How to Get the Most Out of Your Directory Listings

Written by Melissa Woods

Let’s start with a slightly uncomfortable truth (and one that I probably shouldn’t admit as someone who owns a wedding directory)… having a directory listing is not a marketing strategy.

It’s a marketing asset.

And like any asset, its value depends entirely on how you use it.

Over the years, I’ve seen two types of suppliers join directories. The first who pay to join a directory/numerous directories and then quietly wait for the enquiries to roll in.

The second who choose wisely, and treat their listings like a living, breathing extension of their brand.

Guess which group sees better results?

If you’re investing in a listing — particularly as part of a membership like MNT, where your profile sits inside a curated ecosystem — it makes sense to squeeze every possible drop of value from i, right?

This is how to do just that.

Think of Your Listing as a Mini Website

Directories are basically a discovery platform, in the first instance, and your directory listing is often one of the first places a couple encounters your business.

Not your Instagram.
Not your homepage.
Not your lovingly crafted “About Me” page.

Your listing.

A strong listing doesn’t just state what you do. It positions you.

This is why we still build all Book Of Love listings are bespoke-built by an actual human in order to ensure all of our members are presented at their absolute best, to encourage couples to want to find out more.

Imagery: Quality Over Quantity

Directories are visual environments. People skim. They scroll. They react instinctively in a short space of time.

A small selection of strong images will do three things:

Stop the scroll
Communicate your style instantly
Create an emotional response

It’s not about trying to show how busy you’ve been, or how many weddings you’ve done in your whole career.

Less is always more.

Show work that reflects the clients you want more of.

Write for Humans First, SEO Second

Yes, keywords matter but your listings should sound like you.

Again, when you list in our Book Of Love, we help strike a balance between human and SEO optimised to help ensure our members get the best of both worlds but many other directories will allow you to create your own listing, so be mindful of that.

Update Your Listings Throughout The Year

One of the biggest missed opportunities I see?

Static listings.

Your business evolves constantly. Your directory profile should too.

At MNT, we prompt all directory members to update their listing during the year, allowing 2 free updates in a 12 period to ensure our couples experience our suppliers best and current work.

Use Your Listing as a Traffic Hub

Your directory profile is not just a place people find you.

It’s a place you can send people to.

Link to it.

From Instagram bios.
From email signatures.
From blog features.
From social posts.
From collaborations.

Why?

Because third-party visibility builds credibility.

When couples see your brand appearing consistently across multiple trusted platforms, confidence increases. Trust builds. Decisions feel easier.

Marketing rarely works in isolation. It works through repetition and reinforcement.

Your Listing Is An Extension Of Your Brand Experience

Every touchpoint shapes a couple’s perception of you.

Your website.
Your socials.
Your emails.
Your listing.

If you’ve been discovered via one of your directory listings but your website or socials don’t continue to reinforce and enhance that initial perception, couples might lose trust due to that lack of consistency.

Results Come From Consistency, Not Visibility Alone

Simply “being listed” is rarely enough by itself. It’s what comes after that really counts.

Suppliers sometimes assume directories either “work” or “don’t work.”

In reality, directory listings behave like most marketing channels:

They reward intention.

Directory listings are not magic.

And they’re not a ‘quick fix’.

But when treated as an active, optimised, thoughtful extension of your brand, it becomes something far more valuable than a digital placeholder.

It becomes more than a discovery tool, and acts as a valuable conversion driver.

Manage Your Expectations

Directories are often treated like vending machines. Insert listing, receive bookings.

A good directory is not a short-term sales hack. It’s a long-term positioning tool.

It isn’t there to guarantee traffic within a fixed window of time (if that was possible, the cost would be unaffordable for most)

And directories are not designed to function as a standalone lead generator that magically replaces the rest of your marketing.

They act as a high-intent marketing channel to help with:

Consistency.
Credibility.
Trust.
Top-of-funnel visibility.

Couples rarely move in straight lines when planning a wedding. They browse, revisit, compare, forget, remember, click, scroll, save, and circle back — often across multiple platforms and over many months.

Your directory listing plays a quiet but powerful role in that journey.

Not every couple who views your listing is ready to enquire there and then.

Some are early-stage researchers.
Some are bookmarking for later.
Some are building awareness.
Some simply need multiple touchpoints before making a decision.

And this is where many suppliers misjudge value.

Because marketing success is rarely about immediate conversion.

It’s about cumulative impact.

When your business appears consistently across trusted environments — your socials, your website, recommendations, features, directories — confidence builds gradually.

A directory listing is part of that ecosystem.

Ready To Get More Out Of Your Directory Listings?

Your directory listing isn’t just a box to tick. It’s a powerful piece of your visibility, your credibility, and your overall brand presence — especially when it sits inside a curated, modern platform designed specifically for the kinds of couples you actually want to attract.

The MNT Membership isn’t simply about being listed in the Book Of Love Directory. It’s about positioning your business within an ecosystem built around connection, confidence, and meaningful enquiries.

If you’re ready to be seen by modern couples who value creativity, personality, and quality — and you know your marketing needs to be more consistent and intentional — this is exactly where you should be.

Join the MNT Membership and put your business in front of the right people, in the right environment, for the right reasons.