How to Create a Killer Digital Marketing Strategy for Your Flower Shop.
Have you recently launched your own floristry? Or do you want to drive more sales to your established business? Either way, whether you are a newbie florist or have already some years in the trade under your belt, you have likely landed on this page for the same reason. You want to increase your client base and drive more sales.
Here at Florist Touch, we are experts at florist marketing, and we have crafted this guide, using our collective experience and expertise to help you flourish in this wonderful industry!
Get an Online Presence
Competition in local floristry can be wild. So, you want to make sure you stand out from the crowd, gain as much reach as possible, and be present on the various touch points a potential customer will make along their journey. Knowing what platforms to have a presence on is therefore invaluable to success.
But first of all, you need to know your audience. Who are you trying to market to? Where do they spend their time online?
Social Media
TikTok – 60% of Gen-Z’s spend their time on this social media platform, and even use it as a search engine. If your target market is the younger audience, then creating a TikTok account is essential.
Instagram – with 35 million users, the 25 – 34 age group are the demographic spending the most amount of time on this platform at 29%, and 25% of users are between 18 – 24. If Instagram is your platform of choice, then get to know reels real well! 98% of the UK audience take some form of action after watching a reel, so if you want to grow your audience or make sales, reels are the way.
Facebook – still a hugely popular platform with 52 million users. The 25 – 34 age group is also the most popular here with 24% of users in this age range. However, with lower numbers of users in the 18 – 24 age group, this is a platform favoured by an older demographic.
Source: Statista
Whichever social platforms you decide to use for your flower shop marketing strategy, remember, stunning visuals are everything when it comes to promoting your product. At Florist Touch, we have conducted our own research into imagery and conversion rates and there is a clear margin between florists who use high quality imagery and those that don’t. The modern-day web user doesn’t want pristine, photo-shopped imagery that feels superficial. Users want to connect with a brand and prefer ‘real’, but don’t forget you can take great authentic pictures on most mobile devices these days. Avoid blurry images, poor lighting and bad backgrounds.
With the rise and rise of social media platforms and diversity in online user behaviour, Google is still the most popular choice for people searching for florists online. The keyword ‘florist near me’ drives 24,000 monthly searches alone.
To appear on Google, whether you decide to use a Google ads strategy or appear organically in search, it is critical to have a website. Online users see websites as an additional trust factor, so not only is it a great way to reach a wider audience, it’s also a great way to build trust.
Florist Touch provide an affordable website and hosting package for florists. You can check out some of our amazing florist websites which are perfectly tailored for florists.
In order to rank highly in Google search, it’s important to have a strong SEO (search engine optimisation) strategy in place. Keep your eyes peeled for our SEO for florists blog post coming soon for in-depth insights in to how to optimise your florist website for Google.
Google Business Profile
Having a local presence is highly recommended as most people wanting to use a florist will be local, or will want to use a local service, hence the high number of searches for ‘florist near me’.
Registering for a Google Business Profile will help your business to appear in Google Maps, so when people search locally, your business will appear in the map pack if optimised properly.
To appear in Google maps you need to ensure the following appears as an exact match across all platforms including your website, Google Business Profile and anywhere else online:
- Business name
- Business address
- Business phone number (this must be a local phone number, not an 0800 or anything else)
This is commonly referred to as the NAP (name, address, phone).
To gain a stronger presence on Google maps, you can also register your site on local directories, ensuring the NAP is accurate.
To get higher engagement rates through Google Business Profile, don’t forget to upload good quality images and videos which pique users interest and encourage them to make some kind of action.
Trust
Trust is a huge factor for any online user. Before they buy a product or service, they will do plenty of research into whether or not they can trust your brand to deliver high quality, before they part with their hard-earned cash. How can you do this?
- Be authentic – people love real. Allow them to connect with your brand – have an ‘about us’ page on your website and show behind the scenes content on social channels.
- Testimonials – share positive testimonials your customers have given you across all platforms.
- Reviews – there are plenty of review platforms to choose from like Trust Pilot that allow your customers to share reviews about your business and product. Plug-in your review platform to your website and share positive reviews on your social channels.
- User-generated content. When people receive a product they love, they share it! Encourage customers to share their pictures online and upload them to your website. The more, the better!
So, now you know how to market your florist business effectively, it’s time to get started! Remember, know your audience and where they spend time online. Build a local presence, put imagery at the heart of everything and provide an authentic online experience to build trust with your audience. Need any more help? Get in touch with Florist Touch – we can build a tailored website, full marketing strategy or ad-hoc advice and support.