5 Things You can Do to increase Your Online Floral Sales
While most local florists today have a web site, many of them are templates purchased through and supported by the large companies… and peppered with these large company brands like 1-800-Flowers, FTD, and Teleflora. Search engine optimization for template sites is nearly nonexistent and even the local store contact information is sometimes hidden in image files or under piles of links. Since nearly $2 billion dollars is going into online floral sales each year, it is worth it to invest in your own online marketing.
So what can you do? You can do a lot. These tips are low cost, you’re looking at free to less than $500 for a big return.
1. Start an email campaign.
You have a database of past clients? Use it. Take the email addresses that you do have and start collecting more as orders are received. Send out specials and photos of custom designs at a fraction of the cost of postal mail. Short messages are best. Stay in touch with current customers to stay at the top of their list when they have a need. Online relationships can translate into big dollars if they are maintained via email. You can see an increase in profits in a very short amount of time. One store we worked with saw their sales double in a month.
2. Offer a “Design Your Own” section on your web site.
Even if you do not have a full shopping cart on your web site, you can create this kind of page. Shoppers pick a style and then tell you the size, colors and a few flowers they’d like included. This might take a bit of extra time, but it will set you apart from large online floral brokers and the results will be fantastic.
3. Ask for Reviews
Reviews on sites like CitySearch, Yahoo Local and InsiderPages can truly boost your local search rankings. With every online invoice and email sent, make sure you ask folks how they feel about your services and have a link where they can post reviews. Positive reviews from local customers will not only boost your search engine rankings, they will also boost your bottom line.
4. Make a YouTube video of your weddings.
YouTube is all the rage and having video of your work posted online is a great low cost way to promote your floral shop locally.
5. Offer virtual bouquets.
With an e-postcard (branded with your contact information) your customers can say “I love you” in a special way and drive traffic to your web site. Have a database with birthdays in it? You can send out your own printable coupon birthday e-card, and let your customers know how special they truly are.
