You may have your prospective brides and couples at your property for an afternoon, but the moment they walk out the door from that site visit, it’s up to your follow-ups and your wedding brochure’s metaphorical hands to get the job done and convince the couple to book your venue. Whether you produce one on your own or with us through our free, ad-supported wedding brochure model, here are the five jobs a good wedding brochure will do for you:

1. Make Your Case All Over Again to the Friends and Family Who Weren’t There

Wedding planning is inherently social. We talk to our friends and family and bounce ideas around regarding the guest list, color scheme, food and beverage, and perhaps most importantly, the venue choice. The wedding brochure can serve as a talking piece and a focus for the couple’s conversations with others – both those who may have attended and also those who didn’t. When the bride describes this perfect spot that she’s thinking about saying “I do” at, she’ll be able to tangibly hold it in her hands, pass it to a friend or parents, and bring it alive more fully by pairing her description with your visuals.

2. Keep the Anticipation and Excitement of Hosting at Your Venue Top of Mind

Couples will likely visit at least a few other properties, and all those spaces can blend together in their heads. Your wedding brochure reminds the bride of the things she liked best – from a beautiful photo of a certain space she might’ve loved during the visit to a specific part of your process for working together, which you can communicate in a text section. It’s sort of like when you have a vacation booked, and you visit the same websites over and over and let the anticipation and excitement build – your event brochure can be the focal point for the bride’s excitement about this huge day (and investment) at your venue.

3. Be There to Provide the Details They Need to Know

There are questions that you answer in your first conversation with a prospective client, questions you answer during a site visit, and questions you answer after, during the decision-making process. By addressing all these in your event brochure and including other important information like floor plans and menus (if applicable), you’re removing some of the uncertainty that lurks during an important decision-making process like this. By the end, the brochure should be dog-eared and worn, having acted as a trusted, frequently consulted ally. As a bonus, you’re also able to lessen the work your sales team must do to close a sale. By giving brides what they ask about most often, you reduce the time that your team needs to spend responding to those common questions.

4. Offer a Blueprint for the Rest of the Event

The event brochure can also be a gateway to unlocking the other aspects of an event by acting as a directory of sorts – not to every vendor in the business, but to a group of preferred vendors that you feel comfortable recommending, have confidence in, and can speak to their merits. You’re doing the couples a service by providing this information, and, when you work with Hawthorn, you could pay for the brochure in its entirety by including vendor listings. Strong relationships with vendors – solidified with listings in the brochure – help the couples, pay for the brochure, and ensure seamless events.

5. It Keeps Your Sales Team’s Foot in the Door

The brochure gives your sales team an easy follow-up conversation starter. “Remember when you saw the ballroom, pictured on the fourth page of the brochure? We have new lighting options…” For clients who choose to work with us, the ePub comes into play here, too. It makes the brochure even easier to reference and share.