Networking a Different Kind of Niche-Premarital Education Classes

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Permalink Reply by Soulful Engagements on January 14, 2010 at 6:58am

Have you tried partnering with officiants and ceremony site managers? Officiants could recommend you for your premarital services (if that's not something they also offer) and in turn you could recommend them as an officiant.

You could also become a preferred vendor at a ceremony site. For example we were married in a non denominational chapel that didn't offer any premarital counseling and we had to bring in our own officiant and the ceremony site manager provided us with a list of officiants in the area. You could see if you could have you business added to a list of that sort.

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Permalink Reply by Jacqueline Falls-Williams on January 20, 2010 at 3:14pm

Thanks for your feedback. I will definitely consider that option.

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Permalink Reply by Ty on January 15, 2010 at 4:02am

I agree with SE. Officiants and ceremony mangers are the best route for you.

Think outside the box. Your line of work could prompt couples to hold off on getting married, so (to play devil's advocate) who wants to network with someone who could cause a wedding vendor to lose customers?

Try networking with relationship/marriage-based businesses and organizations. Anyone with a radio show that focuses on love and relationships would be great to partner with, for example.

On Facebook there is a group called Happily Ever After. Although their focus is primarily on the already married, they should be able to forward "not yet married" inquiries to you.

Good luck, and although the wedding planning can be fun, it's good to keep the focus on the marriage so thank you.

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Permalink Reply by Jacqueline Falls-Williams on January 20, 2010 at 3:17pm

@Ty--Trust me when people are already engaged there is nothing that will make them change their minds...But I never looked at it from that perspective. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Ty on January 21, 2010 at 1:54am

Lol I guess you have never heard of runaway brides/grooms. Needless to say they were engaged yet sooooo not ready to wed.

Your services are more needed more today than ever...best of luck.

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Permalink Reply by WeddingMediator on January 29, 2010 at 5:30am

I hear ya, Jacqueline. I work with wedding professionals to teach them tools to be confidently in charge and better deal with the disappointments/frustrations of wedding planning. So, I'm not exactly 'bride-facing' but like you, my services can make for a happier wedding day.

I love the suggestions you got about vendors and 'think outside the box'! Have you considered talking to the parents of engaged couples. I did marketing at our local 'running of the brides' and discovered that while brides didn't want to talk about learning to negotiate or problem-solve, their mothers did! Perhaps you can tap into the baby boomer scene for referrals. There are tons of sites like Boomer Authority and online groups on LinkedIn and Facebooks where you can make a pitch to parents who might more clearly see when their kids need help.

Keep up posted!

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Permalink Reply by Jacqueline Falls-Williams on January 31, 2010 at 11:47am

OMG Wedding Mediator. What a great angel. If you lived in Texas I'd buy you dinner!!! I will definitely take you up on that suggestion.

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Permalink Reply by WeddingMediator on February 1, 2010 at 3:19am

OK, you're on. Next time I'm in Texas, we're on! ;)

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Keating-Weeks on February 2, 2010 at 7:48am

I too have difficulty connecting with other vendors because I have an online travel business specializing in Cruises, all-inclusive resorts, and destination weddings/honeymoons. Working from home is a real challenge as I do not have the daily face to face with people. This is why I have joined this site and a couple of others like it. One is TravelTribe.com. It is open to vendors and the public as well. You can create a site for your business for free and join forum and blogs. You can start your own topics and download pictures. I have not had too much success with facebook or twitter yet, but I have only been on a few months. I need advice on these issues.

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Permalink Reply by amelia irene design on February 3, 2010 at 4:13am

I would focus on churches and partnering with them. Many churches now have marriage ministries or programs and may be interested in bringing you in for workshops or to provide pre-marital counseling. Also, many churches will not let you get married in their church without some form of pre-marital counseling which is a requirement for my church and others in my area.

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