• Some SMEs may have the perception that taking on a business loan can negatively impact the health of their business, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic
• However, business loans could provide multiple benefits to SMEs, providing them with cash flow for short term costs like rent and staff salaries to financing inventory and even machinery purchases
• SMEs can access government-assisted loan schemes such as the Temporary Bridging Loan and Enhanced Working Capital Loan via UOB Bank

With the uncertainty in the global landscape brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses are facing an unprecedented crunch due to the slowdown in economic activity and the prior containment measures. This has curtailed many plans and could be one of the reasons that some SMEs are on the fence about taking on loans to sustain their business as they fear taking on debt. 

However, a business loan, as long as it is used judiciously and with careful planning, can be a strategic tool to help the company manoeuvre in the long term. As of July 2020, more than 7,600 SMEs in Singapore have taken on loans of about S$71million¹ to boost their defence against the impact of Covid-19. Here are some ways a loan can help businesses:

Buffer short term cash flow needs

Unexpected events can arise that can catch us off guard, and the Covid-19 pandemic is a prime example. While the government has supported SMEs with the Unity, Resilience, Solidarity and Fortitude Budgets, the economic backlash faced by businesses has led to many SMEs struggling with their cash flow. 

In this instance, business loans can serve as a timely and useful injection of liquidity to help SMEs sustain operations, especially for rental and staff salaries², until the storm has passed. While this is not common practice, they provide a measure of temporary relief during these unprecedented times as the business re-strategises.

Be prepared for the market when it recovers

For many SMEs whose core business lie in manufacturing, production or logistics, they are heavily dependent on hardware to deliver their product. While the current crisis is far from over, companies need to plan and prepare for the demands of a revitalised economy so that they can seize the opportunities when the market goes on an uptick. 

With a working capital loan, SMEs can purchase or upgrade equipment, and also maintain an optimal level of inventory to meet demand when it returns. When SMEs are confident that they have ready funds at their disposal, they are able to meet any opportunities that come their way.

Build credit history

Contrary to common belief, having a credit history actually strengthens your financial standing and a good credit history will help increase your chances of getting a bigger loan in the future. A good credit report checks off one of the key criteria banks use in their loan assessment and ensures a smoother process when you next apply for a business loan.

Capture new opportunities and create new revenue streams

The Circuit Breaker containment measures were painful to many businesses. But some discovered opportunities and leveraged on the Temporary Bridging Loan¹ to remodel and diversify their business so that they could take advantage of the new demand created by this crisis. 

One such company was Hygge¹, whose shop in Haji Lane was patronised primarily by tourists. Due to the travel restrictions, their business was badly hit, but they shifted their business online and invested in digital marketing to create new revenue streams. 

With the rise of the digital economy, more and more businesses are aware of the need to diversify their revenue streams.  And to seize these opportunities, businesses need to have sufficient capital on hand. This is where a business loan can serve as a strategic tool that can provide an SME owner with options and the ability to explore innovation and growth.

Apply for a UOB Business Loan today

At UOB Business Banking, SMEs are the core of our business. As the Covid-19 situation continues to play out, we want to help support companies as they plan their next steps to recovery. 

If you are a sole proprietor, under a partnership, or in a Private Limited Company with at least 30% local shareholding, and your company is registered and operating in Singapore, you can apply for the government-assisted UOB Business Loan (including the Temporary Bridging Loan and Enhanced Working Capital Loan) at a preferential low interest rate. No collateral is needed, and the Bank will respond within one business day. Terms and conditions apply.

Delegate Exclusive Promotion:

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, large-scale events are no longer being allowed to take place, resulting in event businesses struggling to cope with the abrupt changes. The events industry includes many aspects of businesses- from planning to coordination, that will undoubtedly be affected by this situation. Business loans are great for event businesses to help to cushion the overall business cash flows from being susceptible to uncontrollable situations like these.

With greater flexibility during these unprecedented times, the events industry will be able to persevere and recover with the help of business loans. This would allow your businesses to continue operating as usual, even with its limitations.
Receive $100 worth of Takashimaya vouchers upon disbursement of a UOB Business Loan. Enter promo code ‘Delegate2020’. Terms and conditions apply.

Source: UOB Business Banking Insights © Reproduced with permission. First published on July 20, 2020.

