Marketing: from stranger to scheduled tour
The learner can turn a stranger who has never heard of the venue into a scheduled, confirmed site tour, and knows which marketing channels are producing those tours.
10 lessons · about three hours with practice · grounded in The Business of Love by Kerri Lynn Glover
The lessons, in order
- 1Positioning and the ideal couple 20 min
Say who the venue is for, what it feels like, and speak in that voice on every channel. - 2The website and the inquiry form 20 min
Walk the website on a phone like a couple would and fix what stops them inquiring. - 3Google Ads and directories 20 min
Explain what paid search and listing sites buy you, and tell good leads from expensive noise. - 4Meta, social and content 20 min
Explain what Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Meta ads and the blog each do, and keep them on brand. - 5Reviews, referrals and partners 15 min
Grow the warm inquiries that come from past couples and fellow vendors. - 6The first response 20 min
Answer every new inquiry within minutes, in their channel and your voice, with a tour link. - 7From inquiry to booked tour 25 min
Run the short conversation, by text, email or phone, that ends with a tour on the calendar. - 8Follow-up and the quiet lead 15 min
Run a follow-up sequence that wins back quiet leads and closes the file kindly when it should. - 9Confirming the tour 15 min
Confirm the tour from booking to the day before so the couple arrives expected and excited. - 10Measure what turns into tours 15 min
Fill in the monthly scorecard and say which sources earn tours.
Positioning and the ideal couple
Outcome
You can say, in three sentences, who your venue is for, what it feels like to be married there, and how it sounds, and you can hear when a message is off brand.
Why it matters
Every six to nine months your entire market is replaced. There are no repeat customers, and every new couple has to learn what they want, what they need and what it costs. You are not just selling a date. You are teaching a stranger why your venue, and teaching them fast. A couple scrolling at midnight sees forty venues. The ones they remember are the ones that sound like someone. If your website, your Instagram and your first email each sound like a different person, the couple feels it, and this generation trusts consistency more than polish.
The method
- Name the ideal couple. Where they live, how old they are, what they earn, how they dress, what they post, how many guests, what their parents are like. Be specific. "Everyone getting married" is no one.
- Personify the brand. Imagine your venue as a person. What do they wear? Where do they holiday? What language do they speak? What do they value? How old are they? Write a paragraph. This is not you; it is the venue.
- Pick three words. The three words couples should use when they describe you to a friend. Every post, email and tour should earn those words.
- Write the sound. List five phrases the brand would say and five it never would. Your greeting, your sign-off, the names of your spaces.
- Know your edge. Write the one or two things only your venue offers in your market. Look at ten competitors' websites before you write it. If three of them say the same thing, it is not your edge.
- Check every channel against it. Website, social, emails, voicemail greeting, the tour-booking page. Same words, same feeling. Anything that sounds generic gets rewritten.
- Teach it on day one. Every new hire, and anyone who touches social or email, learns the brand before they get the passwords.
Say this
"Picture a garden party at an old family estate, the kind with champagne on the lawn and music drifting out of the house. That's us. Most of our couples are hosting around a hundred people and want it to feel like a home, not a hall."
"Would our brand say this? Read it out loud. If it could be any venue's email, it isn't ours yet."
Common mistakes
- Describing the building ("4,000 square feet, seats 200") instead of the feeling. Capacity is a fact; the feeling is the reason.
- Trying to appeal to everyone, so nothing is memorable.
- Letting each team member write in their own voice. The couple meets one brand, several times.
- Copying a competitor's language because it books well for them.
In the book, Maison Albion is personified as a person who mixes English and French. That led the team to name the speakeasy "Après", greet couples with "Bonjour", sign emails "Merci", and call a tour a "visite". The words are small; together they make the brand impossible to confuse with anyone else.
