Don’t Push Your Customers—PULL Them
Lots of businesses—florists included—tend to think of marketing as a way of pushing their message at their customers. You push postcards, fliers, newspaper ads, newsletters and loads of other communication messages at your customers to try and get their attention.
A fancy word for this method is “outbound marketing.”
The problem is that so many businesses are pushing their messages at your customers everyday—Heck, every hour! Every minute!—that they tend to simply tune them out. Getting your message through can take a heck of a lot of hard work—and money.
As a result, “inbound marketing” is the new buzz phrase. Well, not new, really. But it may be new to you. It’s a term used to describe the creation of content that actually pulls people in—that interests, educates and/or entertains them. Content that customers want to read or view or watch. The benefits of inbound marketing are some of the primary reasons why you’ve seen us emphasize the importance of setting up a blog on your website. With a blog, you can easily create the kind of content that your customers find interesting and valuable—often referred to as compelling.
What are your other opportunities for creating compelling content? YouTube videos, conversations on social media platforms, infographics or photos on your site are some of the main options.
So how do you create inbound success for your website? We’ve got three tips:
1) Connect with your customers. Take advantage of your social media profiles to get to know your customers. Show your personality (not too much personality, of course! Now arm-pit farting videos, please!) and allow customers to get a glimpse of you as a real person—not just a cardboard business.
2) Develop visual goodies. Share photos of your designs, your staff and happy customers on social media. Create a quick video (remember to use a good-quality microphone so the sound isn’t all echoey) for your site in which you explain how to care for an arrangement. Add an infographic on the value of flowers. Ask customers to upload photos of their arrangements, prom wristlets and wedding bouquets to your Facebook page. Photos deliver a message far quicker than words can. So take advantage of their visual appeal.
3) Tell customers what to do. Seriously. Marketers use the term “call to action” as the technique of leading your customers down a path toward greater engagement with your business. Even if all you do is get them to simply post comments, you’ll be deepening your relationship with them. That’s because, as customers interact with you and your shop—your brand—the more likely they will be to remember you when they need to order flowers or pick up a bouquet. It may seem very obvious to say, “Buy now!” but marketers have done enough research to know that such messages actually work—and are necessary!
So while you shouldn’t give up on the traditional modes of marketing that you’ve used over the years, you definitely need to incorporate today’s newest options. (Consider them just one more way to keep the sales pipeline flowing smoothly!)
What inbound marketing methods have you found effective? Share them here or send a note to [email protected].
Wait! One More Sec!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this article. And, since you’re already online with us, take our quick, 3-minute intro video tour here to find out about all the great resources we offer.
Next, delve into more great articles like the one above in our "Blooming Banter" section. "Blooming Banter" is filled with content exclusively written for florists.
If you like what you see, sign up for membership! You can join for FREE! You'll automatically get a 30-day trial to our Pro-level membership. No credit card required.
Pro-level membership gives you access to all areas of the site, including all the forums, the photo gallery, blogs, videos, webinars and downloadable resources.
At the end of 30 days, your membership will automatically convert to our Basic level unless you choose to remain a Pro member. Heck, for the price of about two of those fancy coffee drinks each month, you can continue as a Pro member with all the benefits!
We look forward to seeing you in the forums!
Lots of businesses—florists included—tend to think of marketing as a way of pushing their message at their customers. You push postcards, fliers, newspaper ads, newsletters and loads of other communication messages at your customers to try and get their attention.
A fancy word for this method is “outbound marketing.”
The problem is that so many businesses are pushing their messages at your customers everyday—Heck, every hour! Every minute!—that they tend to simply tune them out. Getting your message through can take a heck of a lot of hard work—and money.
As a result, “inbound marketing” is the new buzz phrase. Well, not new, really. But it may be new to you. It’s a term used to describe the creation of content that actually pulls people in—that interests, educates and/or entertains them. Content that customers want to read or view or watch. The benefits of inbound marketing are some of the primary reasons why you’ve seen us emphasize the importance of setting up a blog on your website. With a blog, you can easily create the kind of content that your customers find interesting and valuable—often referred to as compelling.
What are your other opportunities for creating compelling content? YouTube videos, conversations on social media platforms, infographics or photos on your site are some of the main options.
So how do you create inbound success for your website? We’ve got three tips:
1) Connect with your customers. Take advantage of your social media profiles to get to know your customers. Show your personality (not too much personality, of course! Now arm-pit farting videos, please!) and allow customers to get a glimpse of you as a real person—not just a cardboard business.
2) Develop visual goodies. Share photos of your designs, your staff and happy customers on social media. Create a quick video (remember to use a good-quality microphone so the sound isn’t all echoey) for your site in which you explain how to care for an arrangement. Add an infographic on the value of flowers. Ask customers to upload photos of their arrangements, prom wristlets and wedding bouquets to your Facebook page. Photos deliver a message far quicker than words can. So take advantage of their visual appeal.
3) Tell customers what to do. Seriously. Marketers use the term “call to action” as the technique of leading your customers down a path toward greater engagement with your business. Even if all you do is get them to simply post comments, you’ll be deepening your relationship with them. That’s because, as customers interact with you and your shop—your brand—the more likely they will be to remember you when they need to order flowers or pick up a bouquet. It may seem very obvious to say, “Buy now!” but marketers have done enough research to know that such messages actually work—and are necessary!
So while you shouldn’t give up on the traditional modes of marketing that you’ve used over the years, you definitely need to incorporate today’s newest options. (Consider them just one more way to keep the sales pipeline flowing smoothly!)
What inbound marketing methods have you found effective? Share them here or send a note to [email protected].
Wait! One More Sec!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this article. And, since you’re already online with us, take our quick, 3-minute intro video tour here to find out about all the great resources we offer.
Next, delve into more great articles like the one above in our "Blooming Banter" section. "Blooming Banter" is filled with content exclusively written for florists.
If you like what you see, sign up for membership! You can join for FREE! You'll automatically get a 30-day trial to our Pro-level membership. No credit card required.
Pro-level membership gives you access to all areas of the site, including all the forums, the photo gallery, blogs, videos, webinars and downloadable resources.
At the end of 30 days, your membership will automatically convert to our Basic level unless you choose to remain a Pro member. Heck, for the price of about two of those fancy coffee drinks each month, you can continue as a Pro member with all the benefits!
We look forward to seeing you in the forums!