¹https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sme/over-7600-businesses-loaned-about-s71-billion

²https://www.straitstimes.com/business/smes-take-loans-for-immediate-cash-flow-long-term-flexibility

The post Why taking on a business loan can be a good strategic tool during the Covid-19 crisis appeared first on Delegate.

A major feature that adds value for our customers is Delegate PRO, which helps vendors increase exposure, communicate with clients and build next-level digital marketing campaigns.

Today, we are proud to announce our revamped, refreshed and rejuvenated Delegate Pro!

Delegate Pro

Delegate PRO is an all-in-one platform to generate revenue, increase and manage new leads, create marketing exposure and facilitate easy payments. There are many tools on Delegate PRO to help you better reach out to potential customers.

The big change is the decision to double-down on our credits-system to ensure all of our features are open to every vendor. Our Basic-tier gives you 10 credits a month to access our full suite of products.

We have also introduced a new tier called “Growth”, which is perfect for flourishing brands. Here is a breakdown of the tier-structure.

Prices stated above are in SGD.

Credits are not restricted by your subscription plan. Are you on basic plan but need to top-up for a marketing campaign? Not a problem! A pack of at least 20 credits which are valid for 30 days are available as well.

What are Delegate PRO credits?

Credits are fantastic tools to facilitate professional communication and build a premium marketing campaign.

Increase exposure by featuring your listing at the top of Delegate’s Vendor Page or Package Page. This is important because when people search for a vendor they often choose between the first half-a-dozen offerings on the front page. Make sure yours is the first people see!

The modern economy requires digital advertising, and the revamped Delegate PRO credit system is the best tool for diversifying your marketing channels.

Unlock social media and content marketing with credits. Secure a shout-out on the Delegate official Facebook page, Instagram page and/or Pinterest boards. Credits can also be used to feature your brand in Delegate’s blog articles and email newsletter to reach even more interested audiences.

Finally, to turn this exposure into sales, the credit system allows you to connect with interested users who interacted with your Delegate profile.

The events industry in Southeast Asia is growing, and increasingly moving online. Delegate PRO is the best way to stay ahead of the game and to grow your fantastic business. Find out more here.

Our team is always eager to hear what you think, and know about features you’d like to see. So please feel free to reach out to our vendor support team any time at vendors@justdelegate.co

The post The new Delegate PRO has arrived! Here is what you can expect appeared first on Delegate.

Luckily, with Delegate, many of the above issues can be solved for you. By listing your business as a vendor, Delegate can provide access to a large number of event organisers looking for vendors, help you manage your listings and give you access to multiple planning tools.

How about more mundane things like finances though? It may seem like a boring administrative task, but keeping on top of it, and making sure your business has enough cash flow to pay for all the supplies you need is crucial for an events vendor (or any business really). So you need to make sure that your customers are paying you on time, and subsequently you pay your suppliers on time.

On Delegate, when an event chooses to hire you, the organizer would be required to pay a 50% deposit on the total agreed cost and it will be transferred to you within 3 to 5 business days. This definitely helps out the uncertainty that comes with some customers, but there are still times when cash can be tight, and you have multiple jobs to provide for. So what do you do? Today we want to give you some other options to find short-term solutions.

1. Sell your invoices

If you’re too busy to chase payments from your customers, and you have a few outstanding ones that you want to collect right away, it can be as simple as finding an invoice factorer or buyer to take them off your hands and pay you cash upfront. Of course they will take a discount; because they’re taking the risk of not being paid later, but it’s worth it if you’re looking for a short-term injection of cash.

2. Making it easier for your customers to pay you

Sometimes, cash doesn’t come in because it’s not very easy for your customers to pay you. Do you only accept bank transfers? Cheques? Cash? The more convenient you make it for them to pay you, the faster it might be to get the cash in your account. So consider options like credit card, digital wallets, or even bitcoin?

3. Negotiate for payment terms from suppliers

It is possible to manage your relationship with your suppliers to pay when you have the cash flow. By knowing when you will receive revenue, you can negotiate for part payment now as a deposit and then when you are generating income from sales, another percentage can be paid.

Optimize your cash flow by matching your inflow and outflow, this way your supplier relationships are improved and you can fund further expenditure on timely and effective marketing promotions.