Sources: The Business of Love, Ch 10 Marketing: Let's invite guests to our party!: BOL-v8-p1082 (a new market every six to nine months), p1134 (target customer and messaging), p1158 (brand for every new hire), p1162 (competitor analysis), p1191 (personifying your brand), p1196 (Maison touches), p1198 (train the voice), p1202 to p1210 (branding tips). Ch 11 Sales: p1499 (capture your brand across every outlet). Sample three-sentence description and the "never says" list are our additions.
The website and the inquiry form
Outcome
You can walk your website on a phone the way a couple does, and you know exactly what the inquiry form should ask and what should happen the moment they press send.
Why it matters
Every engaged couple plans online, and most do it on a phone. Your website is the first room of your venue they walk into. If it is slow, hard to read, or hides how to get in touch, they leave without you ever knowing they came.
The method
- Test on a phone, monthly. Open the site on your own phone, on mobile data, as if you were a stranger. Time how long it takes to find photos, capacity, a sense of price and a way to inquire. If any takes more than two taps, flag it.
- Lead with the feeling. The first screen should be your best wedding photograph or film and one line in your brand voice.
- Answer the three silent questions. Can it hold my guests? Can I afford it? Is my date open? Capacity, an "investment from" line or range, and an easy way to check dates. The website and the venue guide are where money is framed, so that your conversations never have to lead with it.
- Put the inquiry button everywhere. Top of every page, end of every page, and in the gallery. One button style, one label, always the same.
- Keep the form short. Our recommended fields: both names, email, mobile number, preferred contact method, wedding date or season, estimated guests, how they heard about you. Everything else belongs in the conversation.
- Make the thank-you page work. After they press send, show a warm message and a link to book a tour right now. Many couples will book on the spot.
- Wire the instant reply. The system sends the first email (Lesson 6) within seconds, with the brochure and the tour-booking link.
- Match the brochure to the site. Same photos, colours and words. The brochure is the next room they walk into.
- Report what you find. Keep a list of every question couples ask that the website should have answered. Send it to whoever owns the site each month.
Say this
"Thank you, we're so excited for you both. Your brochure is on its way to your inbox. Can't wait? Choose a time to visit us here, and we'll have the champagne cold."
"Three couples this month asked if we allow sparklers. Can we add it to the FAQ and the outdoor ceremony page?"
Common mistakes
- Never looking at your own site on a phone.
- No investment framing anywhere. Couples assume the worst and move on, or arrive wanting to talk about nothing else.
- A thank-you page that says "We'll be in touch." It wastes the moment of highest interest.
- Paying an agency for "SEO" without references. Make sure the sitemap is filed with Google Search Console first; it is free.
In the book, Maison Albion's brochure is designed to match the website and attached to the very first inquiry email, so the couple could see "all the details, investment, and inclusions" before speaking to anyone.
Sources: The Business of Love, Ch 10 Marketing: BOL-v8-p1217 (online first; couples plan on smartphones), p1321 (sitemap to Google Search Console; agency references), p1474 to p1476 (brochure as next touchpoint), p1486 (pricing, capacity and contact easy to find), p1490 (update regularly). Ch 11 Sales: p1522 (respond immediately; let them book their own tour at any hour). Ch 12 Touchpoints: p1744 (brochure in first email). Form fields, thank-you page and monthly phone test are our additions.
Google Ads and directories
Outcome
You can explain in plain words what Google Ads and wedding directories do for your venue, and tell whoever runs them which leads are turning into tours.
Why it matters
When a couple types "wedding venue near me" they are already shopping. Paid search puts you in front of them at that exact moment, and it is one of the most measurable channels you have. Directories like The Knot and WeddingWire own much of that search page, so new venues often have to pay them until their own website ranks. You probably do not set the bids. But you answer the leads, so you are the only person who knows whether those clicks become couples. Without your feedback, the ad account is flying blind.
The method
- Know the two kinds of listing. Organic results are earned by your website and blog. Paid results are bought per click. Directory listings are bought per month or per lead. Each brings a different kind of couple.
- Learn the words couples search. Ask your ad manager for the top ten search terms each month. If they read like your ideal couple ("historic estate wedding near Rochester"), good. If they read like bargain hunting ("cheap wedding hall"), say so.
