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Easy Ways To Increase SEO For Your Flower Shop’s Website

June 3, 2010 by 22 Comments

We’ve all heard about it, SEO this, SEO that.. but what is SEO?

SEO means Search Engine Optimization, or optimizing your flower shop’s website to best be found in search engines, like Google, Bing or Yahoo Search. Now, this may seem like a daunting task, but it’s really quite easy to get started and I bet you’ve already done more for SEO than you realize!

First off, I know local florists are not web developers, and most use a hosting service with ecommerce store templates, which is great! Most developers include basic SEO into their sites, especially on the backend and in the code of their templates.

For this post, we are going to look at basic SEO strategies on the front end of your website, which is something any florist can do without having to call up their webmaster every 5 minutes. I want this post to be helpful for all levels of users, so I won’t go into meta tags and code speak this time.

Learn what keywords are and how to use them

What are keywords? Keywords are those words or phrases you type into search boxes to find what you are looking for on the web.

If you want to find pictures of rose arrangements, what would you most likely put into a search box? “pictures of roses, rose pictures, rose photos, rose arrangements” … the list can go on and on. Those words and phrases are all keywords. All of those are going to get you to web pages with pictures of roses.

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Will searching for “photos of rose arrangements” get you to that website’s home page? Probably not. Remember this: not everyone who comes to your website lands on the home page.

Think of all of the pages on your website as their own little landing pages. If you were to look at each page individually and ask, “What would I have to type in a search box to get to this page?” Those words are your keywords. Now, before you go adding the keyword “photos of rose arrangements” 200 times on your page, remember this: search engines are very smart and can somehow tell if you do add “fluff” on your pages and will sometimes penalize for it. Just write your page copy naturally and with your customers in mind, they ultimately are your actual readers… not the search engines.

For SEO, your pages should have at least: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Florists Only Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Florists and Social Media

April 10, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Will you be my friend? A simple school yard question is becoming a major player in the business world. From Best Buy to Zappos, successful businesses recognize the importance of social media. These businesses are actively participating in Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and a variety of other social media platforms.
social-media

Why You Should Participate In Social Media

  • Consumers participate in social media and want businesses to participate as well. They are using social media sites as a way to find the products, services and businesses they need.
  • Levels the playing field . Social media helps small businesses compete with large corporations by giving them a relatively free way to promote their business.
  • Opportunity to understand customers . Social media gives you the opportunity to provide customer service and feedback while connecting you with a greater audience. (Helps you understand your customers wants and needs)
  • Cost-effective Marketing. Social Media helps build brand awareness while you monitor your business’s reputation. It is an easy form of communication that gives you the ability to talk about yourself and the ability to listen to what others say about you. If handled properly, even negative comments can help promote your business.
  • Generates leads and business opportunities. Actively communicating with members of your community will lead to opportunities you might not have otherwise known about.
  • Your Competitors are there.

If those reasons do not persuade you to participate in social media, think about this, “Who’s opinion matters more to you? Someone you know and trust or a complete stranger?” With a little time and effort, social media can help you become that trusted friend to your consumers.

How Can You Effectively Use Social Media For Your Business?

There are numerous social media platforms to choose from: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, GoogleBuzz, blogs, etc. The key is not to go overboard. Start with one platform and spend the time nurturing it. With any social media endeavor you will need to:

  • Promote it — Let friends and customers know how and where to find you in the social media world. Use the same promotion techniques as you do your website URL.
  • Actively Participate — Take an interest in the people you meet through social media. Begin by devoting an hour or two a week to your social media platform and seek out others using social media.
  • Listen — To what customers and your competition have to say. With the right response even negative comments can be a plus for your shop. Listening to what customers want can place you ahead of the trends instead of behind.
  • Integrate your marketing strategies — Include your social media when developing offline and online marketing strategies. Example: announce Mother’s Day specials through your social media platform.
  • Watch Others — Take a look at how other florists and businesses are using social media.

Who’s Lead Can You Follow?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Florists Only, Marketing Tips Tagged With: ,

“Keep It Simple, Stupid.” Tips From The Top

April 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

This little phrase changed the game for a man named Randy Snow, creative director for R & R Advertising in Las Vegas. Charged with turning Vegas around following the September 11 attacks, Snow and his team brilliantly coined a phrase that has become a pop culture staple. We here at Flower Shop Network had an opportunity to hear Snow speak during lunch today, and it was nothing short of inspirational–and not just for marketers. His ideas are applicable to anyone with an audience to reach.

Snow is clearly a smart man. Although he admits to not coining the phrase himself, he didn’t let it get off his desk. In fact, Snow attributes the idea to a couple of his creative writers (ahem), who brought the idea to him in passing. Snow recognized the magic in their idea and held on to it. This is important for any business, big or small: a good idea is a good idea. Snow said he and his production crew often pause during shoots to rework and rewrite scripts as the ideas flow. They come from everyone from the actors to the cinematographers. The key is he listens. He doesn’t charge himself with coming up with all of the ideas, but he does know a good one when he sees it.