Be cautious here though, because failing to make payments one time erodes your supplier relationships. Late payments put financial pressure on your suppliers, and this could affect the service or product they are providing.

4. Defer cash outflow with credit (from credit cards!)

Sometimes, there simply is a lag between when you need to pay out a venue hire/supplier/other costs, and when you receive any funds from your income. This can happen even to the best event organizers. That’s why there are other options out there, like short term credit to bridge the gap between investing upfront and running a successful event.

This is where Reap can help, allowing you to use credit already available to you in your credit card. Even though many suppliers may not accept credit card, there are still options for you pay with credit card first, and then pay cash once the credit card statement is due up to 60 days after. Reap would allow you to make these payments on credit (for up to 60 days) to anyone for your event; venue booking, suppliers, employees.

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The post Invoice Financing for Event Businesses appeared first on Delegate.

Celebrated by the Christian community, Good Friday and Easter Sunday commemorates the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus respectively. While they head down to church for service throughout the long weekend to observe and celebrate these special days, others have definitely set their sights on taking a well-deserved break from work. The long weekend is a great time for people to spend precious time with their family or catch up with their friends and let loose.

For you – the host of workshops and event spaces – it’s the perfect time to make this long weekend a special one for them, whether or not they celebrate Easter. Check out some tips we have for you to prepare your business for the upcoming Easter Holidays!

1. Easter Deals

With people looking out for things to do and places to go this weekend, they’re definitely going to be looking out for good deals too. Grab their attention with special, Easter weekend promotions on your website or Delegate profile. This can increase your brand’s visibility during a potentially high-traffic season and help you to maximise revenue for the period.

Some deals you could consider rolling out are:

• price deals on products or packages
• price deals when a customer brings a friend along
• Special, limited edition gifts that come along with purchasing a product

2. Easter-themed decorationsBunnies hopping around a freshly-mowed lawn, as you sit on your rustic front porch, enjoying a cup of tea and a breath of fresh air – doesn’t Easter remind you of a relaxing, simpler life? Of course, you may not be able to recreate the whole scene for your customers but you could always add an Easter vibe to your business with subtle Easter-themed decorations, adding a nice touch to your customer’s experience with you. Check out our Easter mood board to get inspired for the season!

3. Easter-themed activitiesEspecially when it involves kids, Easter-themed activities can create a memorable experience for your customers! If you’re hosting a workshop, why not incorporate Easter vibes into your lessons? You could add elements of Easter such as bunny ears, carrots and baby breath. Better yet, you could host a surprise egg hunt for your participants and get them digging to win a prize!

4. Engaging Social Media

Let your potential customers know about your egg-cellent offers this Easter through your Facebook and Instagram pages! Engage them with relevant Easter-themed content that brings their attention to the activities you have in store for them for the Easter weekend.

With that, time to hatch your plans for Easter! Keep your customers cracking and earn some egg-stra points with them down the road!

The post 4 Ways to Get Your Business Ready for Easter Holidays appeared first on Delegate.

In the context of your business, different generations may show interest in your business, but you may experience a generational gap when marketing and communication efforts fail to entice them to convert into actual clients.

By simply tailoring your communication style and customer service based on the generation your potential client belongs to, and through understanding their needs and preferences better, it could increase your likelihood of acquiring them. You could capture an entire demographic that others in the industry haven’t yet!

The four main generations of today  – Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y (Millennials) & Gen Z – all hold distinct characteristics that offer various opportunities for you to modify the way you interact and communicate with them. Read on to find out how to reach out to each and every one of them!

Baby Boomers

Born between 1946 and 1964, Baby Boomers are the retired grandparents of children today. We often assume they are technology-illiterate, but they’re far from that. As their younger counterparts teach them to use technology, they are increasingly well versed with surfing the web and using Facebook, especially to revive “dormant” relationships and keep up with the younger ones. As late adopters of technology though, they may find complicated procedures overwhelming and confusing. Being in retirement, the Baby Boomers have high purchasing power and are very ready to spend. They’re also receptive to direct marketing and sales, like to talk to real people and expect more personal attention before making a purchase. When they love a product or service, they can be highly loyal to the brand.

