There are only three positions you can take in any marketplace:
- First
- Best
- Cheapest
Even more arguable is that only two of those positions are winning positions. Trying to win at being cheapest is a race that every participant loses. You’ll invest so much energy and resource into trying to be the cheapest and end up under-cutting all of your colleagues whilst equally not charging enough to stay in business.
(Side note: have you noticed that the only successful “cheap” businesses like Crazy Clarks, McDonalds, Jetstar, Tiger, Aldi, Android, are all major corporations with systems and thousands of staff - unlike your local suburban celebrant undercutting everyone whilst doing twice the work?)
The other two positions are the two I would encourage you to aim for.
First
Be the first celebrant, or if you can’t be the first celebrant, maybe be the first celebrant in your area, or if you can’t be the first in your area, maybe try being the first to do a ceremony over Twitter, or if you can’t be the first on Twitter, be the first on Snapchat, or the first to advertise in a certain magazine, or the first to do a certain technique, or to use a certain piece of equipment, or the first to offer a certain type of ceremony.
Break new ground, make new paths, go where no-one else is going.
Best
Walk the path already made, plant in the already broken ground, but do it better than everyone else.
Be the most entertaining, the most personal, the best sounding, the best looking, the most helpful, the biggest blessing to videographers because you know how your PA system works, or the best friend of photographers by helping them call out people for family photos over the PA system after your ceremony.
Be the absolute best in your area of influence.
Be so good they can’t ignore you.
So good that people can’t help but comment on you, that people are able to remark on you, that you are able to be remarked on - be remarkable.
Cheapest
If you want to win as the cheapest celebrant, here’s what I’d do:
- Automate the entire enquiry, booking, consultation, notice of intent and any other process
- Start with a low-ball offer of about $200 then add on extras that when they are all selected your price is much more closer to the average $1100.
- Remove reviews, recommendations, and testimonies from your marketing processes because if you look at the comments of your local McDonalds Facebook page, or for real horror, the Jetstar Facebook page, no=one has anything good to say about cheap.
- Minimise the amount of access the couples and the business has to your life - it’s highly likely that the amount of life, energy and experience required from you will be low, and none of your customers are looking for an innovative and inventive “first” celebrant, and they’re not looking for the “best” celebrant, they’re looking for the cheapest. They’re looking to transfer as little value as possible for what you do, so make sure you meet their expectations.
- Prepare yourself for the inevitable loss where you realise that first and best positions would fill your heart and cheap would barely fill your wallet.
Or you could invest that energy into being the first or the best.
Originally published on the Celebrant Institute: https://celebrant.institute/business/two-marketing-positions-better-than-cheap-celebrant/.