Focus on the Success and the Dollars Will Follow

I have never claimed that growing your business is easy or fun, in fact, it can be extremely challenging. I’ve learned from experience that the two most dangerous things you can ever do to a small business is grow your business or move your location. Both of those things sound enticing but they can have severe consequences if the timing isn’t right.

When small businesses grow too fast, they’re not always ready for the influx of business they receive. This can quickly spiral out of control and it won’t take long before they’re buried in problems they didn’t even know existed.

The main reason for this is because so many people make the mistake of equating growth with success; the more they grow, the more successful they’ll be. In a vacuum, that makes sense, but the problem is that most people ignore or simply underestimate the new responsibilities that come along with growth – they’re called growing pains for a reason!

Patience is key, but along with that, it’s important to realize that not everyone can grow a business – and not every business is ripe for growth. It’s a great feeling when you see sales numbers jump and that’s a good sign that growth may be a viable option in the future – but your focus should be on success, not growth. If you follow success, the dollars will follow.

Work smarter…and harder

If your goal is to grow your company and you feel that you’re ready to scale up, here are the three areas you need to focus on first:

• Staffing. Invest in the right people – look for those who are fast on their feet and are good critical thinkers who can handle some pressure. I always find restaurant staff is the best for understanding organized chaos and dealing with unexpected issues. Better staff can free up more of your time which allows you to focus on other areas.

• Training. Everyone needs training - even the top-level professional athletes spend much more time practicing than they do preforming. The key to great training is consistency. If all employees are trained the same way, there can be no dispute about what is right and what is wrong. Make sure your training materials are accurate, up-to-date, and taught consistently. Never assume that a new employee knows your business practices or procedures just because they have experience in your field.

• Measuring. Set your benchmarks now and keep a close eye on your progress.

Now that many of the major spring holidays are behind us, the next few month are the best time of the year to take a closer look at all aspects of your business in order to make the changes needed for a successful end to 2019.

Set your goals and expectations and focus on what is most important. To me? Close the sale and have plans to grow the relationship. Build from there and the dollars will follow.

I am here for you! Call me anytime at (941) 313-8025 if you would like to discuss or simply leave a comment below. Remember, it’s not just 'point, click, and order,' It's 'point, click, order…and grow'! You really can do it and next month you will have the order volume to get started!

Have a great week!

-Art

Avoid These Two Common Mistakes on $20 Tuesdays

If you’re like most florists I know, then many of your flowers arrive by Monday and are processed and in water by end of the day. Next you have Tuesday, that slug in the week! Unfortunately, Tuesdays fall a little too early for the weekend wedding plans unless you are gathering hard goods. But, do we know how many flowers we will use? We usually never do.

That is one of the main reasons why I believe that $20 Tuesday promotions are outstanding money makers for local florists.

The idea behind $20 Tuesday is to show value. It may not necessarily a big profit generator, but it is certainly a value reminder. When people see they can get flowers delivered on a Tuesday, the thoughts for reasons why people need them expand. It also doesn’t hurt that you’re creating transactions you would have never had on a day where you still have staff on the clock that needs to be paid.

I have always recommended having a running $20 Tuesday promotion because I know the value is there, but there are a couple of important things to remember if you want to run a similar promotion.

Avoid These $20 Tuesday Mistakes

1. Never indicate a certain flower. Unless you got a special buy or you needed to order a lot of a certain type of flower for a wedding, do not limit yourself because you may end up in trouble if your promotion is popular, and that could end up costing you big. Instead, use up your extras in your $20 Tuesday promotions and clean out your coolers. In fact, even if you do have some premium flowers that you need to move, it's still best not to promise certain flowers and let people be surprised with some signature flowers like peonies, sunflowers, or other favorites.

2. Never allow people to order this deal on any given day. You need to be very clear that this promotion is only valid on Tuesdays. Build the excitement and attract the value hunters; they need to know they got a great deal. Your specials will quickly lose value if you saturate the effort by offering it too often.

Promotions like $20 Tuesday have done wonders for many florists across the country. It now makes people see you as an affordable choice and that always leads to bigger and better things. Transactions are - and will always be - the key to kelp you move forward.

If you aren’t currently running a promotion like $20 Tuesday, we can help get everything set up for you. I did it for over 30 years when I ran my shop and it was always a popular promotion. This is the difference between a marketing agency and a retail florist working as an agency for florists - we know the ‘what’s’ and 'why's’. Give me a call anytime at (941) 806-1911 or leave a comment below and we’ll be happy to help you get started.