Opportunity:

Give them a call or two to check in on their enquiries and let them know you’re there for them! Keep processes simple or explain it to them so it’s easily understandable. The baby boomers are great clients to retain due to their brand loyalty and high purchasing power. As they plan for reunion gatherings with old friends and parties for their grandchildren, there is potential for them to explore other products with you given their loyalty and good experiences with your business.

Generation X

Generation X was born between 1965 and 1980s, and are most likely busy people – juggling childcare and are reaching the peak of their careers. Compared to Baby Boomers, they’re definitely more on par with adopting technology: apart from checking emails frequently, more than 80% of them are on Facebook and Twitter. Having entered the workforce during the great recession, they’re not so quick to spend and will do their research before making a purchase decision

Opportunity:

Generation X will look for your businesses when they plan family gatherings, their children’s birthday parties, their parent’s jubilee celebration, and even work-related networking events. Hit them up through email, a channel they constantly check. Give them a good amount of information too, to aid them on their research process. You could also appeal to these careful spenders by offering discounts at first, to enhance the value-for-money prospect.  

The Millennials (Gen Y)

Born between 1981 – 1994, millennials are the young professionals taking over the workforce today. Often called the “Strawberry Generation” by their senior counterparts, they are notoriously soft-shelled and value social issues ahead of economics. They love the next big thing, which they find out about through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Compared to their predecessors, they are less frequent in-store shoppers and are highly responsive to shopping opportunities online and recommendations from friends and family. They won’t make a decision until they discuss it with people around them.

Opportunity:

Should they enquire with you, promptly reply online through social media direct messaging or email. Collect reviews from past clients and make them discoverable online. Also, give them incentives to refer their friends and family to you. They’re most likely looking to plan for weddings, baby showers or their children’s birthday celebrations, or even work-related networking events. Thus, ramp up social media efforts with reviews and visuals from your portfolio in relevant events to give them a great overview of your business and entice them to take you into consideration for their next event! Podcasts are also a great avenue to reach out to them with more content, here’s a great guide on how you can get started with podcasts. 

Gen Z

The youngest of them all, this generation was born from 1995 to 2010. As this group transit from college to the workforce, their earning power is increasing. So despite their young age, they can create a great opportunity for you!

Growing up with smartphones and the internet, this generation is technologically savvy. Being adept researchers and self-educators, they are highly aware of environmental, political and socio-economic issues. They love brands with a positive purpose that strives to improve the world, and they are highly responsive to meaningful interactions. Insincere “flash sales” don’t attract them.

Opportunity:

Communicate with Gen Z in a personal and relatable manner. Meaningful interactions with your business and their belief in your brand can stimulate loyalty from them. Comfortable with making purchases on smartphones, it’s important to create optimised mobile experiences for them through getting yourself discoverable online, especially on social media. Looking to throw birthday parties or small events for themselves and friends, Gen Z may not look like a worthwhile market to invest your time in. However, capturing their attention and loyalty while they’re young and impressionable can make them potential repeat clients in the future, when they move through different life stages and require more services from businesses like yours!

Like this article? Check out more like this:

The post The ABC-s of Attracting Generations X, Y & Z appeared first on Delegate.

You’ve probably had your fair share of clients and have probably noticed a pattern in the various types of clients you have to work with. Some can spark joy and bring fun to the work you do, while others can make your business feel like a living nightmare.

It’s important to be aware of and prepared for the diversity of clients that might walk through your door. So here are 5 types of clients you should expect while working in the events industry and how to handle them!

1. The Clueless and Confused

This client could bring a whole lot of great ideas to the table, but have a hard time deciding which to pursue. A lot of times they don’t have a clue about what they want; they may initially agree with a certain idea or plan, but want to take a new direction halfway through or even forget about agreements, leaving everyone involved riddled with confusion.

While dealing with the clueless-ness could be frustrating, it’s important to keep cool and give them a little push by guide them through their thought process.