- Check the ad matches the page. Click your own ad once a month. The headline should promise what the landing page shows, and the page should have a clear inquiry button.
- Tag every lead's source. The form asks "how did you hear about us", and the system records the ad click. You confirm it in the first conversation. Without this, the scorecard in Lesson 10 is guesswork.
- Judge by tours, not clicks. The question is: of the couples from Google this month, how many booked a tour, and how many booked?
- Know the ceiling. If the only ads you are still outbidding are the big directories, you have reached the useful limit of spend. More money now buys less.
- Treat directories the same way. Count inquiries, tours and bookings from each one. Keep the ones that pay for themselves. Answer directory leads just as fast; those couples are messaging five venues at once.
Say this
"We had 22 Google inquiries this month and six booked tours. The ones that booked all searched for 'garden' or 'estate'. The ones from 'cheap venue' never replied. Can we lean into the first and cut the second?"
"I'm so glad you found us on The Knot. Most couples tell me the photos don't do the gardens justice. Would Saturday at 11 or Sunday at 2 be better to see them for yourselves?"
Common mistakes
- Celebrating clicks. A click is not a couple.
- Leaving source tracking to memory.
- Cancelling a directory after one quiet month, or keeping one for years without counting what it brings.
- Answering directory leads slower than website leads.
Maison Albion reads its search ads in tour bookings, not clicks. One pattern it has seen: couples who click an ad often book a tour the same day. That is the reason the tour link goes in the very first reply.
Sources: The Business of Love, Ch 10 Marketing: BOL-v8-p1187 (directories own paid search; justify ROI), p1319 (Google Ads trackable and ROI-focused; organic first), p1348 to p1353 (ad matches the search), p1355 and p1375 (spending tipping point against directories), p1367 to p1371 (keywords, ad copy, test landing pages). Feedback loop from salesperson to ad manager and judging by tours are our additions.
Reviews, referrals and partners
Outcome
You can run a simple routine that turns happy couples into reviews and fellow vendors into a steady source of warm inquiries.
Why it matters
A referred couple arrives half sold. They have heard about you from someone they trust: a friend married with you, a planner who loves working with you, a photographer who sends you their best shots. These leads book tours more often and close faster than any ad. Reviews are the same trust at scale. A couple reading forty glowing reviews, and seeing you answer the one bad one with grace, has already started to say yes.
The method
- Ask for the review on time. One week after the wedding, send a thank-you with direct links to Google and the main directories. Short, warm, easy to tap.
- Answer every review. Thank the happy ones by name. Answer a hard one calmly, once, with an offer to talk. Future couples read the reply more closely than the complaint.
- Use reviews in sales. Pull one line from a recent review into your follow-up emails and onto the tour-booking page. A couple's words beat yours.
- Know your referral partners. List the ten vendors who send you couples or could: planners, photographers, florists, officiants, bridal shops, hotels. Note who sent whom.
- Make it easy to send you couples. Give partners brochures or postcards to hand out, a tour link they can share, and fresh photos of their work at your venue.
- Give first. Tag them, recommend them, share their posts, invite them to see the venue dressed. Partners send couples to venues that send couples back.
- Thank every referral. A note the week the couple tours, not just when they book.
- Ask every inquiry how they heard of you, and write the name down. "A friend" is not a source; "Megan, who married here in May" is.
- Collaborate, carefully. Influencers and styled shoots can bring reach. Choose people whose audience is your ideal couple, agree the terms in writing, and measure the inquiries they bring.
Say this
"Sarah and Ben, we're still smiling about Saturday. If you have two minutes, would you share a few words here? It means the world to the couples who come after you."
"Thank you for sending Jess and Tom our way. They're visiting Thursday. I'll look after them as if they were yours."
Common mistakes
- Asking for reviews months later, when the glow has faded.
- Ignoring bad reviews or arguing with them.
- Treating vendors as competitors for the couple's budget instead of partners.