9 Summer Marketing Tips for Your Shop

Summertime has finally arrived and that means the beginning of the traditional “slow period” for florists. But that doesn’t mean we need to slow down our marketing efforts as well. In fact, it’s time to do the opposite - it’s time to reach out even further in order to attract customers and it’s time to get creative.

Advertising can be expensive which makes it a pervasive candidate for the chopping block for many small business owners looking at ways to scale back on expenses during the lean summer months.

Unfortunately, that approach to business typically does more harm than good in the long run by decreasing visibility at a time when many shops could probably use it the most.

The good news is there are many low-cost – or sometimes even free - ways out there for you to market your business. Here are several ideas that may help you increase exposure without breaking your budget.

1) Customer referral program – Reward customers who bring in new business with a referral program. Word-of-mouth advertising is extremely effective because it comes with a built-in testimonial, so turning your customers into ambassadors for your brand is a win-win for everyone.

2) Industry partnerships – Forming partnerships with other local businesses can help increase your viability, and cross-promotion could place your products in areas you may not have had access to before. Try contacting local real estate agents and offer to make centerpieces for their open houses.

3) Host an event or class – Periodically hosting “behind the scenes” tours of your shop, or interactive workshops for children, adults, or families, builds excitement for your brand and allows you to get to know your customers on a more personal level.

4) Community events – Have some balloons, fidget spinners, t-shirts or other small trinkets branded with your logo and ready to hand out at parades, farmers’ markets, art and craft fairs and other community events.

5) Sponsor a youth sports team – Not only can sponsoring youth sports build goodwill and a positive image in the community, it also provides you with the benefit of having your logo prominently displayed on team uniforms, signage, etc. You can even print up extra t-shirts with your logo on them for the parents to wear.

6) Props – Reach out to local theater groups or schools and allow them to use your products as props in their performances in exchange for acknowledgment in the printed programs.

7) In-kind non-profit sponsorship – most non-profit organizations welcome in-kind sponsorship for their events. This not only increases your reach, but also puts your products in the hands of potential new customers.

8) Contests – Have a weekly contest and give away flowers, gift cards, or other gifts from you shop as prizes. Contests can be held online or in-store. Business card drawings are a tried-and-true tactic that also helps build your customer list by collecting information from the business cards and is usually popular since there are no forms to fill out.

9) Targeted messaging – Online marketing allows you to market directly to the mobile devices of current customers and potential new customers. You choose the exact demographics and message and only pay for the customers you reach. It is the most efficient form of marketing today and is fairly inexpensive compared to traditional forms of advertising.

If you need some help kick-starting your summer marketing, we’re here to help! Give us a call today at (941) 806-1911 or leave a comment below. We’ll help you explore options and decide on a strategy that’s best for your shop.

7 Simple Steps for a Winning Social Media Strategy

Having a strong social media strategy is an important tool for every business, but proper utilization is the essential key to success. There is a lot more to social media than simply setting up a profile, publishing some posts, and collecting followers. Here are seven simple tips to get you off to a strong start in today’s world of social media:

1. Decide what goals you wish to accomplish with social media. What kind of an audience are you hoping to attract and what are you going to do to attract them? Once you've determined your audience you need to decide what you want them to do and determine if it's worth investing the time and money into reaching them. Don’t make the mistake of throwing everything at the social media wall and hoping it sticks - social media doesn’t really work that way.

2. Keep it simple at the start. Social media can be overwhelming. Facebook alone reaches nearly a third of the people on the entire planet and there are dozens of other platforms out there that may help extend your company's brand and marketing efforts. If you’re starting out on your own, start small and be selective, there is always room to grow.

3. Staying organized is important. Even if you already have a presence on multiple platforms, it’s smart to utilize a social media management platform such as Sprout, Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to coordinate all your accounts in one place. As we mentioned earlier, it's easy to get overwhelmed, but there is always help available to make your strategy easier and more efficient.

4. Be careful who you trust with your social media accounts. Everyone has a mobile device, but that doesn’t mean just anyone can handle social media for your business. If you don’t do it yourself, make sure you find someone who is not only savvy with the mediums, but also someone who is energetic, friendly and knows your business. They also need to be cool under pressure since they will be the voice of your business.

5. Be sure to carefully monitor your social media results. This will help you experiment with different social platforms and allow you to adjust your marketing approach. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for every business, but the stats will let you know what works and what doesn’t.