Another key of Snow’s success is research. Snow said following Sept. 11, he and his team went out with paper and pencil and started asking, “What should we do next?” to tourists on the street. The answer: keep being Vegas. Snow said his firm is allotted $7 million in research budgeting to perform focus groups, triads (focus groups of three people), and polls to find their audience and what they’re looking for.

This goes for anybody. Use social media to get in touch with your clientele. Ask them questions. “What are you looking for? How can we make this easier?” Spend time with your consumers and listen. What you want isn’t always what they want. Check out this blog for an example of how you can use social media for your business! Snow said he was met with a great deal of opposition when presenting the “What Happens Here, Stays Here.” campaign. It wasn’t until Mayor Oscar B. Goodman informed them that “Our Las Vegas isn’t their Las Vegas,” that the idea took hold.

Keep it simple, stupid. Snow said he and his team start with a good idea, whether it be print, web, or video, and start taking away things they don’t need. One of the most successful commercials for the campaign contained no dialouge, and yet, the lead in the commercial won an acting award for her role! Another award-winning print ad showed nothing but a lint roller covered in sequins, feathers and fake eyelashes and the phrase “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” That’s all it needed!

Although he was given a surprisingly small production budget, Snow said he never skimped on actors, directors or other crew (“We’ll make it up in catering,” he said). He had only a few seconds to make a point, and he wanted it to be the best few seconds possible. Quality is key. Don’t skimp on the things that matter. Use your resources to create something special. This is where the importance of creativity and knowing your brand come into play. No one knows your brand better than you, and no one knows Las Vegas better than Randy Snow.

Filed Under: Florists Only, Marketing Tips Tagged With:

Florists Make An Impression! Snap A Photo!

January 28, 2010 by 1 Comment

So many times, our orders come in off the website and we don’t get to make that connection with the sender.  Other times the sender places the order, but doesn’t get to see the finished product. Our solution is a simple photo. We take photos of every flower arrangement that leaves the shop. As a part of our customer service, we offer to send a photo via email to anyone who wants to see “their” arrangement.

Lately, we have been taking it one step further.  When orders come in from “order gatherers”, we include a note to the recipient, offering to send a photo to the sender. We let them know that all the sender has to do is send us their email address and we will send them a picture of their arrangement. Then we can collect their email address, add them to our email campaign, and hopefully get them to deal directly with us in the future.  We’re slowly starting to see results and the cost to us — $0.

Also … knowing that any and all arrangements can be seen by senders, puts us (the designers) on our toes to make sure that everything that goes out of our shop is the best it can be. 

With one photo, we get to make an impression both with the sender and the recipient. A win-win situation for all.

Filed Under: Florists Only Tagged With: ,

Developing A Positive Relationship With Funeral Homes

January 12, 2010 by 1 Comment

Cheryl Bakin (Parkway Florist), along with 4 other florists Clay Atchison (McAdams Florist), Lisa Greene (Nunan’s Florist), Melissa Mega (The Ivy Green) and Kathy Dudley (The Bloomery), recently attended the National Funeral Directors Association convention. After speaking with several funeral directors, Cheryl Bakin (Parkway Florist) developed a list of 8 tips florists should follow to aid in developing a positive relationship with funeral homes.

  • Deliver On Time. Check viewing arrangements in the paper, online or call and deliver appropriately. (Deliver Sunday flowers on Sunday — NOT on Saturday!!)
  • Do Not Deliver Old Flowers. Especially mums or other flowers that shed. Your funeral customer has paid the same amount of $$ as your everyday customer. They deserve the same quality of flowers!
  • Eliminate All Hand-Written Cards. Cards should be on plain, or nearly plain, card stock & printed in block style printing that is at least 18 to 24 point type. (So that it can be read from about 3 feet away from the arrangement, and does not require a magnifying glass to read!)
  • Include A Brief Description And Sender’s Info. On the back of the card, write a brief description of the flowers, or at minimum, the name and address of the sender to make sympathy thank you cards easier.
  • Offer Small Take Home Pieces. If there is a short viewing followed by a service offer smaller pieces that family members can take home like plants, planters or vase arrangements.
  • Learn To Display Non-Floral Gifts. While the funeral throws are popular in many parts of the country, learn how to display them well, on an easel — without taking up a huge space. (space in some funeral homes are somewhat limited.)
  • Focus on Funeral Home’s CUSTOMERS NEEDS. Funeral directors have a deep commitment to the families they service. As a result, they expect florists to have the same commitment to these families. This means answering the phone after 1 pm on Saturday, attempting to get the pink roses that Grandma always loved, or delivering early to meet a family request for a private visitation.
  • Educate Yourself As To What Is Appropriate. Sell appropriate pieces. Many funeral directors mentioned receiving “flowers in a box” or a “blanket in a box”. They were generally at loss as to what to do with them or how to display them.