- Not recording referral sources, so you never thank the people who matter most.
- Partnering with an influencer because they are popular, not because their followers are your couples.
The book's Maison touchpoint timeline sends the review-request email one week after the wedding, with direct links to Google and the wedding directories, and then invites the couple onto the newsletter so they stay part of the community.
Sources: The Business of Love, Ch 10 Marketing: BOL-v8-p1182 (referral programs and vendor partnerships), p1258 (collaborate with vendors), p1263 (tagging vendors), p1271 (review response posts), p1303 to p1313 (influencer partnerships), p1476 (postcards at partner locations). Ch 12 Touchpoints: p1704 (touchpoints lead to referrals and reviews), image 42 at p1774 (review request one week after). Referral partner list and thank-you timing are our additions.
The first response
Outcome
You can answer every new inquiry within minutes, in the couple's preferred channel and the venue's voice, with a way to book a tour in the very first message.
Why it matters
The moment a couple presses send is the moment they are most excited about you. They have probably sent the same form to four other venues. The first venue that answers warmly and makes the next step easy usually gets the tour. This generation expects an answer now. Not tomorrow, not after lunch. Your first reply is also your first impression: the language of that message decides whether you ever meet them.
The method
- Hold the time standard. The book says respond immediately; this course puts numbers on it. An automatic, on-brand email with the brochure and tour link within one minute, at any hour. A personal text or call within five minutes during business hours, and first thing the next morning otherwise. If your venue sets different numbers, write them down and hold them.
- Answer in their channel. If they chose text, text. If they chose email, email, then text a short note that it arrived. Call only if they asked for a call or gave no preference.
- Use their names and their details. Their date, their guest count, the thing they mentioned. A reply that could go to anyone feels like it did.
- Lead with congratulations and a picture. Help them see their day at your venue in two or three sentences. Feeling first, facts second.
- Answer the question they asked, in the right way. A date: check it and say. Money: do not quote figures in a message. The venue guide already frames the investment, so point them to it warmly and offer to walk through it together. Talking money in writing is not gracious and it cheapens the brand; a conversation lets you show what the number buys. Never leave the question hanging, and never make them ask twice.
- End with one easy step. A link to book a tour at any hour, plus two suggested times. One question, not five.
- Log it. Source, date, guests, channel, time of first reply. This feeds the scorecard.
Say this
"Hi Jordan, congratulations to you and Sam! It's Taylor at [Venue]. Your brochure just landed in your inbox. October Saturdays go quickly, so I've checked: the 17th is still open. Would you like to come and see it? Here's my calendar: [link]"
"Of course. Your venue guide is in your inbox, and the investment section walks through what a day with us includes, so you can see how it's put together. I'd love to go through it with you properly, either on a quick call or when you visit, because so much of it depends on what you're dreaming of. Would Thursday at 5 or Saturday at 11 work to come and see it?"
"[Venue], this is Taylor. Oh, congratulations! Tell me a little about what you're imagining."
Common mistakes
- Waiting to write the perfect reply. Fast and warm beats slow and polished.
- A plain-text auto-reply that sounds like a bank.
- Quoting figures in the first message. The venue guide frames the investment; you provide the welcome and the next step.
- Dodging a money question with nothing. Always give them where to find it and an offer to talk it through.
- Asking a list of qualifying questions before offering a tour.
- Replying by email to a couple who said "text me".
The book prints Maison Albion's first inquiry email. It opens "Bonjour", congratulates the couple, walks them through a wedding day at the venue in the second person, invites them to "chat over bubbles and sweets" with a link to book a "visite", attaches the brochure for "all the details, investment, and inclusions", and signs off "Merci". A short first text follows, offering the same link in case text is easier.
Sources: The Business of Love, Ch 11 Sales: BOL-v8-p1522 (respond immediately with information; let them book a tour at any hour), p1509 (preferred channel, often text). Ch 12 Touchpoints: p1686 (first response sets the tone), p1709 to p1710 (timely, personalized), p1734 (brand voice to the extreme), p1738 to p1748 (Maison inquiry email and first text), image 38 at p1772 ("Present YOUR best first impression"). The one-minute and five-minute standards are our addition.
