As a wedding planner, there are only so many hours in a day to get everything done! From marketing your business to client emails to remembering to pay yourself on time, it’s pretty overwhelming. I love systems and processes, so when I started my wedding planning business, one of the first things I tackled was how to streamline everything.
So how can you streamline your business, and get those hours back? Automation! There are so many things you can quickly automate in your business, that will save you hours each month. Today, I am diving into 8 things you can automate in your wedding planning business now, and how to get each one started!
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01. Contact Form
One of the first moments of communication with your client is also the easiest to automate! This step needs to be easy for your client to take, and you should collect all of this information upfront. To prevent a slow down from happening, or even worse, you losing their information, you should have your contact form set up in your CRM. I see many new planners who do not have a contact form or use a GoogleForm. But trust me, using your CRM system is going to make this so much easier! You will be able to collect (and save!) all of their information in one secure spot.
In my CRM system, Honeybook, you can set up your workflow to automatically send the client follow-up emails and even trigger a nurture email sequence.
[Need a CRM system? Get Honeybook, and save 20% off your first year!]
02. Contract, Invoice + Payments
This is hands down the #1 thing that should be automated in your wedding planning business. This doesn’t just makes your job easier but elevates the client experience. A CRM system can easily allow you to automate this process. Having your contract templated and pre-populated will save you hours in many ways!
First, making your contract easy to send and sign is a huge part of the booking process. Trust me, a client does NOT want to print out a contract, sign, scan, and email back to you. With a CRM system, like Honeybook, they can easily e-sign in seconds. This will make getting your contract signed in hours vs. weeks.
Second, you get paid faster. With Honeybook, you can have the client sign the contract and pay the deposit in a single email and workflow. And once the invoice is paid, you can set up automatic payment reminders, so you don’t have to remember to email them. Inside Honeybook, you can set up email templates to automatically email the client before the due date as a reminder and follow-up reminder emails.
And even better, clients can add their credit card for autopay! This makes it even easier for your client since they don’t have to enter payment information each time. It can automatically charge their card.
03. Scheduling Meetings
We all know that scheduling meetings with our clients can be frustrating. You email them dates, they email you back that nothing works, and you email them other options. Dozens of emails later, you finally find a time that works for both of you. But not anymore!
With an online scheduler, you can create a calendar of dates and times that work for YOU, and let them pick the best option, and book with ease. Inside Honeybook, all you need to do is set your availability and share a link to your calendar. You can also sync it with Google Calendar, adding the meeting to your calendar. And, if you want to send reminder emails, you can get those automated as well inside Honeybook. Another great option is Calendly, which lets you set up multiple calendars.
04. Automate Your Emails
If you find yourself frequently getting the same questions over and over, create email templates! These take the guesswork out of what you always say. You can set up canned responses through Gmail, which you can customize with details before sending. Having these emails templated will save you hours of writing and keep your brand consistent.
Inside of your CRM system, you can even automate many of these emails in sequences. For example, suppose you have an email that goes out 30 days prior asking for a final vendor list. In that case, you can have this templated and sent out automatically!
To make this even simpler, I have created 43 Email Templates! This 43 Email Template Bundle includes the top emails you need in your wedding planning business. It’s all included from inquiry templates to onboarding, check-ins, and even post wedding email communication!
05. Client Questionnaires
Another easy item to automate in your wedding planning business is client questionnaires. Not only will this save hours of writing out questions, but you can get consistent information each time. And with a CRM system like Honeybook, you can setup a workflow to remind your client to fill it out by a certain date, and do so easily online.
06. Asking for Testimonials And Reviews
One of the biggest mistakes I see wedding planners make is not asking for testimonials or reviews! That is why it should be built into your workflow. I suggest requesting the review one month following the wedding. This way, they have had time to settle in from all the festivities and are most likely back from their honeymoon, yet their day is still fresh in their mind.
Send one email with direct links to multiple review sites. (I suggest Google, Facebook, Wedding Wire, and The Knot). Don’t send individual review requests from multiple websites, like Wedding Wire and The Knot. This only bombards the client and makes you look desperate.
Encourage them to share what it was like working with you and your team, and how hiring your team made their wedding day an effortless success! You can also remind them that any review, regardless of length, is greatly appreciated.
Unsure of how to ask for testimonials? Get my Testimonial Template, available in the shop!
07. Automate Your Payroll
Just like your client communication, you should automate your payroll. This will ensure consistent payments and let you easily pull reports for your CPA! I personally love Gusto, and my CPA does too! It makes it SO easy, and you can even add hourly contractors or employees, so payroll is quick and easy. Plus, Gusto reminds you of upcoming deadlines and files important documents on your behalf come tax time.
[Ready to put yourself on payroll? Get $100 when you sign up!]
08. Social Media + Blogging
When it comes to your marketing, like Instagram and Blogging, most of it can be automated! For Instagram, I use Planoly to schedule out weeks of images and captions. It lets me auto-schedule and even save hashtag sets, so it’s super quick. I also love the tagging feature. You can save sets of tags for specific weddings, so you don’t have to remember everyone’s Instagram handle each time. Another great option is Plann!
When it comes to blogging, I love to batch work. I will take an afternoon to batch out multiple blog posts, so I have weeks of content ready to go at once. Batching my blogs also makes it easier to schedule out my Instagram since I know what is coming up in the pipeline on the blog. I’ve also found that I am much quicker when I batch out blogs. My brain is in the writing space, and I can quickly write out a few real wedding posts at a time!
To schedule out the graphic pins on Pinterest, I use Tailwind! This scheduling tool is Pinterest-approved and lets me schedule out weeks of content on Pinterest in just an hour. Like Planoly and Plann, you can pull in images from a blog post or Pinterest and schedule them out to go up constantly every day.
Unsure what to write about on your blog? Check out my free guide: 72 Blog Post Ideas!
Use Honeybook to Automate Your Wedding Planning Business
Automation is an incredible thing! As you can see, there are a lot of areas you can automate in your business. And the easiest way to do this? Get a CRM system! Honeybook will allow you to automate a majority of your business needs. From gathering client information to invoicing to keeping the planning process on track, Honeybook does it all. One of the biggest lessons I have learned in my wedding planning business is that automation is key.
P.S. Looking for a quick way to improve the client experience that you can implement TODAY?
By applying this one simple strategy, you will no longer find yourself typing and retyping the same emails over and over again with every new client you book and every new wedding vendor you need to communicate with. Having email templates in your wedding planning business is just one simple way to instantly improve the client experience – and I know you won’t regret gaining the time back either!