6. Make it pretty! They say 'a picture is worth a thousand words' and this definitely applies to social media. Statistics have shown that posts with visuals receive 94% more page views and engagement than posts without them. Utilizing great photos and eye-catching visuals are the most effective way to tell your story and build your brand image the way you want followers to see you.

7. Have fun with it and let your personality shine through! Social media is not only a fantastic way to let the world know what your company is all about but it also helps visitors to your pages understand your company culture and what sets you apart from your competitors. People prefer to do business with companies they trust, so giving them a glimpse into the day-to-day workings of your shop is an excellent way to make them feel welcome.

Time is money when it comes to social media and it’s easy to waste a lot of both if you don’t know what you’re doing. If you’re new to social media marketing, or if you’ve already invested a sizable amount of time without seeing returns, you may need to hire an expert. Bloomerang Solutions has the experience and knowledge you need to supercharge your social media marketing. Give us a call at 941-806-1911 or drop us a line and we’ll help you formulate a custom plan for your business.

The Wire-Out Model Needs to Change - We Can Help You Untangle

The biggest difference between me and any other digital company you are considering to help you with your retail business, is that I am a florist - JUST LIKE YOU. Why does it matter? Because anyone who is not a florist does not understand:

• The cost of an order breakdown

• Insertion considerations to building a bouquet

• Availability of items locally, across the country and/or Seasonally.

• Create a voice to help you and the industry improve. NOW, allow me to explain.

The floral industry is facing a big problem when it comes to wire orders. We have a broken model that used to work well before customers were able to see what they were receiving.

Now, the expectation has increased, but the production expectation has not been modified. Now, to explain this - YES, we produce products. We are (or need to be) assembly lines. You can still be creative and mass-produce high-ticket items, as long as you can sell them. We still have florists today who are selling this product for an up-sell. Yes, a $170 vase without any explanation, no copy for SEO, no explanation for the sales associate to read to the customer.

The cost of sending and receiving an order 73-27 split - that speaks for itself. It's a paid advertisement and filling the order makes the floral world go around. So if you like to send, then do your part and receive. If all you do is send, give the shop enough to make money at it.

It's time to sell, FILL TO VALUE bouquets. Request a color and assure the customer that the florist will use the very best hand-selected and designed seasonal blooms to create a lovely bouquet and ensure delivery in the timely fashion. Yes, focus on the hand delivery. Now, if they want to ask for specific bouquets, custom designs start at....you decide, $75, $85 or $100.

Here is an example for the price-sensitive shopper looking for a blooming plant:

Now if there is one they just dislike, let us know.

Next, a nice seasonal mix? Sure.

This slows everything down a bit here, it's what we need now. If ANY florists think they can make a profit designing single orders for $39.95 with 5 lines of requests, you can't do it.

You are an assembly line and we need to combine expectation and the realistic end result. It needs to be focused on the service. After all, as much as we all want to believe otherwise, the message is most important element in almost all orders.

This is the difference! Even companies that specialize in the floral industry, seeing the challenges through the eyes of the owner us what I feel is my greatest strength. Explaining and convey the new model is my greatest challenge.

Let's face it, most TV ads have moved over to You Tube. Those ads you see disrupting your view of any video clip are the new VIDEO ads and they work. Yellow Pages? That's right...Most people have moved over to Google ads. Who you trust is the biggest challenge. Just because your friend has someone, doesn't mean that someone has the results you need.

Most importantly, while most businesses used to be done over the phone, today more people are comfortable completing the order online. BUT, this has now affected BOUNCE RATES. Bounce rates are one of the first things people used to jump up and down about because it was what they thought was EASY TO UNDERSTAND. They would ask me what my bounce rate was and I would just smile and tell them I don't know. How do you measure the phone-in order. So they clicked, liked your website and decided to call you because they felt more comfortable speaking with someone. Now, is that really a bounce?

Last but not least. NEVER trust your web developer for SEO results. Web developers design, create, and write code that needs to be effective, fast and return results. they are (and should be) focused on a solid, expandable code base. On the same hand, don't expect your digital marketer to be able to write code, HOWEVER, they can and should have an expectation of how the results need to appear and the design.

For example, I like to see every page written as if each were a landing page. THEY are so that is a great start when developing a website so when you target your keyword results, your channel and direct them towards the content you need to get back from the visitor.

Now before I lose you and you BOUNCE away, feel free to give me a call and let's see what we can do together! Don't be fooled. Trust your gut and ask questions. Call me today at (941) 806-1911 and let me know how we can help your business bloom.

-Art