• Arrange a meeting and ask them all sorts of questions to find out about their business, their expectations of your service, their goals of hiring your business, ideas that they might already have, and also what you can expect to deal with when working with them.
• They may not be prepared with all the answers, so keep track of what questions you need the answers for and remind them to send them to you afterwards.
• Give a brief introduction of your business and what you can do, to make clear what you can offer to them.
• When proposing ideas, give them a few distinct, concrete choices to choose from
• Give datelines! Their indecisiveness could cause them to push everything to the last minute, which can affect your ability to deliver. Set safe datelines and let them know why you need it, so they can understand your point of view.
• Give constant reminders too. Your client’s ignorance is no excuse for you to do the same. Make sure to safeguard yourself by putting in the effort to make this partnership work.
• Should you find that they’re looking for something you cannot offer, don’t hesitate to point them in the right direction by recommending other vendors that could better suit their needs. Having their interest in mind over yours can generate positive sentiments about your business and they might become a referrer even without having hired your service!

2. The Referee

No, not the one in a sports match. We’re talking about the clients who got recommended your business by previous clients who were satisfied with your service. They could be clueless and confused too (in that case, refer to the aforementioned point), but they most probably have a good impression of you too, having heard positive word-of-mouth from their referrer.

• Leverage on their positive impression of your business by upholding your commitment and professionalism in your work with them.
• They may have never worked on with a vendor before too, since they were looking for recommendations. Take time to walk them through the process and manage their expectations.
• Additionally, you could reach out to the referrer and show your appreciation for their referral.

3. The Chronic Complainer

The Chronic Complainer is the kind of client who will always seem to be perpetually unhappy and have something to complain about. They could nitpick at the slightest details, or have exorbitant demands, making you feel like you’ll never be good enough for them. Sometimes, clients have frowns you can’t ever turn upside down.

Although this might dampen your mood, remember to be professional in handling these clients. Once you’ve identified them and realise they will always complain no matter what you offer in return, you can move forward constructively.

• You might find some client complaints to be unreasonable or unnecessary, but always remember to listen and understand their point of view first, and try to put yourself in their shoes.
• Remember to apologise for any inconvenience felt, but also politely stand your ground. You could refer them to your terms and conditions (if applicable), try your best to offer a solution, but ultimately draw a firm line between what you can and cannot offer in your capacity.

4. The Micro-Manager

This is the client who wants to have a hand in every part of the process and doesn’t trust your abilities as a vendor. They could frequently contact you to follow up and leave you feeling suffocated.

• Try to understand their reason for micro-managing. They might be a hands-on kind of person, or may not have done this before and do not have a gauge on how to handle such situations. Communicate with them and let them know about your process to ease their mind and entrust the job to you.
• One way to build trust is to establish a schedule and stick to it. Let them know your timeline and how long you will take.
• Update them of your progress frequently, and give them access to your timeline or planning process.

5. That Ideal Client

Last but definitely not the least, you have the clients that come to the table with their own ideas, are open to communication and suggestions, and are trusting and appreciative of your time, skills and knowledge. These clients are ideal because they are easy to transition into loyal clients, and will make you feel like your effort is worthwhile. 

Remember that their journey with you doesn’t end after you have finished the business you were hired for. Maintain a healthy relationship with them and let them know you’re available for hire again.

While these clients may come by once in a blue moon, and you’re more likely to work with less-than-ideal clients, keep in mind that it’s possible to transform the other client types into ideal ones! Always keep your patience and professionalism in handling your clients and they will appreciate you for it.

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The post 5 Types of Clients Every Event Vendor Encounters (And How to Handle Them!) appeared first on Delegate.

Mapping your customer journey is the same. With your business in mind, clients embark on a journey to discovering and interacting with your brand. Your role, as a business, is to understand this journey and guide them along the way to reach the eventual (but not final) destination of hiring you. Especially in this digital age where consumers are highly discerning, well-informed and have an array of options to pick from, it is easy for them to get “lost” and wander off on another journey.

Thus, it is important to understand your customers’ journey and keep clients on track. In this article, we’ll walk you through five tips to get you started on mapping your customer journey!

Visualising the journey

The customer journey is essentially a way to visualise their experience, from their first exposure to your business through to their final purchase and post-purchase experience.

If you’re not sure where to start, here’s how a typical customer journey could look like:

• The customer starts on their journey with your business when they consider you (and other brands) as potential purchasing options, based on brand perceptions and exposure to touch points.
• They then undergo active evaluation where they gather information and figure out if your brand fits their needs and wants.
• Once they decide on a brand, they purchase.
• After purchase, the customer enters the post-purchase experience, and if they feel bonded to the brand, they will enter the loyalty loop, bypassing the initial consideration and evaluation of various brands during their next repurchase.