The success of your sympathy flower business often lies in the hands of your local funeral directors. The stronger relationship you have with local funeral homes the greater opportunity there will be for funeral flowers.

Filed Under: Florists Only Tagged With: ,

Marketing Made Easy: Creating A Direct Mailer

April 13, 2009 by Leave a Comment

HOW DIRECT MAILERS WORK FOR YOU

Working in conjunction with other marketing campaigns, direct mailers are a very cost effective way to reach your customers. Direct mailers are great for your customers who do not have Internet access. Direct mail also serves as a holiday gift reminder for existing and potential customers. When you want to keep your shop’s name at the front of their minds, direct mail is a simple and cost effective way to do it.

When To Send Direct Mailers: A general rule of thumb is to send direct mailers 7-10 days before the major floral holiday. Earlier than this makes it easy for the reader to forget or disregard the mailer. 7-10 days prior to the holiday reminds the customer to order, prompts he or she to order early, and keeps your shop in the front of their mind when considering holiday gifts.

What Holidays/Events Are Appropriate To Send Direct Mailers: Sending direct mailers before any major floral holiday is a potential boon for your flower shop. Prom is also a very important occasion. The early part of the wedding season in your area is also a good time for sending direct mailers.

To Whom Should Direct Mailers Be Sent: Direct mailers give you the ability to target existing customers, potential customers, or both. The choice is yours.

Why Should I Send Direct Mailers: Direct Mailers reinforce existing marketing campaigns such as your website, mass email campaigns, promotions and more. A lot of business is generated via direct mailers simply because it keeps customers thinking about your shop for their gift ideas.

Loranne Atwill, owner of Flower Shop Network, remembers customers coming into her flower shop for last-minute gift ideas. They had received her direct mailer but disregarded it for the moment. When it was time to buy the gift, they thought of her flower shop first because of the direct mailer.

How Do I Get A Bulk Mail Permit: Bulk mail permits are available through the United States Postal Service. These permits include an annual bulk mailing fee but sending several mailers throughout the year makes this a cost effective strategy. Contact your branch of the USPS or visit them online for more information about bulk mailing or to apply for your bulk mail permit.

HOW TO CREATE A DIRECT MAILER

Flower Shop Network now takes the guesswork out of creating direct mailers. You may now access direct mailer templates using your FSNf2f.com account. Templates are available for all major floral holidays and other occasions. If you like to create your own direct mailer, follow the instructions below.

A direct mailer can be created in a few easy steps. Keep in mind that you will need the following when creating your mailer:

  • a publishing program such as Microsoft Word (Note: This example uses word)
  • pictures of your arrangements uploaded to your computer or on  your website
  • contact information for your flower shop
  • a mailing list of existing/potential customers
  • pricing information

The first step to creating your direct mailer is to open a publishing program on your computer such as Microsoft Word, Works, or Publisher. Microsoft Word is the program used in these photo examples. Also open the pictures of your flower arrangements, either by viewing them on your website or in the “my pictures” folder of your computer.

There are two easy ways to upload photos to a Word document:  dragging and inserting. Whether you choose to add text or photos first, you may upload photos by dragging or inserting at any time. You may also rearrange the order and placement of the photos at any time.

This is what you will see when dragging files from a website or “my pictures” folder to a document program. The mirror image automatically appears to let you know that the photo is moving. It will disappear once it reaches the document program until you release the mouse button.

Dragging A Photo

Dragging A Photo

To drag photos into your document from your “my pictures” file or from your website:

  • select the photo that you would like to use by clicking on it once
  • click and hold the mouse button while dragging the photo to the document program
  • note:  you may drag the photo to the document tab at the menu bar on the bottom of the screen OR drag the photo into the open document program

This is what you will see when inserting files from your computer into a Microsoft Word document.

Inserting A Photo Using Microsoft Word

Inserting A Photo Using Microsoft Word

To insert your photo into the document using the document program:

  • click “insert” on the menu toolbar of the document program
  • hold the mouse over “picture” until a sidebar menu pops up
  • click “from file”
  • find the file in your documents (usually in “my pictures”)
  • double click the file OR single click the file and click insert under the picture preview button

The next step toward completing your direct mailer is to add pricing and contact information. The included information is up to you. Most customers will want to know the regular price and the promotional price. However, the only necessary inclusions are your contact information (name, phone number, address, email address, website URL) and promotional deal information.