From inquiry to booked tour
Outcome
You can run the short conversation, by text, email or phone, that moves a couple from "just looking" to a tour on your calendar, including when a parent is the one calling.
Why it matters
The inquiry stage is not the sale. Your only job here is the tour. Couples who visit book; couples who compare PDFs choose the cheapest. Every message should earn a visit, not win an argument about price or explain every inclusion.
The method
- Listen first. Be a single-tasker. Ask one or two warm questions: how they met, what they are imagining, what made them reach out. Take notes; they become your tour.
- Collect only four facts. Date or season, guest count, a sense of what they have planned for, and who else is deciding. Ask about budget only as a comfort question, never as a number. Everything else waits for the preliminary worksheet in Module 2.
- Connect. Find one real thing in common or one detail of theirs that fits your venue. "You met at a garden party? Then you'll love our east lawn."
- Offer the tour as the answer. Whatever they ask, the fullest answer is in person. Answer briefly and honestly, then invite. When the question is money, have the conversation rather than the quote: what the day includes, what matters most to them, and how the guide's investment section fits that. The aim is a plan that works for them, which is the only kind that works for you.
- Give two times, not an open question. "Thursday at 5 or Saturday at 11?" is easy to say yes to. "When works?" is homework.
- Invite every decision maker. Ask who will help decide, and invite them by name. A parent who pays and was not there will undo a booking.
- Handle the parent caller. Welcome them warmly, learn the couple's names, and invite the parent and the couple together. Get the couple's mobile number with permission.
- Book it while you are talking. Put it in the calendar in front of them, or send the link and stay on until it is booked.
- Know when to qualify out. If the date is gone or the guest count cannot fit, say so kindly and offer the nearest alternative.
Say this
"Happy to talk it through. The guide's investment section shows how a day here is put together, and the honest answer is that it depends on what you want the day to be. Tell me what matters most to you both, and I'll show you how couples shape it. What I can't put in words is how the light hits the terrace at golden hour. Could you come Thursday at 5 so you see it at the time your ceremony would be?"
"Who else will be helping you choose? I'd love for them to come too, so nobody has to see it secondhand."
"Congratulations, you must be so proud. What are their names? I'd love to meet all three of you. Would Saturday at 11 suit, and may I text your daughter the details too?"
Common mistakes
- Trying to close the booking by email. Close the tour; Module 2 closes the booking.
- Quoting numbers to win an argument about price. Money is a conversation about their day, not a line in a message.
- "Let me know when you'd like to come out." They won't.
- Booking only one partner and meeting the other at the contract.
- Treating a parent as a gatekeeper rather than a guest.
In the book, Maison's second inquiry text comes from the owner, in her own name, offering a limited-time choice of upgrades to couples who fall in love at their tour, with the tour link below. The lesson is the shape, not the offer: a personal voice, a reason to come now, and one link.
Sources: The Business of Love, Ch 11 Sales: BOL-v8-p1496 (the five C's), p1504 (emotional purchase; personal connection), p1509 (single-tasker, listener, preferred channel), p1517 (wedding best friend; bad news with alternatives), p1522 (sales process starts at first contact). Ch 10 Marketing: p1221 (parents play a significant role in decisions). Ch 12 Touchpoints: p1765 (Maison second text). Four facts and two-times rule are our additions.
Follow-up and the quiet lead
Outcome
You can run a follow-up sequence that brings quiet leads back to book a tour, and close the file kindly when it is time.
Why it matters
Most couples do not reply to the first message. Not because they are not interested, but because they are busy, overwhelmed, and hearing from a dozen vendors. The venue that follows up with personality, not pressure, is the one they remember when they are ready. Silence is not a no. But endless chasing is not service either. A clear, short sequence respects the couple and protects your time.