Identify communication touch points

Especially with the Internet, there is a growing number of communication touch points for businesses to reach out to clients. These touch points could affect each stage of the customer journey, and influence their decision to move on to the next stage. Some examples of touch points are your Instagram and Facebook pages, your vendor profile listing on Delegate, reviews, word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family, sponsorships, and your website.

Consider which channels would be useful in affecting the various stages of a customer’s journey. This would give you a clearer picture of which areas you could modify or improve the availability of touch points to clients. For example, you could provide sufficient information and details about your business in your website and Delegate vendor profile, to aid clients in the evaluation stage. To drive reviews, which are also an important avenue through which customers evaluate your brand, you could reach out to past customers and incentivise them to write some.

For a business in an events industry, repeat purchases may be few and far between. Nevertheless, your customers shouldn’t be treated as one-off! If they love your service, they’ll recommend you to their friends and write compelling reviews about you, which could positively influence the consideration and evaluation stages of potential clients.

Recognise emotions along path

While on the journey, consumers can have shifting emotional states. For example, the process of searching for information may be tedious, and induce frustration. Or the purchasing process was efficient and smooth, and could induce happiness. Where you have identified communication touch points, also recognise what kind of emotions your customers could be going through. With this information, you can try to alleviate pain points in the customer journey.

Experiencing it for yourself

When you’re evaluating your customer journey, don’t forget to put yourself in their shoes! Imagine being a customer, and go through the stages, noting down possible areas of improvement. Consider experiencing your competitors’ customer journey too, to gain insights into areas you might be missing out on.

Keep re-evaluating

Mapping your customer journey is not a one-time event. As their taste and preference shift, and new trends and technology come to light, your brand may opt to evolve and change up your client journey. Keep revisiting your journey mapping and evaluate what communication touch points need to be revamped.

The post 5 Tips to Map Your Customer Journey appeared first on Delegate.

You guessed it. They’re all package deals!

Packages are everywhere and they’re not something new. They have been around and have proven to be a great strategy for businesses to generate sales and manage internal processes. As event vendors, providing packages to potential clients can be highly beneficial, especially if employed right.

In this article, we’ll discuss package deals and how you can use it to pack a punch to your business!

What are packages?

Packages are a bundle of your products and services, offered at a single package price. Their basic function is to create the perception of value, and this can be done through making your package price lower than the sum of the à la carte product prices.

What benefits can come out of offering packages?

Consumers love package deals because it makes them feel like they have struck a bargain. The discounted package price enhances the perceived value of the package and makes them feel like they are getting more value for their money. This perceived value can have a spillover effect and create a positive association with your brand in the consumer’s mind, and could potentially stimulate repeat purchases in the future.

Package deals are also convenient for consumers as they can order a bundle of products or services in one click, instead of having to individually acquire them. It saves them the time and effort in their purchase process and enhances their customer experience. Again, this could potentially translate to repeat purchases and brand loyalty in the future.

Apart from building a consumer’s brand loyalty, packages can also help you introduce or test new or related products and services. By bundling them with existing, more popular products, you can invite consumers to try a new product or service you’re trying to implement at a lower price, and help it to gain more traction.

How to craft your package deals

Nevertheless, package deals won’t work unless you do. It is crucial to create the right mix of products at the right prices in order to capture the interest of the right consumers. Here are some tips and tricks to crafting an effective package deal:

1.  Know your clients

Understand your target consumer’s interests and needs, and how much they are willing to pay for your products and services. Do you want to target corporate event planners? Parents who love planning parties for their children? Gen Z coming-of-age youths looking to make their 21st birthday party a blast?

Check out this article to understand the different generations better!

Get to know the characteristics of your target consumers and offer packages that include products or services that could add value to them. Package deals work great when you concentrate on the benefits that you could deliver to your consumers; the benefits for your business will then follow naturally.

Experiment with different bundles and gather feedback from consumers, to gain a better understanding of what kind of package deals would attract them the most.

2. Provide comparisons 

Consumers typically compare prices before purchasing something, and they love choices as it makes them feel in control. Apart from the package price, provide them with à la carte pricing as well. Showing them the value of the savings they could get out of the package deal could be a great incentive for them to choose the package.

