Feeling totally confused by Instagram and all things social media? Not sure what to post or where to go for guidance and help?
You're in the right place. Here are 15 Instagram tips for florists and flower farmers.
Instagram Works
Yes, you read that right. Instagram is an amazing platform to help you reach new customers and grow your client list. But it's so easy to get off track and spend time on things that just don't matter when it comes to all things Instagram.
At the end of the day, the most important lesson to learn is that we floral designers get to approach Instagram very differently from other industries. In fact, we get to break all the rules. Literally.
When it comes to Instagram tips for florists and flower farmers, we don't need to worry about the algorithm or chasing engagement.
Why? Because your followers ≠ your customers.
I know it flies in the face of everything everyone else is spouting out about Instagram but when it comes to selling flowers, finding customers for your flower business, having more followers isn't a recipe for success.
At the end of the day, the reason marketing in our industry gets to be so different is because our service is limited to a specific footprint and our customers are buying flowers to fill a specific need.
This means we have to follow a smarter marketing plan. We need to drop all of our assumptions and 'supposed to' storylines and get in the minds of our customers. It's time to start thinking like your customer and approach Instagram marketing from a more strategic, informed point of view.
My 15 Instagram Tips for Florists
- Map Out Your Hashtags – this is THE secret to getting found and getting on your customer's radar when they need you. Avoid general and generic hashtags like #whitewedding or #floristsofinstagram and focus on the hashtags your clients are actually using in their search.
- Curate your feed – yes, having a pretty, fancy feed attracts prettier, fancier clients. Your customers use your feed as a placeholder for your ability to design. So, level up your feed, elevate your vibe and you'll see a higher quality level of customers coming your way.
- Use Stock Photos – Yep. Jump on Google and do a quick search for "Free flower photos" just to see what comes up. Or use Canva.com, my most favourite resource for this (yes, paying for the premium version is worth every penny!).
- Use a Mix of Graphics + Photos – a feed filled with a wall of flowers is overwhelming for your customers. It all just starts to look the same. Break it up and create a new rhythm that works for you. Those design principles you use in your floristry, put them to work in your Instagram feed too!
- Level Up Your Captions – the easiest answer to 'what should I write about?' is to simply answer the very last question a customer asked you. Yep. It can be that straightforward.
- Repeat Stuff. A Lot – Yes you can repeat photos and captions. Ain't no rule against that, is there?
- Make Your Bio Clear – confusion always leads to no sale. Very specifically, make sure your location and delivery area are clear in your bio. If your customers aren't clear on your location or where you operate, they're immediately going to move on to the next supplier.
- Post Consistently – and define 'consistently' in a way that works for you and your business. At a minimum, post at least once a week. (And no, you don't need to post more than once per day. Remember, we don't need to try to beat the algorithm. We're playing a smarter game.)
- Use Instagram Stories to Show You're 'Open for Business' – the beauty with Instagram is you can bring your customers into your studio or shop without them even having to set foot inside. It's magical. Use Stories to do this.
- Set Up Your Highlights – Highlights are where you can save your Stories. A lot of new clients and potential customers will flip through your Highlights to get a taste of what your business is up to. It's like a 'best of' summary that you can customise based on your customer's needs.
- Skip Reels – I know. I know. Tik Tok and Reels are all the rage these days. But you gots a lot on your plate. Give yourself permission to not have to do all the things. Remember, we don't care about engagement and you're not worried about exposure, yeah? (re-read Tip #1)
- Plan Ahead – I use Planoly to map out my feed and make it look pretty. There is a desktop and phone version so you can sit down for one hour and plan out a whole week's worth of content with much less fuss. It makes the whole "curate your feed" job way funner.
- Talk About Budgets + Process – I know it's boring and not as charming as a cute set of emojis or your favourite poem. But putting in the effort to proactively educate your customers and answer their 2 biggest, most burning questions builds trust. Trust grows sales. In the end, you breaking the secrecy and being the florist who talks about money will make you more money. Yeah!
- Link in Bio – Set up a new, stand-alone page on your website that includes 5-6 buttons and nothing much else. Those buttons will point to the next logical step in your client's purchase process. This makes it easy in your captions because you can simply say 'Visit the link in our bio @..... to [insert next step]". (Hot tip, repeat your IG handle in your post to make it super duper easy for your customers to go to your bio.)
- Set up Instagram Shopping – the easier you make it for your customers to order flowers, book in a workshop or plan out their a la carte wedding blooms, the more money you'll make. It's so fun!
Want more tips to help you conquer the Instagram game?
As a floral designer, it's easy to fall into the crowd and worry about getting followers or chasing engagement. It's a hard habit to break, trust me!
But the truth is, when it comes to getting found by your dream customers on Instagram, learning to play a smarter game is the key to success. For my business, we landed so many high-value customers by getting really smart with our hashtag and content strategy.
I love sharing the insights we learned in our flower business, particularly when it comes to Instagram, because it's so opposite to what I used to assume. No more chasing followers or worrying about engagement. It's time to get your hashtag strategy sorted!
And in a recent podcast, I'm walking you through the exact strategy I use, breaking it down for you, step by step.
Enjoy the Podcast?
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