Millennials are known for having discerning taste, and that rings true when it comes time to plan their weddings, too. After saying “yes!”, the first item crossed off the wedding planning list is typically choosing a venue. But with the multitude of options at their fingertips, how do these notoriously picky planners go about choosing a space? They evaluate their options closely and pick the one that best suits their vision.
Fortunately, if you’re part of a restaurant or venue hoping to market your space to millennials, there are a number of things you can do to help your location stand out.
Here are a few ways your restaurant can capitalize on marketing strategies to become a top-choice venue for this generation:
Make sure your restaurant is “insta-worthy.” According to Wedding Spot, 71 percent of businesses are using Instagram for marketing. It makes sense, as there have been more than one billion users so far this year on the platform. A popular social channel for millennials, Instagram provides an outlet for sharing photos, and in the eyes of this generation, showing off their work. If a venue isn’t up to insta-worthy par, it won’t make the cut. It’s important for restaurants to make use of both their social channels and their online galleries to showcase the design, look and feel of their space. If you get to the stage of communicating with a lead, present them with layouts of past events that highlight what the couple is looking for, so they get a sense of what the place will look like from all angles.
Take advantage of technology: Millennials grew up with technology and have become accustomed to relying on it for anything from checking the weather report to booking restaurant reservations. Finding a wedding venue is no exception. Millennials tend to be efficient with their time, which means they’re searching the most popular websites and utilizing platforms that will help them easily narrow down their search and, ultimately, find what they’re looking for. Being part of a Booking Network that partners with platforms like Yelp and Wedding Spot will allow your restaurant to grow by reaching a larger audience, connecting to a vast network of event planners and couples looking to find the perfect venue for their wedding.
Be up front with what they’re getting from you, and do it quickly: First things first—millennials are budget sticklers, which means they care about how much they’ll be paying for their big day. Generally, the venue is a big chunk of the overall cost, so it’s important they know exactly what bang they’re getting for their buck. Because they’re strategic in their approach to planning, they’ve likely contacted more than one venue to begin with, so it’s important to lay it all out there and show them what exactly they’ll get for their money. Maybe you’re offering a package that comes with a cocktail hour, but is catering additional? Tell them that up front. Millennials are a compare and contrast generation, which means they’re looking for the best deal they can get, given their parameters. This means they will easily move onto the next venue if they aren’t getting the information they need, so don’t take too much time getting back to them.
Understanding what is most important to this generation will make or break how successful your marketing tactics are. Whether it’s a wedding or any other event, following these strategies could help your venue become a millennial hotspot.
