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Promoting wedding florals is a critical part of growing your business.
You are a floral design artist.
You’re also a business person.
And we’re guessing that your dedication to wedding flowers is much more than just one of your florist shop business ideas.
Your love of what you do should really inspire you to promote your art.
And we’re here to help you do it.
In our related post How to Grow Your Floral Wedding Business we highlighted the fact that 50 percent of brides use the internet to research bridal bouquets.
And from there we went into details about the importance of the internet in promoting your work, by optimizing and marketing your online floral business.
Here we’ll reiterate some of those important points, then delve deeper into other promotional tactics aimed at wedding vendors and potential customers you should take advantage of.
Let’s take a look.
Lots of people think they know all about building websites and “doing” SEO.
On the surface, the internet is designed to be a smooth experience.
But, like the proverbial duck drifting across a lake, a lot of hard work is going on beneath the surface.
Competition is as harsh as can be imagined.
Competing as a local business requires a thorough understanding of a myriad of technical elements, including:
And much more.
Along with all that is the need for a fundamental understanding of the floral industry, marketing strategies, and in-depth analysis.
Just below the surface, the online rules are constantly changing.
Dramatically, many changes are not publicly announced, but are rather discovered by SEO experts, based often on testing and investigating unexpected results.
Being optimized for ecommerce is a fundamental strategy for success. Today, that includes being optimised for mobile commerce (m-commerce), too, which is increasingly important.
Making your presence felt to potential customers and local wedding vendors by having a strong online presence is vital.
So as far as the online world goes, the right partner to cover those needs on your behalf could be viewed as the ultimate promotional strategy.
If wedding flowers are your niche, you should be going to as many bridal shows as you can.
And you should go with four things in mind:
Part of your networking strategy at bridal shows is turning up branded, with all sorts of brand materials to be handed out, including any photos of your weddings, or display samples.
Anything you have to offer should contain your brand info, including:
When exhibiting, go the extra mile to get some attention.
Use a BIG WEDDING CAKE to draw eyes — or a great big colorful floral design — or both!
Make a place to showcase your wedding centerpieces.
And a space where you can engage with potential customers.
Make sure your signs look professional. This may cost more, but it’s a trust builder.
If your work looks like quality, and everything complementing/representing it looks like quality, you are quality in the eyes of potential customers and new contacts.
Some florists have been known to offer, for example, free centerpieces in a draw.
This is clever, because entering means contestants put their contact information on the entrance slip.
It also gives the florist the chance to engage with each contestant.
Most importantly, ask the right questions, then listen.
Excited brides-to-be love to chat. Who can blame them?
You’ll get a lot of information by listening, smiling and nodding. Steer the conversation when you need to, then listen again.
When the time is right, say: “Wow! You should look at my weddings album!”
If you can hand out promotional pieces, rather than just cards or fliers, do.
Attendees will collect a lot of stuff and want to unload it quickly — unless it’s something that stands out.
So get out there and stand out!
Why not decorate your store window as a weddings showpiece?
Centerpieces, pew decorations, bridal bouquets, and other wedding flowers will draw attention from passersby.
Even if they’re not getting married any time soon.
And they’re likely to talk about your store to people who are.
If possible, create a space dedicated to wedding consultations, with suitable decorations.
This in itself will make you a specialist in the eyes of many customers.
Always check your local papers’ engagement sections.
Consider reaching out to those happy couples.
You could send pretty consultation invites, possibly with a gift, like a small bouquet.
Why not invite brides-to-be, along with family members, to an in-store educational in which you talk about various wedding flowers, colors, and how to create a wonderful wedding theme?
Offer free drinks and snacks.
Show your portfolio of previous work. Listen and give advice.
If it works for you, publicize it as a select event in local papers, bridal shows, etc.
Those local papers can come in handy.
December and January are good months to create a press release, because lots of newspapers create their wedding supplements for those months.
Your expertise in wedding flower trends, wedding colors for wedding seasons, or any other area of interest could get your store publicity and impress potential new customers.
Hey, you’re not just an artist, you’re a thought leader!
It’s not always easy to leave your creative comfort zone and try out self-publicity, but you should give it a shot. Once it starts working for you, you’ll probably find it addictive!
Your work is wonderful. Let the world know!
Ecommerce marketing services should bolster all the efforts you make in your local community.
Sending out how did we do? messages after partners mark orders delivered, and asking for reviews, can really get results and have a great effect on your local reputation.
Little touches can work wonders in both the physical world and the online world. Never underestimate them.
So it’s no different with your brick and mortar store.
You need to develop relationships within your local community by all means available.
Watch out for events: School events, church events, public celebrations — anything in fact that you can focus on, find contact names, and potentially get involved with.
Your name will quickly become known.
Once you have a customer base, keep in touch with them.
Short notes about recent purchases, emails, phone calls, will make customers feel special and build relationships.
If you have a sale coming up, why not create a sneak preview for select customers?
Possibly with discounts just for them?
Any costs to you are an investment in world of mouth and customer loyalty.
Always promote: in-store, outdoors, bridal shows, local talent, and local events are all areas you should be thinking about and aspiring to.
Simply build your self-confidence around your belief in your own craftsmanship.
Then go for it!
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