If we’ve learned anything from 2020, it’s that being online is now more important than ever. However, so many florists I speak to are still making these basic website mistakes.
With all the DIY solutions and the “done for you” options available to florists, it’s easy to get totally overwhelmed and confused trying to get your website sorted.
It’s easy to get sucked into pretty templates and glitzy functionality and lose sight of what really matters when it comes to your flower business website.
So what does matter?
Customers now know how easy it is to find a florist online. But is your website easy to find? (Oh, on that note, this article on SEO for florists is also helpful.)
Once your customers find your website, are you serving up an experience that is relevant and helpful?
It’s possible, the answer is ‘no’. Which is precisely why I wanted to put together this super helpful summary of the five biggest website mistakes florists make.
And no, you’re definitely not the only one left wondering what you should be doing. With so little information available on all things flowers + business, it’s easy to feel lost and unhappy with your website.
Don’t stress! I’m here to help.
How to avoid Florist Website Mistake #1 – Be clear on the point of your website
Your website serves two essential functions:
- Get your business found
- Turn those lurkers into real life customers and clients
And yes, it can all be done without you even knowin’ they exist. No phone calls to respond to. No generic emails or DMs to navigate.
Your website is, hands down, the single most important marketing and sales tool for your flower business.
It’s an incredibly powerful asset – but be sure you’re using it in the most relevant and helpful way possible.
If you’re constantly sifting through price shopping emails from brides, or having to respond to random DMs at all hours of the day, you're making a common florist website mistake. Shift more of that work to your website.
Set up a clear and simple enquiry process that includes education on budgets, a clear overview of your process and a contact form that gives your clients guidance on what they need to know before they contact you.
If you’re still navigating flower deliveries via phone or emails, setting up an online catalogue and checkout system is a lifesaver. Plus, you can skip those awkward pricing conversations with your clients and make it easy for them to understand how much they need to spend.
Step #2 – Your website is the most important sales + marketing tool you have
If you’re not online in 2021, you’re not in business. You literally don’t exist.
No longer is having a physical retail space or studio the sign of a “legitimate florist”. No ma’am. In today’s world, your website IS your shop experience.
Even in our little itty bitty tiny town, we’ve seen online orders go from 15% of our total sales to more than 50%...in just five years, that’s massive!
Here’s the thing though, most florists spend more time worried about their physical shop and their retail space than they do about their website. And this is the second website mistake florists make.
It’s time to flip the script! Make time every single week to work on your website. There’s always something to be testing, tweaking and evolving.
Step #3 – Put yourself in your customer's shoes
It’s very possible you really like your website. It’s fancy and “looks legitimate”.
But if it's not making money for you and you're wondering what you’re missing, you may be making florist website mistake #3: forgetting about your customer. So, now is the time to take a look at your website from your customer’s point of view.
Quite literally, you need to think about what you’re offering up from your customer’s perspective.
Better yet, if you have a friend or family who is your “ideal customer”, get them to go through your website. This isn’t just about testing links and buttons, you need their real, critical input.
Have them put an order in, find out how complicated the check-out process might be. Or ask them to pretend they’re a bride in your area and just landed on your website. Did they find the info they were looking for? Were they able to submit an inquiry? Where did they get confused or lost?
And yes, you want the tough love. You don’t want them to tell you it’s pretty or get their guidance on whether they “like it” or not. You want them to be totally honest and say “Hey would you book with this florist?” or “Would you order flowers from this website?”.
This one exercise is worth its weight in gold.
Step #4 – Be bloody ambitious
Florist website mistake #4 is thinking small. So, stop focusing on your insecurities and start focusing on your future. Your website is your #1 tool to help you attract the customers you want to be working with tomorrow – or next month, next year. Set your sights higher and start playing with the big boys baby!
I want you to put out as legitimate, fancy and ambitious a persona you can possibly imagine. Your customers want that too. They really do.
They want to work with the best. Put out the image of being the best and your clients will be all over you.
Wanna hear one of my most favourite exercises to help with this work? Think about that future version of your business – maybe the $250,000, $500,000 or even $1,000,000 version of your business...what would that version of your website look like?
You don’t need to wait until you get there to build a better website. Do it today and the money will follow.
It really does work.
Avoid florist website mistake #5 – It's always a work-in-progress
A lot of designers do have websites but they haven’t looked at it in weeks, months, possibly even years.
(It’s like the forgotten zucchini at the bottom of the fridge...you just don’t wanna deal with it. So you keep closing the door and putting it out of your mind).
One of the reasons I’m in love with websites for florists is because they are one of the best playgrounds for experimenting with new ideas. For instance, try adjusting the pricing in your online catalogue and see what happens.
Or, you can create a better enquiry form and shazam! All of a sudden your new client process starts off in a way more helpful and productive direction.
We used to go through a major website update every January (traditionally, the slowest month for florists). And every time our business moves forward and gets bigger, we keep refreshing our processes and systems.
Shift your perspective. Your website isn’t a “Set and forget” sort of gig. It’s a playground. A continual work in progress.
Get your website working for you and you will blow your mind with what you can achieve.
Need help fixing your florist website mistakes?
And finally, learning how to build a kick-ass website doesn't mean you need a university degree or fancy-pants corporate experience. I do have these things and am happy to share everything you need to know.
If you want to learn more about my Flower Boss Bootcamp and see if it's right for you, sign-up for a free 20 minute Mini-Session with me.
💖
Kathleen
P.S. I've done a podcast on this topic which you may like. Find it on Spotify here or listen on the player below.