Subsequently, you could also come up with multiple package deals to give consumers the flexibility to choose their price point and the kind of products and services to purchase.

Remember that consumers are more incentivised to purchase when they feel like they’re in control. Make sure they feel like they are being offered choices, rather than forcing additional products for the sake of creating a package deal.

3. Considerations for your bundle mix 

Which products or service should go into your package deals and which should not? Here are some ways to mix it up:

• Bundling your most popular products together
• Bundling popular products with less popular or new products
• Mixing main products with complementary accessories

4. Improving along the way 

Every business is different and so is your clientele, what works for one business might not for another. Don’t be discouraged you don’t get it right on your first try! Keep gathering feedback from consumers to gain insights on how you could improve and fine-tune your pages to meet their needs better.

Putting up packages on Delegate PRO

In your Delegate PRO account (if you haven’t already, join us for free!), we have a tool for you to add unlimited number of packages to your vendor profile. Here are some features we’d like to highlight for you to better showcase your packages!

Validity Date

For packages that you would like to offer for a limited time, do add a validity date to prevent disputes with potential clients. A validity date also creates a sense of urgency for consumers to take action and purchase the package.

Live & Un-live Toggle

For seasonal package deals that you would like to activate periodically, such as Valentines and Christmas deals, you can choose to toggle the live button to add it to your profile, and un-live it to remove it without deleting it from your Delegate PRO account.

Make Packages Exclusive to Delegate

By making your packages exclusive to Delegate users, it increases your visibility on our vendor page and gives your packages priority listing on Delegate.

Here’s a great example of Adele Duxton‘s packages, where they provide ample information and a variety of package options for potential clients to choose from. 

With Delegate, creating the perfect package for your clients is right at your fingertips. Leverage on it to enhance your business today!

Should you have any enquiries, feel free to contact our team.

Meanwhile, learn more about #howtodelegate now with these articles:

The post Pack A Punch With Package Deals appeared first on Delegate.

The idea is to tap into social media’s large user base and reap its benefits. As vendors in the events industry, expanding your client network is crucial. Increasing brand exposure to the right clients, even more so. What better way is there to do so than to reach them through the social media platforms they heavily invest their time in?

Today, we compare and contrast the top two social media platforms – Instagram & Facebook – and break down which one you should invest in as part of your brand exposure/marketing efforts.

Instagram vs Facebook: Audience

Both platforms have huge user bases. As of early this year, Instagram has 1 billion monthly active users. Facebook has more than twice the amount, at 2.4 billion monthly users. Demographic-wise, Instagram’s main audience consists of 18-34 year old men and women. On the flipside, Facebook’s most active groups are 25-34 year old men, although all age groups are active.

Delegate Tip for Vendors: Facebook is a great place to reach out to a wider range of age groups. However, if you’re reaching out specifically to millennial and Gen-Z women, advertising on Instagram should be prioritised over Facebook.

Instagram vs Facebook: Focus & Algorithms

Facebook aims to be a platform to help people keep in touch with family and friends, and focuses on encouraging personal conversations. This mission is reflected in their algorithms, where posts from users’ personal connections and posts likely to start a conversation are ranked higher on users’ news feeds.

This results in certain posts having lower rankings:

• Brand posts that have no personal connection to users
• Promotional posts that push users to buy something or join contests
• Unofficial ads, where the text matches other official Facebook ads 

Thus, users receive less exposure to brands and public content on Facebook.

On the other hand, Instagram is an avenue for visual storytelling and is an ideal platform for everyone, from average people to artists, brands and celebrities.

Posts that rank higher include posts that:

• are in relevant genres to user
• are from accounts that the user interacts with frequently
• users spend more time on looking
• are recent

This results in less discrimination between brands and personal connections, and focuses more on users’ interests. Thus, users will receive more exposure to brand and public content on Instagram.

Delegate Tip for Vendors: Instagram could be more useful in reaching your target customers and providing your brand with more exposure.

Instagram vs Facebook: Engagement & Ad Media

Brand engagement refers to the interaction between user and brand pages, which includes sharing and viewing content, leaving comments and asking questions.

