Marketing Tips for Florists

Marketing Tips for Florists: How to Get Found Online

So you've spent all your time and energy getting your website sorted. But now you're left scratching your head, wondering why the orders and enquiries aren't piling in? Now you're wondering, WTF do I need to do to get found online?

I've gotcha covered. Check out these three super helpful marketing tips for florists.

Marketing is a 'Thing'

Before I started my flower business, I spent 15 years working in fancy corporate marketing jobs. In fact, I've been studying marketing for over +20 years. I did my undergraduate degree in marketing and even have my masters. #overachiever

To say I LOVE marketing is an understatement. I'm totally, utterly obsessed with deconstructing and dissecting how the big multinationals market their business, how they attract the right customers, at the right time, with the right message.

Even more than that, I love taking those same business and marketing principles and teaching florists the right and wrong way to market their business and make money.

When it comes to marketing tips for florists, one of the most important lessons I learned was that we gots to approach our marketing from a totally different perspective.

Where other businesses need to grow their following, increase engagement and prioritise exposure, we floral designers get to approach marketing from a totally sideways perspective.

Why?

Because our customers shop differently. Our customers behave differently.

Let's pause for a moment...If you think about your dream client, the person who is going to place the next online order or send through the next event enquiry. Close your eyes and imagine you are that person. Put yourself in their shoes.

Quite literally. Close your eyes and think about how they would approach it. When they're looking for a floral designer, what do they do? Get super-specific.

When they jump online, where is the first place they go? If they're on Google, what do they type into the search bar?

If they're on Instagram, what do they type into that search bar? If they're somewhere else, what do they do? Envision the process in all its itty bitty fantastic detail.

The most important part of this planning process is to get super duper specific:

  1. Get specific in the platforms that your ideal clients use
  2. Get specific in the words/phrases/hashtags your clients use

Putting yourself in your client's shoes, envisioning the experience from their perspective is the single most powerful thing you can do. Seriously.

Stop Following the Crowd

Our industry teaches you that you need to do a heap of styled shoots, get exposure and worry about being featured on some famous blog. Then, and only then, will you be able to attract the kinds of clients you're dreaming of, yeah?

Wrong. I'm happy to tell you, there is an easier way. But it requires you to stop following the flower crowd.

Winning at floristry, building a thriving flower business requires you to learn a new approach to marketing.

Of course, you could go to business school, get all the degrees and geek out on all things marketing. Or you could shortcut your success and spend your energy focused on three super simple marketing tips for florists:

  1. Be in the right place
  2. At the right time
  3. With the right message

The Golden Rule of Marketing

If I had to distil down the single most important lesson from all my years as a fancypants marketing exec and spending thousands of dollars on all the degrees and qualifications, it would be this:

Get out of your own head and put yourself in your customer's shoes.

When it comes to getting found online, this really is the secret to success. It's not rocket science. It's not about being the best designer and it's definitely not about being famous or popular.

It's about being your most empathetic, helpful self. Using your imagination and really getting in touch with what matters most to your customers.

If you find yourself constantly second-guessing, over-thinking and over-complicating things (like we all have a tendency to do, being smart AF humans), hit pause for a hot second.

Go out into the real world and find 1-2 real-life humans who embody your dream client (or at least a kinda close proximity to a version of your dream customer).

Have a conversation with them. Buy them a coffee. Or a cocktail. And ask them to explain to you their research process – where would they go if they needed a florist? Get super specific and write it all down. Verbatim. Better yet, ask them if you can record the conversation and then get it transcribed.

Flashback to my corporate days, working with the likes of Dominos Pizza, Expedia and HSBC, we used to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on focus groups. You can do the same thing. Just on the super cheap.

It's time to take a page out of the successful big business multinationals. Learn from their process and do the same thing in your flower business. It's time to stop overcomplicating things, overthinking things and get back to basics.

You will be so surprised at how simple this can be. And even after just one conversation, you'll start to see how differently you can think about this whole marketing thing – you will start to be able to answer that burning question: How do I get found online?

Marketing Tips for Florists

At the end of the day, the right marketing mix is going to depend entirely on what services you're offering in your flower business.

Customers looking for a flower delivery behave differently to those looking for a wedding stylist. Someone looking for table arrangements for a christening behaves differently than someone looking for a casket cover.

Putting yourself in your customer's shoes truly is the secret to figuring out the right approach.

If you need it, here's a quick list of marketing priorities for floral design businesses:

Daily Flower Deliveries

Wedding Flowers (without a Planner)

  • Instagram Hashtags
  • Google My Business Listing
  • Search engine Optimisation

Floral Subscriptions

  • Local media + influencer partnerships
  • Instagram / Facebook paid ads
  • Word of mouth

Remember, every flower business has its own subtleties, its own nuances to consider. But use this list as the foundation for your marketing plan. Build on it and call out your own BS when you start to overcomplicate things (yes, we all do it).

Start tracking your data and test out new ideas. And if you ever feel like you're off track, make a plan to sit down with another real-life human being. Ask them to explain their process again and then recalibrate your approach.

