.
2. Convincing Sales Persons
This is perhaps what gives these two websites their bargaining power. The Knot, for instance, has salespersons who pitch their deals so convincingly, it is hard to resist. They make you feel like you are missing out on the deal of the year by failing to pay for their packages. Be careful not to fall head-down for these sweet talks, though; you should do your in-depth research first before you decide to invest in your wedding marketing finances.
3. Easy mobile application
No one wants long and tedious processes of signing up, especially not the busy wedding professionals. We all want applications that we can sign up in minutes and get to other things, which is a plus when it comes to these two.
Cons of Wedding Wire and The Knot
1. They Send Dead-end Links
Imagine investing in a website that gives you leads that amount to nothing? Well, that is not news when it comes to these two. They are notorious for making you waste time talking to low-interest could-be clients who end up not closing the deal after wasted time and resources. Additionally, they are notorious for tricking wedding professionals into entering into a contract that demands you to pay a subscription fee of, say, $2000 for a year whether you close a deal or not.
Even worse, there is no way out since they do not allow you to cancel the subscription. Many people have given testimonials of how they tried to cancel the subscriptions after failing to close a deal on these sites and were unable to. They resulted in canceling their credit cards, after which they were threatened to be taken to the collection agency.
2. Most Users are Just Price Shopping.
Most of these wedding websites are customized with users in mind but not vendors. Most users log in to such sites to estimate the prices but with no intention of seeking a vendor. So as a vendor, you will be paying to give others a clue of how much they might spend for their wedding, but close no-deal yourself.
3. High Levels of Competition Makes it Hard for You to Stand Out.
Websites like Wedding Wire and The Knot are flocked with wedding vendors, all with similar packages trying to market themselves. As a professional wedding marketing yourself on such websites, you are not assured of returns since customers can easily pick any other vendor.
4. In Consistent Prices
Wedding Wire and The Knot has regularly been accused of nickel-and-diming vendors for premium services. They promise you an ROI if you subscribe for the premium listing, which you do not get at the end of the day.
Screenshots from actual wedding venue owner/managers:
Why Investing in Your Own Website Might Be the Best Option
1. You are in Control
Having your website means you are in control of the prices you charge and how you design it. You can customize it as you see fit, invest in ads, and boost yourself on google ads and other ads platforms to help you sell yourself.
2. You can Showcase your Business as you Please.
Another plus side of having your website is that you have the freedom to showcase it as you want. You can choose to use videos, images, or blogs depending on how you see fit.
3. You can Create a Memorable Booking Process.
Couples often have a lot going on in the process of planning weddings. They thus want a website that will give them an easy and memorable booking process, and with your website, you can offer exactly that.
4. You Can do Better SEO to Help Attract New Local Leads
With your website, you can easily increase the quantity and quality of website traffic by producing high-quality content, increasing the page loading speed, or optimizing images.
5. You Get Real Leads
Unlike other wedding websites where you can’t tell whether the leads are genuine or it’s just an imposter trying to waste your time, having your website gives you the confidence that the leads you get are real and might lead to a closed deal.
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We Can Help
Are you a wedding professional looking to get your website and save yourself from being misled by money-thirsty websites? You have come to the right place. At I Do Design Studio, we are all about that. We design strategy-driven websites for wedding professionals that focus on their unique designs and couples’ needs. Contact us today to enjoy our services.