Home Shop Flowers Bloomin' Blog Find Florists About FSN Contact FSN Florists Only!
Find Your Local Florist:
Home Shop Flowers Bloomin' Blog Find Florists About FSN Contact FSN Florists Only!

Guest Post: Email Marketing Tips

A successful marketing strategy wouldn’t be complete without emails. Our friends at FGmarket have some great tips to share on email marketing. Here are three tips from their post. Click here to read the full article.

Subject Lines

Your reader will only be scanning their email inbox, so it is important to make it clear what exactly they are opening. That means 1) don’t be ambiguous and 2) get to the point.

Social Links

Adding links to your social media accounts in the footer or header of every email you send out is a great way to get users connected to you online.

Spam

There’s nothing people hate more than seeing hundreds of spam emails cluttering up their inbox. Limit the number of emails you send out to a maximum of one per day.

Read the rest of these great tips at FGmarket’s Tips For Successful Email Marketing. Check back at the Bloomin’ Blog for more great marketing tips!

 

Help! Where Can A UK Florist Find Floral Easels?

Sympathy Wreath On EaselAsk The Expert:

Does anyone know were I can get the green wire easels shipped to the UK? None of the florist suppliers in the UK stock them and I’ve been asked a few times for tribute flowers on them lately. I can get them shipped from China, but minimum order is 4000 I don’t think I will need that many.

Regards
Daiseychains

Flower Shop Network Reply:

One of the best places to turn when looking for any type of floral supply is our sister site, FGmarket. It is an invaluable resource to find trusted vendors for florists all over the US. (Some ship internationally, for our UK and other far-away friends.) Each company provides great resources just for florists and gift shops.

I have called the wholesalers who ship easels and Johnsen Wholesale Florist was willing to ship to the UK. They have a large selection on easels and hopefully you won’t have to buy 4,000 of them! Good luck!
[Read more…]

Flower Shop Network Is On Facebook, Are You?

Flower Shop Network is now on Facebook! You can still find the same great information plus see pictures from friends and chat with us (Jamie & Brynn) as well as other florists. I can’t keep the excitement to myself any longer!!

We would also love to view your Facebook page so  let us know if you’re on Facebook as well!

To find/fan/fave us (any or all will do!), visit Flower Shop Network on Facebook.

Don’t forget to check out Wedding And Party Network and FGmarket.com on Facebook as well!

Happy Halloween 2008 From Flower Shop Network!

Happy Halloween From Flower Shop Network!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM FSN

Flower Shop Network employees, including myself, recently enjoyed a small Halloween celebration while we were working through the holiday. Many of us chose to come to work in our costumes, snacked on festive goodies, and enjoyed a day of jovial jabs.

From a giant Lego man to a small hillbilly woman, we had a wide range of costumed friends roaming around the halls. Being in the festive mood, I’ve decided to post some of the pictures in hopes that it would inspire you to equally wonderful moods this holiday season. Who knows? This may even be what sways you toward throwing that fun holiday office party for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Frightfully Good Customer Service

Frightfully Good Customer Service

Clowning Around With The Indians

Clowning Around With The Indians

(Left) Anita Perkins of FGmarket.com dresses as a cute little clown; the pretty Indian maiden, Wedding and Party Network’s Lacey Willie, poses alongside.

(Right) It’s hard to tell who is a super villain and who is a super heroine in this photo. Samantha Reavis scares up a good time as an FSN Relay Coordinator. Brynn Jackson (me!!) tries to be inconspicuous as Super Girlfriend by night and FSN Copywriter and Brilliant Blogger by day. Not exactly Clark Kent, but it works. Kristin Evans, another FSN Relay Coordinator, is a frightful sight for sore eyes on the far right.

 

 

Thats One Giant Lego

Thats One Giant Lego

An Angel of Mercy

Angel of Mercy

(Left) Kier Heyl of Technologies poses as a giant Lego™. For those of us who know Kier best, there is no doubt that this is the most perfect costume for him ever. Ever.

(Right) Gena Parrish, a wonderful Relay Coordinator for Flower Shop Network, comes as an angel of mercy. After all, it is breast cancer awareness month! Gena’s recent bout with cancer herself has been an inspiration to us all. We always knew she had a halo somewhere!

 

 

 

Wilma-Billy

Wilma-Billy

Super Girlfriend By Night

Super Girlfriend By Night

(Left) Wilma Baney of Wedding and Party Network looks like she could make a mean smoked opossum! Underneath that gruff exterior is one of the sweetest people around though. I’m suddenly tempted to buy barbecue sauce and corn cobs.