No matter what, just keep going.

You got this, peoples. Let's go!

And don't forget, if you want to get my A-Z blueprint to marketing your flower business, join us inside Flower Boss Bootcamp. This is THE program to help you grow your business, get customers and make more money.

You get my exact approach, my step by step system to make it work. Click here to learn more.

Instagram Reels for Florists

Instagram Reels for Florists – 3 Things to Know

Feeling left out of the loop when it comes to Instagram Reels for florists? You're not the only one. Does the thought of adding yet another thing to your ever-growing to-do list feel impossible?

I've gotcha covered.

I'm here to give you the low-down on Instagram Reels for florists and share the three most important things you gotta know.

Instagram Reels for Florists

Instagram launched Reels in Brazil in late 2019. They then rolled it out internationally in 2020.

Now, as we are on the doorstep of 2021, it's become a fairly standard part of most businesses marketing repertoire on Instagram.

As is the case with most new features on Instagram, the algorithm is going to prioritise users who are using their newest features. You're bound to have heard the stories of new business launches in 2020/2021 and growing to 10,000, 100,000 +++ in just a matter of months simply because they jumped on the Instagram Reels bandwagon early.

And now you're wondering WTF you gotta do with Instagram Reels for Florists. If you're anything like me, you're barely comfortable showing your face on camera and now Instagram wants you to dance and point and lip-sync some silly lyrics?

Is this whole scenario just bringing up more anxiety and making you question all your life choices even more? You're not alone.

That's precisely why I wanted to put together this blog post, to help you short-cut your success and learn the right strategy to follow for Instagram Reels for florists.

Rule #1: Think Like Your Customer

Let's switch gears for a minute. Close your eyes and imagine you are your customer (...actually don't close your eyes, that'd make reading the rest of this read hard).

If you sell daily flower deliveries, where do you think your customer turns to when they're looking to order flowers?

One of two places:

  1. Google
  2. Instagram Search

Do you know what your customer doesn't do...they don't start following a random florist on Instagram in the hopes that one day they'll need to order flowers from them, remember they follow them, go in and explore their feed, check out their Instagram shopping and then send flowers.

Nope.

Most of your followers are following you because they like pictures of pretty flowers. Better yet, they like free pictures of pretty flowers.

You'll find thousands of business coaches, teachers and mentors spouting out the importance of increasing engagement and giving you tips to crack the algorithm. Because in most industries it's your followers that are going to translate into your paying clients.

But it's not the case in floristry. Our followers are fans of flowers, fans of free flower photos. If that follower doesn't know anyone in your delivery area, they are never going to buy from you.

If that follower is never going to host a wedding or event in your area, they are worth $0.

Stop Following the Crowd

Where florists get themselves into trouble is assuming marketing flowers is the same as marketing shoes, notebooks or even a cafe.

It's not.

Marketing your flower business requires you to question every assumption and step outside the square.

This includes how you approach Instagram Reels (and even TikTok for that matter).

Instead of wondering how to approach Instagram Reels for florists, stop for a second and ask yourself a different question:

If Instagram Reels are a shortcut to help you increase engagement, grow your following and crack the Instagram algorithm...but never leads to a paying customer, increased revenue or a new enquiry...is it a good use of your time?

Only you can answer that for yourself.

You can decide you love Instagram Reels for the creative expression, the challenge and discomfort of stepping out of your comfort zone or because you want to experiment with your messaging in a new medium.

If, on the other hand, you feel obligated to jump into Instagram Reels for Florists because you think it's going to help you grow your business, get customers and increase your revenue, I'll challenge that thinking.

At the end of the day, there are three things you gotta know about Instagram Reels:

  1. Yes, it will help you grow your following.
  2. If you feel awkward when you're doing it, you're doing it right
  3. Your Followers ≠ Your Customers

If you need help figuring out how to promote your flower business on Instagram, also be sure to check out this super helpful blog post: How to Promote Your Flower Business on Instagram

When it comes to getting more enquiries and growing your business, your #1 is to put yourself in your customer's shoes.

Map out their exact path to purchase. How will they find out about you? Where are they looking for a florist? What matters to them the most?

Get super specific, write it down and make it your only goal to be where your customers are actively searching for a florist.

And yes, if it feels like you're not following the crowd, not doing what everyone else is doing...you're probably doing it right.

The Easy Way to Get Found on Instagram (Podcast Episode)

Getting found by your dream customers isn't as hard as it seems. It just required a slightly different perspective, a better strategy (and going against the grain when it comes to worrying about exposure, stressing about the algorithm or increasing engagement).

This approach to Instagram is one of my most favourite lessons to share with florists because it helps cut through the confusion, overwhelm...and gives you permission to play with the big boys while being the new girl in town.

What you'll learn from this episode

✓ My super simple approach to getting found by your dream customers
✓ How to cut through the confusion and shortcut your success
✓ A better option than worrying about getting on a preferred vendor list
✓ My step by step guide to sorting through your flower business hashtag strategy

Listen to the Full Episode Here

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