If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the “right” marketing things (posting consistently, tweaking your pricing, saying yes to every inquiry) and still wondering why it’s not translating into better bookings, you’re not alone. (It’s something I’ve struggled with too.)

Most wedding pros don’t have a motivation problem. They have a clarity problem.

In a recent Systems for Creatives interview, I sat down with Heidi Thompson, bestselling author of Clone Your Best Clients and founder of Evolve Your Wedding Business*, to talk about what actually helps wedding professionals attract and book the right clients (without living on Instagram or working 60-hour weeks).

This post focuses on the marketing takeaways from that conversation.

Next week, I’ll share the CEO mindset shift that makes all of this sustainable.

Here’s What We Talked About in This Interview

Why “Doing More Marketing” Isn’t the Answer

The Biggest Marketing Mistake Wedding Pros Make

What “Cloning Your Best Clients” Actually Means

How to Get Marketing Clarity From Past Clients

Where Wedding Pros Lose Momentum After the Inquiry

Why Price Transparency Builds Trust

How to Decide What Marketing to Focus On Right Now

About My Guest: Heidi Thompson

Heidi Thompson is the founder of Evolve Your Wedding Business and the bestselling author of Clone Your Best Clients. For more than 13 years, she’s helped wedding professionals stop throwing marketing at the wall and instead build focused, strategic systems that attract the right clients (without living on Instagram or working 60–80 hour weeks).

She’s also the creator and host of the Wedding Business CEO Summit, where she teaches wedding pros how to step into a true CEO role and build businesses that support their lives.

Rather Watch the Video Interview?

Watch it here:

Why “Doing More Marketing” Isn’t the Answe

Most wedding pros don’t have a marketing problem. They have a strategy problem.

From the outside, it looks like everyone else is doing more. More reels. More platforms. More visibility.

What we don’t see is whether those things are actually working.

So we copy what’s visible. We react to what feels urgent. And we stay busy.

But busy isn’t the same thing as intentional.

If your marketing foundation isn’t clear, adding more tactics just adds more noise.

Here’s what that often looks like:

You’re posting constantly, maybe you’ve joined directories, paid for ads, tried blogging, started a newsletter you feel guilty for not sending and you’re still not seeing consistent, aligned inquiries.

Or you’re getting inquiries, but they’re not a great fit. They ghost. They push back on every line item in your proposal.

That’s not a talent problem.

It’s a clarity problem.

The Biggest Marketing Mistake Wedding Pros Make

According to Heidi, one of the most common mistakes she sees (whether someone is brand new or decades in is building marketing on assumptions).

Assumptions about:

• Who your ideal client is
• What they care about
• Why they choose you
• Where they’re actually finding you

Instead of building marketing on real conversations.

The truth?

You already have the information you need.

It’s sitting with the clients you’ve already worked with.

What “Cloning Your Best Clients” Actually Means

When Heidi talks about “cloning your best clients,” she doesn’t mean creating a fictional avatar.

She means identifying the real clients you loved working with and asking why.

Who trusted your process?
Who valued what you do?
Who happily paid your rates?
Who referred you without being asked?

Then you go deeper.

You interview them.

Heidi suggested asking questions like:

• Where did you first find me?
• What made you decide to reach out?
• What other options were you considering?
• What almost stopped you from booking?
• What mattered most to you when choosing someone like me?
• If you were recommending me to a friend, what would you say?

Those answers are gold.

They tell you:

• Which marketing channels are actually working
• What language resonates
• What objections need to be addressed sooner
• What differentiates you in their eyes

She also emphasized that interviews are often more powerful than written surveys. When people are talking, they tend to share more freely and that’s where the most useful language shows up.

Instead of inventing messaging, you reflect back what your best clients already told you mattered.

That’s when your marketing starts to feel clear instead of forced.

Stop Relying on Instagram Alone

Heidi was clear that the issue isn’t Instagram itself.

The issue is relying on any marketing channel that requires constant reaction to keep working.

Social platforms are entry points—not the whole system.

Your job isn’t just to get attention.

It’s to guide someone from:
“I just found you”
to
“I’m ready to inquire”
to
“I’m glad I booked you.”

That means thinking about what happens next.

Where Wedding Pros Lose Momentum After the Inquiry

You can have strong marketing and still lose bookings if your follow-through isn’t clear.

If someone inquires and:

• Waits days for a response
• Doesn’t understand pricing context
• Isn’t sure what the next step is
• Doesn’t hear from you again

Momentum drops.

This is where systems support your marketing.

Simple workflows can:

• Acknowledge inquiries immediately
• Send pricing in context
• Provide clear next steps
• Follow up automatically if someone goes quiet

Marketing doesn’t stop at “submit inquiry.” That’s where trust either builds or fades.

Why Price Transparency Builds Trust

Buyer behavior has changed.

We’re used to knowing what things cost.

When pricing is hidden or vague, it doesn’t create curiosity—it creates friction.

That doesn’t mean you need to list every detail.

But giving pricing in context builds trust and filters out misalignment earlier.

Clarity saves time.

For you and for your clients.

What to Focus on This Month

If you want to improve your marketing without overhauling your entire business, start here:

Write down everything you’re currently doing to market.

Then ask:

What is actually bringing in bookings?

Not what feels impressive.
Not what everyone says you “should” do.
What is actually working?

Strengthen that.

Reduce the rest.

Marketing becomes lighter when it’s based on evidence instead of guesses.

Next week, I’ll share the other half of this conversation—the CEO mindset shift that helps you protect your time, reduce decision fatigue, and stop living in reaction mode.

Because clarity in your marketing matters.

But clarity in your decisions is what keeps it sustainable.

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