(Right) Brynn Jackson by day, Super Girlfriend by merit…er…night. Pay close attention. You never know what superpowers your friendly copywriter may possess. I stand for all that is good, romantic, and entirely devoted in the world.

 

 

Kristin As Cruella Deville

Kristin As Cruella Deville

Lacey Summons Rain

Lacey Summons Rain

(Left) Lacey Willie summons rain, or so we think, during a temporary break from pictures and fun on the phone. It’s hard to type the sound that is made when someone pats their hand to their mouth and mimics an Indian so I’m going to suggest taking a moment to figure it out for yourself. *moment*

(Right) Kristin Evans, though disguised as Cruella Deville from 101 Dalmatians, secretly loves dogs. We’re now all hoping that her hair naturally grays in this way. Seriously.

 

Flower Shop Network goes to the Northeast Floral Expo

Representatives from Flower Shop Network attended the Northeast Floral Expo in Hartford CT on March 1st and 2nd.
fsnatnefloralexpo.jpg
From upper left to right: Joe Hays, Loranne Atwill, Brock Atwill and Leslie Cox.

New England florists and vendors attended floral design, business and technology seminars and presentations. New business relationships were forged and products were purchased and sold. High School students competed in floral design and select florists displayed some amazing work. Congratulations to the officials of the Northeast Floral Expo for another successful show.

Renato Cruz Sogueco, Chief Information Officer with SAF visited our booth after his presentation on how to be a web savvy florist.

nefloralexpoatwillsegueco.jpg

Renato’s seminar was attended by more than fifty florists interested in claiming their place on search engine results. It is apparent that owners are realizing the Internet is the new preferred way for customers to shop and order flowers. Renato relayed the story of a shop owner in Denver, located directly across the street from a large hi-tech company. The shop owner said that almost 30% of his revenue came from the employees of that building, although he had never had a single one of them come inside his shop. Renato expanded on the point by saying that Generation Y (kids these days) are more comfortable online, than on the phone.

Renato outlined some basic ways to improve your website’s appeal to the search engines, pointing out that content in the form of keyword rich text was really more important than “pretty pictures”or flash.

Blogging as well as exposure on social networking sites such as Myspace.com and Facebook.com and even YouTube.com are ways to gain more exposure for a flower shop’s website, according to Renato.

In the end, a shop wants to wrap up as many postions on the natural results as possible. Ways to accomplish this are through listing with online floral directories, such as FlowerShopNetwork.com. For more information on Renato and SAF visit www.safnow.org.

Joe Hays of Flower Shop Network meets member Jenny Thomas of Oak Hill Florist from Scarborough, ME.

joejennynefloralexpo1.jpg

Flower Shop Network members Dot and Paul Chenevert of The Green Oak Florist in Hyde Park, New York, talk to Leslie about their new FSN website.

nefloralexpoleslie.jpg

Our neighbor at the show also happens to be the representative for our phone system here at work. We would highly recommend anyone looking to improve communications to contact Kelly Lumpkin of Alternate Access about their TeleVantage system.

kellybrock.jpg

A member of our sister site, FGmarket.com (wholesale directory for floral and gift products) , Carroll Hunt, is always good for a laugh and a positive attitude. Carroll offers a delivery product that we personally used back when we had a flower shop. We highly recommend it. Check out their website at SeminoleDeliverySystem.com.

huntatwill.jpg

Thank you to the officials of the 2008 Northeast Floral Expo for producing a very productive show. We look forward to seeing all of you again in 2009.

Where to Find Suppliers of Wholesale Wreaths and Swags

Ask the Expert: HELLO, I AM LOOKING FOR A SUPPLIER OF WHOLESALE WREATHS AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A SELECTION. I AM PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN SMALL SIZES RANGING FROM 6″D – 9″D. I AM ALSO INTERESTED IN SMALL SWAGS. CAN YOU HELP ME? LAUREN

Hi Lauren:
Here is where I would start: FGmarket is a directory for wholesalers who supply florists and gift retailers. They have a several natural, dried and preserved wreath suppliers and several garland suppliers as well as fresh wreath and swag wholesalers. From the FGmarket site you will be able to link to many of their sites and view their wholesale products. You will, also, be able to contact the suppliers directly to discuss pricing and to get their catalogs. Several of the wholesalers have specials and promotions shown only on FGmarket – an added benefit to using FGmarket. I know several people who have found Fgmarket to be extremely helpful in finding sources for the products they need. I have review many of the products carried by these wholesalers; finding interesting and quality products. I think you will be able to find just what you are needing. Good luck.