The method
- Follow the book's shape. Inquiry, then a follow-up with more personality and specific detail, often a short video. Then a second follow-up with a virtual tour link and a warm goodbye. Then archive the lead and stop the messages.
- Put days on it. The book gives the shape, not the days. This course recommends: day 0 first response, day 2 follow-up with a video, day 5 virtual tour and goodbye, day 10 archive. Adjust to your market, but write it down and keep to it.
- Every message carries something new. A photo of the space they mentioned, a short video from you, a real wedding at their guest count, a review line. Never "just checking in".
- Mirror email with text. Your texts follow the same story, shorter and lighter.
- Say goodbye honestly. The goodbye message often brings the reply. People answer when the door is closing kindly.
- Stop when you said you would. Archive, stop both funnels, and move them to the newsletter if they agreed to receive it.
- Have different paths. A couple who booked a tour and then cancelled, or who toured and went quiet, need their own sequences. Do not send them the new-inquiry follow-up.
- Log the reason when you learn it. "Chose a cheaper venue", "date taken", "engagement off". Patterns here feed Lesson 10.
Say this
"Hi Jordan! I filmed this on the terrace this morning, picturing your October ceremony. Two times are still open this week if you'd like to see it in person: [link]"
"Hi Jordan and Sam, I don't want to crowd your inbox while you plan. Here's our virtual tour in case it helps: [link]. If [Venue] isn't the one, I completely understand and wish you a beautiful day. If it might be, I'd love to show you around."
"I'm so glad you wrote back! Let's find a time. Saturday at 11 or Sunday at 2?"
Common mistakes
- "Just following up!" with nothing in it.
- Chasing for weeks, which teaches couples to ignore you.
- Stopping after one message.
- Sending the same words by email and text on the same day.
- Archiving a lead without noting why it went quiet.
The book's second Maison email opens "Did we miss your call?!?", then paints specific pictures: a ceremony by the fireplace in the Secret Garden, a bridesmaids suite inspired by Versailles, a vintage rowboat. Each line is a reason to visit, not a reminder.
Sources: The Business of Love, Ch 12 Touchpoints: image 38 at BOL-v8-p1772 (inquiry, follow-up with video, second follow-up with virtual tour and goodbye, final archive; text funnel mirrors email), p1750 to p1759 (Maison second email), p1767 (twenty-plus touchpoints; tailored funnels for different scenarios). Ch 11 Sales: p1509 (preferred channel). Day timings and loss reasons are our additions; the book gives no day counts.
Confirming the tour
Outcome
You can confirm a tour from the moment it is booked to the day before, so the couple arrives on time, with every decision maker, already excited.
Why it matters
A booked tour is not a tour until they walk in. Between booking and arriving, couples get busy, get nervous, or get a better-sounding email from another venue. The confirmation sequence protects the tour you worked for. It is also where the tour begins. A confirmation that feels like the venue makes the couple feel expected. That feeling is what Module 2 builds on from the moment they arrive.
The method
- Confirm at once. Within minutes of booking: an email in your brand style with date, time, address, parking, who they will meet, and who is coming with them.
- Make it feel like an invitation. Add a few favourite local stops on the way and, if it fits your brand, a playlist for the drive.
- Ask one useful question. "Is there anything you'd especially like to see?" Their answer goes straight into your tour prep.
- Send a "getting excited" touch if the tour is more than five days away. A photo of the space they mentioned, or a short video. It keeps you front of mind while they visit others.
- Send the day-before text, and require a reply. A reply means they are coming. No reply by evening means you call.
- Reconfirm the people. If a parent or planner is coming, confirm them by name too.
- Make rescheduling easy. A one-tap link to move the tour. A moved tour is far better than a missed one.
- Hand off. Put everything you have learned into the tour file: names, date, guests, budget comfort, decision makers, what they want to see, how they found you. Then follow Module 2, Lesson 1.
Say this
"Jordan and Sam, we can't wait to welcome you on Saturday the 12th at 11. Park by the main house; there'll be a sign with your names on it."