Create the backside of the mailer by continuing to a new page inside the document program. Here you will place the information that will be seen before the mailer is opened. This can include just the return address information or promotional information for each “fold” of the mailer. Add this information in the same way as before.

Example Flyer --- Inside

Example Mailer --- Inside

Example Flyer --- Outside

Example Mailer --- Outside

Now your direct mailer is ready for the printer!

Filed Under: Marketing Tips Tagged With: , ,

Have You Seen Dragonfly Flowers On McPhillip’s New Logo

February 25, 2009 by 4 Comments
Winnipeg Florist Logo

Winnipeg Florist Logo

Logos fascinate me.  In fact, I believe every flower shop should have one.  Why? They define your image.  They let customers know who created the beautiful arrangement and who delivered it.  An effective logo solidifies company branding when used  as part of a marketing strategy. McDonalds knew this when they came up with the Golden Arches.  Do you think they would have been as successful without a logo?

Although there are several Winnipeg Florists, Dragonfly Flowers On McPhillips has a new logo that caught my eye.  I think they have created a logo that will speak to their customers the way the McDonalds logo did. The logo may seem uncomplicated and simple on the surface.  However it is evident that a deep and ingenious thought process went into the creation of this flower shop logo.

For example, the colors they chose convey a very important message.  Dark purple represents riches and nobility while lighter purple shades denote a delicate spirituality of romance.  With these colors, they convey a message that they create flower designs that run the gamut from luxurious granduer to delicate romance.  Color isn’t the only ingenious component.  The inverted dragonfly is fantastic as a symbol for both a dragonfly and a flower while it ties into the letters of their name.  This logo will definitely leave a strong brand impression, which is why it blew me away.  Simple yet extremely effective.

As I understand, Buffie and Duane at Dragonfly included this logo on all of their Valentines Day Orders.  What a great idea.  Now the people who received V-Day arrangements will have Dragonfly Flowers imprinted in their memories.  This should help when they in turn need to send flowers.  I’m sure in the future, the dragonfly flowers vans, stationary, banners, and flower arrangement enclosure cards will all display this superb logo.

So my hat’s off to Dragonfly Flowers On McPhillips For an impressive logo.

Filed Under: Florist Spotlights Tagged With: , , ,

Florists Can Blossom During Prom Season

April 23, 2008 by 1 Comment

It’s hardly news to anyone that prom remains one of the biggest events in a teenager’s life. These young adults, with their mass of disposable income, spend months planning the perfect evening for themselves and their prom dates. To them, prom would be incomplete without the perfect dress or tuxedo, shoes, hair, ride, and matching corsages and boutonnières. This is where the florist can make the difference between fancy trimming and shabby accessories.

Prom Wrist Corsages

Florists often pass on prom business while many realize this sudden inward cash flow to be a profitable staple from year-to-year. The March 2008 issue of Floral Management includes an article that showcases some of the reasons florists may want to reconsider this youthful venture. Teenagers still have extreme purchasing power and choose to spend a hefty chunk of it on prom and homecoming. Being the chosen local florist is not only a profitable honor in that year but for the remainder of that teenager’s life. Taking the time to nurture the desires of your young customer will bring him or her back for their wedding, birthday, anniversary, and other floral needs.

Now that you are assuredly on the prom flowers bandwagon, here are some tips for making this prom season a big hit.

  • Be prepared! Phone a contact inside the local schools for the event dates, colors and themes, and other things that may make preparing easier.
  • Make the most of the Internet! This generation’s prom goers are increasingly tech-savvy. Most are more comfortable shopping online initially. This is a convenient trend as it reduces many costs to the florist including manpower and sales tracking.
  • Spice it up! Proms and prom attendants are now decorated to the hilt with lavish colors, sequins, glitter, boas, anklets, jewelry, and other accessories to make every vision of the evening a creative statement about themselves.
  • Show off your ideas! Let your customers see a line of possibilities first, then sell a more personalized version if necessary. Be creative! Make it fun! Organize a Corsage Bar!
  • Get your customer involved! A popular practice among florists is to let the females bring in their dresses to get a better match or to test different ideas.
  • Get to know formal wear and dress shop owners! An alliance with local dress shop owners is a fabulous way to get your name known. The customers are already in prom shopping mode and reminding them about their need for prom flowers while in the store can’t be beaten as the way to stand out.

When attracting prom customers be sure to capitalize on word of mouth. Parents, siblings, neighbors, and friends have a huge impact on who the teenager is likely to choose. You’re likely already the best around so let them know! Also, great tips for targeting young people in your area may come from the same people that give you the color scheme, themes, and dates of the proms. These people are sure to know where these young people hang out and where they’re going for their prom needs. Now you’re ready to take center stage as the go-to florist for prom and homecoming needs!

Filed Under: Marketing Tips, Trends Tagged With: , , , ,
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