Dear Jenny,

I’m just starting out as an event planner and need all the jobs I can get, but I want to attract clients with my same visual aesthetic. I want to become known for events with a certain look and feel.

Any advice?

Dear Styled Events,

I understand what it’s like to be starting out and desperately needing clients – for both the cash flow and in order to build a great reputation. Before you fall into the trap of taking any gig you can get though, let me share a quick story:

I had a client once who’d interviewed so many event planners for her wedding that her head was spinning. She told me that none of them listened to her vision. Instead, they all gushed with their own ideas of how the wedding should look and feel. Needless to say, the bride was put off and none of them got her as a client. Totally frustrated, she came to me and told me how much time she’d wasted with those event planners. (My company ended up bringing her dream day to life.)

Moral of the story?

None of the event planners she’d talked to before were a match for her aesthetic … and somehow, due to their lack of clear branding, she didn’t know that before she sat down to talk to them.

If you want to become known for events that have a certain look and feel – let’s use “farmhouse chic” as an example, then market yourself as one thing and one thing only: farmhouse chic events. When clients call you to book a consultation, you’ll already know that they share your same visual aesthetics.

For example:

Sonoma County event planner creating rustic, farmhouse chic inspired gatherings.

Make sure every image, font and color on your website and social media accounts are consistent with the look and feel you specialize in. That way, you’ll attract the right client. In other words – don’t confuse your potential clients with photos from that event you did in an industrial warehouse space, and the tropical island-themed party you did once and a few farmhouse chic images thrown in.

And what if you haven’t yet booked the kinds of events you’d like to create? Contact a caterer and florist and put together a photo shoot. You’ll all get gorgeous images for your websites and your potential clients get to see your aesthetic.

And don’t forget to network with vendors and ask them to refer you to clients looking for your visual aesthetic for their events. One of the things I learned with events that making time to build a network of great vendor friends is invaluable. You’ll have great people to work with and they’ll likely end up referring you to new clients.

Get that first, beautiful event under your belt and knock it out of the ballpark. That’ll open doors faster than you know.

Hope that helps!

All my best,
Jenny

P.S. Join our new Facebook Group and pull up a chair!

Disclaimer: The advice given in this column is for educational, informational and entertainment purposes only. The reader is responsible for the outcomes of any actions and/or decisions made based on this advice.