"Hi Jordan! Looking forward to tomorrow at 11 with you, Sam and your mum. Could you reply YES so I know to have the champagne chilling? Here's the map if you need it: [link]"
"Hi Jordan, it's Taylor from [Venue]. Just making sure tomorrow at 11 still works for you all. If something's come up, let's find a better time."
Common mistakes
- A calendar invite with no warmth, from a no-reply address.
- No day-before contact. It is the single best defence against the no-show.
- Assuming silence means yes.
- Forgetting the parent or planner who said they'd come.
- Handing the tour guide nothing but a name and a time.
The book's Maison touchpoint timeline treats the booked tour as a win: "you've won a site tour" with a dazzling confirmation that includes local stops on the way. In winter, the parking sign tells the couple they were expected before they meet anyone.
Sources: The Business of Love, Ch 11 Sales: BOL-v8-p1522 (once confirmed, be ready to impress), p1528 (confirmation, local businesses, playlist, required reply), p1532 (parking sign). Ch 12 Touchpoints: image 38 at p1772 (dazzling confirmation with local stops). Ch 11: p1499 (brand consistency in the tour appointment experience). The "getting excited" touch, reschedule link and tour file are our additions. Continues in Module 2, Lesson 1.
Measure what turns into tours
Outcome
You can fill in the monthly marketing scorecard and say, with numbers, which sources are earning tours and which are just making noise.
Why it matters
Most venues run many marketing channels at once, some free and some paid. Without counting, the loudest channel gets the credit and the budget. With counting, you know which channels send couples who actually come to see you. You sit where the numbers are born. Every inquiry, every tour, every source note comes through you. That makes you the most useful voice in any marketing conversation.
The method
- Count three things by source. Inquiries, tours booked, tours held. Add bookings from Module 2 when you have them.
- Calculate the inquiry-to-tour rate. Tours booked divided by inquiries, for each source and in total. Write it as a percentage.
- Add speed. Your median time to first personal reply this month. If it slipped, the tour rate usually slipped with it.
- Add show rate. Tours held divided by tours booked. If it is low, look at Lesson 9.
- Note spend where there is one. Ad and directory cost divided by tours held gives cost per tour. Far more useful than cost per click.
- Read the pattern, not one month. Compare with last month and the same month last year. Weddings are seasonal; engagement season brings a flood.
- Write three sentences. What worked, what did not, what you will change. Share them with whoever runs marketing.
- Act on it. Feed it back: better keywords (Lesson 3), more of the posts that bring DMs (Lesson 4), a thank-you to the partner who sent three couples (Lesson 5).
Say this
"October: 48 inquiries, 19 tours booked, 17 held. That's 40 per cent inquiry to tour. Google gave the most inquiries but referrals gave the best rate: five of six booked. Our reply time slipped to 40 minutes on weekends, and weekend tours dropped. I'd like weekend text cover in November."
"Could I see the ad spend by channel each month? I want to show cost per tour, not just cost per click."
Common mistakes
- Counting inquiries and stopping there.
- Unknown sources. If more than one in ten is "unknown", fix the form and the first call.
- Judging a channel on one month.
- Keeping the scorecard to yourself.
- Changing five things at once, so you never know which one worked.
Maison Albion judges a change to its ads by tours and bookings by source over a fixed window, never by clicks, before deciding whether to keep it. Copy the habit, not any number.
Sources: The Business of Love, Ch 10 Marketing: BOL-v8-p1172 (eighteen to thirty channels), p1184 (strategy, budget and desired outcome per channel), p1217 (online gives data to judge ROI per channel), p1259 (analyze performance), p1313 (measure partnerships), p1355 (pause and analyze investment). The scorecard, inquiry-to-tour rate, show rate and cost per tour are our additions.
Keep going
Worksheets, the quiz and role-play scenarios for this module are in the printed handout pack. The three modules run in order: Marketing · Sales · Upsells.