It’s true that fresh flowers sell themselves. They help celebrate a special occasion and add style and character to the home. They even increase happy hormones in the body, boosting serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin.
For these reasons, people naturally flock to floral businesses. But with a few inventive marketing ideas, you can increase sales even more and reach a new audience.
Read on for 8 creative marketing tips to promote your flower company.
1. Expand Your Brand, Digitally
Taking your flower shop branding to a digital level helps to reach new clientele. 97% of people turn to the internet to search for businesses in their area.
Your website presence is the first impression of your brand, so use it to “wow” viewers. You can either create your own or hire a designer. Free website building tools like Wix make it easy to design your own templates.
Keep the design on brand, using your company logo in the top left corner. Make it visually appealing with big beautiful images of flowers. It’s best to hire a professional photographer for this.
Ensure your website is easy to navigate. Include an “about us” section where you can share the story of your brand. It also helps to post a few testimonials from satisfied clients.
Make sure your contact information is clear and easy to find. Be sure to keep all content fresh and up to date.
2. Use Google to Help Grow Your Business
Google is an excellent resource for promoting your business online. Do this by ensuring your Google business listing is well up to date. This includes the right contact information, website, and hours of operation.
You also want your website to appeal to Google’s standards. This helps Google searches lead people to your website. An SEO strategy is key for attracting local customers and out of town business.
Adding a flower shop blog to your website is another of the smart florist marketing ideas. This helps keep your web content fresh and lets you lace important keywords throughout.
It’s also crucial to manage your online reputation. Over 91% of consumers take time to read online reviews.
So ask happy customers to share their experiences with Google reviews. Be sure you respond to both negative and positive feedback. Also manage reviews on other important sites, like Yelp.
3. Use Social Media as a Marketing Tool
An active presence on Facebook and Instagram are ways to reach younger demographics. These social channels increase your brand awareness and help engage with your audience.
Post a daily on-brand image, like a fresh bouquet of the day. Use relevant hashtags and location geo-tags. You can also re-gram customer photos, like pictures from past weddings or birthdays.
Be sure to engage with customers by commenting and liking their posts. Aim to post at the right time of day, when your followers are active. Here are some other tips for getting more likes on Instagram.
You can also take advantage of Instagram’s shop now features to boost business. Or, you could start a targeted ad campaign.
Other florist marketing ideas include partnering with a local influencer. You can send them fresh flowers in exchange for posting about your brand. They should also tag your business to promote you to their many followers.
4. Capture Emails for Communicating with Customers
Email marketing is a smart technique that lets you stay in contact with customers. Use it to share promotions, company updates, and seasonal news.
Use targeted email campaigns to boost business about important holidays. This includes a sales blast before Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day.
MailChimp is a great platform for creating and sending email campaigns. They also offer pre-designed templates and tools for tracking and reporting. This is also a great way to manage your database growth.
5. Give Back to the Community
Getting the community involved is another great way to market your flower shop. This provides more networking opportunities with local businesses and potential customers.
Do some volunteer work or offer flower donations at local community events. Get involved with charities at local parks, nursing homes, and schools.
Or you can make it experiential with after-hours workshops and events. Host classes on DIY flower arrangements, wreath-making, gardening, or wedding floral decorating tips.
Use a few florist advertising ideas to promote your in-store event. This can be online ads, social media, and storefront signage. If it’s press-worthy enough, you’ll also to grab the attention of local media outlets.
6. Partner with Local Like-Minded Brands
Consider a co-marketing partnership to boost brand exposure. This can be with local businesses like restaurants, event planners, or delivery services.
Another idea to grow a flower shop business is to consider partnering with a wire service. The flower company Boise Florists, for example, uses its partnership with Teleflora to attract new clients from all over the world.
7. Reward Loyal Customers
Offering a loyalty program is another way to attract clients and keep them coming back for more. Do this by gifting special discounts for first-time and repeat customers. This also makes customers more likely to recommend you to their friends and family.
Those who refer a friend to your shop should also get a special thank you gift. You could also host a special event for your top customers. Even a handwritten note with a single red rose goes a long way toward customer appreciation.
8. Think Outside the Flower Box
Don’t be afraid to take your flower shop marketing ideas outside of the box. Consider launching a pop-up flower shop. You can park a branded flower cart outside of busy downtown areas to boost sales and brand awareness.
Be sure to put your brand on everything that leaves your shop. This includes boxes, vases, tissue paper, and ribbon. Marketing swag will keep your brand on customer’s minds long after they buy your flowers.
Also, think about the exterior of your shop. Make it as eye-catching as possible to bring in business off the street.
Do this with creative window displays. Or you could install a larger than life flower display for people to take pictures with. It’s also a great way to tie in social media.
Bringing in More Business for Your Flower Company
These creative marketing tips are a sure way to boost business for your flower company. They work to increase brand awareness and give you an edge up on the competition.
Remember to use both digital and grassroots techniques to reach new clients. Targeted efforts can also help you get more bang for your marketing dollars. Check out these inventive ways to use a targeted marketing strategy.