While Facebook has over 60 million business pages, only 32% of users engage with these brands. On the flip side, Instagram has a smaller number of business profiles, but 68% of users are engaged with them. Thus, Instagram is a stronger avenue for engaging with users. However, although Facebook has lower brand engagement, it manages to rack up 8 billion daily views for videos.

Delegate Tip for Vendors: Facebook is perfect when it comes to video ads. Instagram works best for photo ads and is an ideal platform to interact and build relationships with users.

Instagram vs Facebook: Mobile-friendliness

Facebook is easily accessible via mobile app and a web browser, and is well optimized for desktop, laptop and mobile usage.

Instagram, however, is only optimized for mobile usage. Accessing it through a web browser limits its functions to just scrolling feed and stories.

Delegate Tip for Vendors: Take into consideration whether your target audience would prefer to book you through a mobile app or on a desktop/laptop web browser. For big-ticket items like wedding packages or event spaces, clients may prefer to view and inquire through web browsers on a desktop/laptop layout.

Verdict: Which platform should you choose for your business?

Ultimately, it depends on your goals and target audience as a brand. Both Instagram and Facebook offer different kinds of exposure and engagement, so do make sure that you tailor your content to the strengths of each platform to fully maximise them.

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Is your love for parties and helpful disposition enough to get you far in this Wedding planning industry? Sure, let’s throw in composure under stress but is this all that is to be a wedding planner? The bridal industry game is ever-changing and being a wedding planner of the new age requires new skills sets to meet the needs of the customers.

The wedding entrepreneurs of today take on a very versatile role, with the proliferation and exposure to social media platforms, the customers can be highly exacting about what they want.

Here are a few essential skills that you need for your wedding start-up to run and sustain:

1. Digital Marketing

Photo Credits: Pinterest

The traditional means of marketing has taken a back seat and having an online presence to market your business is essential to reach out to your customers. Promoting your brand across multiple platforms is a must, especially when these new age lovebirds are usually technology savvy. Before engaging in any service, these customers are usually keen on checking out reviews and comments that will help them decide if you are suitable or reliable. Therefore, your digital marketing should relay the message of reliability and credibility.

2. Networking

 Photo Credits: Rasmus. J

Connections are key when it comes to getting customers or vendors you can work with. Networking can be draining especially when you have a “social battery” but these partnerships are essential for building up your database of vendors, venues, caterers, entertainment etc. Perhaps you can start off with places you have personal connections with and try to work towards proposing a business plan with them. It is important to build a long-lasting relationship of value that can provide quality services that fit the wedding budget. Furthermore, you may not know when you need a backup due to last minute changes.

3. Resourcefulness

Photo Credits: Pinterest

Unique Ideas are adored. Be it a cute wedding favour, a fun table setting or a novelty act, there are couples who are always looking out for the next big thing or the latest trend that will set their wedding apart. Being resourceful and keeping yourself up to date to the latest wedding trends can help to provide fresh ideas on the table for your next wedding to plan. People appreciate quality and original contents, so while you indulge in all these wedding inspirations, do remember that the customers come first.

4.  Process Management

Photo Credits: Confetti.ie

Your job scope, as a wedding planner stays and running the tasks of checking on the vendors, delivery timelines and negotiating for the best price, is still your full-time job. All these require a great deal of organizational and coordination skills and to master them would ensure a smooth wedding for your client. Your calm nature is also required, for panicking in front of a nervous couple would be the last thing you want!

5.  Communication

Being the bridge between the clients and a whole range of vendors to work with, your communication skills are called upon at different occasion. Negotiating for a good price with the vendors, calming down a nervous couple when the wedding cake hasn’t arrived or attend to any last minute situations. It is important for you to keep an open mind and stay professional in these tricky situations but also put your communication skills to good use and tackle them one by one.

6.  Decision Making

The proliferation of social media platforms allows couples to view and browse through what they desire their “perfect wedding’ to be. There are unlimited wants to the perfect wedding and sometimes these things just don’t go together. More often than not, the wedding budget doesn’t allow it. Therefore, it is up to the wedding planner to provide a professional perspective of what doesn’t work and why. Sound decision-making skills and a clear thinking is what you need to master.

The post Must-have Skills for Wedding Planners Today appeared first on Delegate.