Mother’s Day Question Leads to Deluge of Marketing Tips
The wealth of information florists can provide when they band together to help each other is simply astounding! I discovered that recently when I was looking for some Mother’s Day marketing ideas.
During my research, I came upon a question posted by a florist asking if anyone had used direct-mail postcards to promote the holiday and what their results were. The responses were full of great insight!
Several florists provided tips on how to use direct-mail most effectively. (I’ll share them in a sec…) But even better were all of the other great marketing suggestions that the florists divulged—tips that were proven to be successful by the individuals suggesting them. Can you get better advice than that?
But, first, those direct-mail tips: Many florists had tried mailing postcards or sending out kids to deliver fliers door to door. Most said they had gotten little to no results from this method. But among those who had seen success, certain techniques were important:
Target the delivery. Identify the specific zones in which you want your marketing delivered. Choose areas of town that you think are most likely to be receptive to your promotion.
Don’t offer a coupon. Instead, offer a gift certificate. Customers perceive gift certificates as more valuable. Several florists suggested values of between $5 and $10. One also recommended not putting an expiration date on it. “It's like $$ in their pocket,” she wrote. “Some will come in and get the $5 in flowers. It only costs you $1 or so wholesale, gets them in the door, and they'll remember you.”
Choose a local printer and/or mailing service. It may be tempting to go with an online printer, which often offers discounted deals. But as a small business yourself, it only makes sense to support other local retailers. Plus, you’ll have better control of the quality.
Choose an impactful size. Bigger is better. Postcards that are 6 inches by 9 inches get attention more easily than smaller sizes. Plus you have more room to convey your message.
Use a friendly voice. A florist in Romania said she sent out fliers when she first opened her shop. She included a friendly message: “Hello! We are your new neighbors! Come and visit us!” She said it worked because the text was friendly and open, “not a standard commercial message,” she said, which she had previously tested but got no results. “People pay attention to open and friendly messages,” she added.
Don’t limit your delivery methods. One florist said she had postcards designed and printed as $5 and $10 gift certificates. “I keep them in my car, hand them out at mixers, deliver some to businesses for the employees,” she said. Plus, she can use them when she gets a request for donations.
Now for those additional marketing ideas: I love how one florist worded her suggestion for a different marketing tactic than direct mail. She wrote. “Instead of spamming people with paper, spam them with flowers!” She suggested getting a quote on how much you’d spend for a direct-mail promotion. Then, convert that line item into a budget specifically used for purchasing flowers that you give out to the public for free.
She recommends using this method on the actual day of Mother’s Day. “It might be a busy day at the shop,” she wrote, “but try to use Mother's Day to create a connection with future customers.” She suggests printing a tag you can attach to single stems with your shop’s contact info and the message “I love my mother!” Then pass the blossoms out at a location within your intended demographic. Simply say to recipients, “Forgot it was Mother's Day? We didn't! Here! Take one!" She said, “It may not mean direct client conversion, but it is definitely more memorable, and it (will) make people talk.” After all, she pointed out, “Word of mouth is still the best strategy for retailers. Instead of writing down how good you are, you get to show them!”
Another florist also recommended giving out flowers. “We give out unsalable flowers with our business cards regularly in the parking lots of the two (local) grocery stores,” she wrote. She said she has gotten several weddings out of the tactic, as well as raising awareness among customers who said they weren’t familiar with her shop (despite its longevity at its location). (When asked by other florists about quality concerns with “unsalable” stems, she explained that the person handing out the blossoms tells recipients that the flowers are “too pretty to toss but not nice enough to sell.” She makes sure to let customers know the flowers don’t have much vase life left.) She said she also has had great luck having “a parking lot sale” on Saturday mornings with nice weather. “People see the stuff and come in droves,” she said.
Handing out flowers at competitions or charity events was a tactic used by another florist. She suggested contacting the local newspaper ahead of time to let them know you’ll be providing the giveaways. “The free publicity is always good!” she said. Similarly, another florist used to have good luck handing out flowers at her small town’s annual parade. “My girls were young, and they had a basket full of them to hand out....fun for everyone!” she wrote.
A less obvious site at which to give away free flowers is your local hospital. One florist noted that she had tried newspaper inserts, direct mail and e-mail through a third-party vendor with no results from any of those methods.
“Then we took 500 carnations and business cards, went to hospital and handed them to every person we came across,” she said. Her staff offered an added incentive to recipients: If they came in to the shop and said they had received a flower at the hospital, they got 10 percent off. It was a big hit, she said—big enough that she now repeats it annually. “It always pays for itself, and we gain new customers,” she wrote.
What about you? What have been your most successful marketing promotions—for Mother’s Day or otherwise? Send your advice to [email protected] so we can share your suggestions with other florists.
One More Thing...
Now that you're visiting FlowerChat, 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!
The wealth of information florists can provide when they band together to help each other is simply astounding! I discovered that recently when I was looking for some Mother’s Day marketing ideas.
During my research, I came upon a question posted by a florist asking if anyone had used direct-mail postcards to promote the holiday and what their results were. The responses were full of great insight!
Several florists provided tips on how to use direct-mail most effectively. (I’ll share them in a sec…) But even better were all of the other great marketing suggestions that the florists divulged—tips that were proven to be successful by the individuals suggesting them. Can you get better advice than that?
But, first, those direct-mail tips: Many florists had tried mailing postcards or sending out kids to deliver fliers door to door. Most said they had gotten little to no results from this method. But among those who had seen success, certain techniques were important:
Target the delivery. Identify the specific zones in which you want your marketing delivered. Choose areas of town that you think are most likely to be receptive to your promotion.
Don’t offer a coupon. Instead, offer a gift certificate. Customers perceive gift certificates as more valuable. Several florists suggested values of between $5 and $10. One also recommended not putting an expiration date on it. “It's like $$ in their pocket,” she wrote. “Some will come in and get the $5 in flowers. It only costs you $1 or so wholesale, gets them in the door, and they'll remember you.”
Choose a local printer and/or mailing service. It may be tempting to go with an online printer, which often offers discounted deals. But as a small business yourself, it only makes sense to support other local retailers. Plus, you’ll have better control of the quality.
Choose an impactful size. Bigger is better. Postcards that are 6 inches by 9 inches get attention more easily than smaller sizes. Plus you have more room to convey your message.
Use a friendly voice. A florist in Romania said she sent out fliers when she first opened her shop. She included a friendly message: “Hello! We are your new neighbors! Come and visit us!” She said it worked because the text was friendly and open, “not a standard commercial message,” she said, which she had previously tested but got no results. “People pay attention to open and friendly messages,” she added.
Don’t limit your delivery methods. One florist said she had postcards designed and printed as $5 and $10 gift certificates. “I keep them in my car, hand them out at mixers, deliver some to businesses for the employees,” she said. Plus, she can use them when she gets a request for donations.
Now for those additional marketing ideas: I love how one florist worded her suggestion for a different marketing tactic than direct mail. She wrote. “Instead of spamming people with paper, spam them with flowers!” She suggested getting a quote on how much you’d spend for a direct-mail promotion. Then, convert that line item into a budget specifically used for purchasing flowers that you give out to the public for free.
She recommends using this method on the actual day of Mother’s Day. “It might be a busy day at the shop,” she wrote, “but try to use Mother's Day to create a connection with future customers.” She suggests printing a tag you can attach to single stems with your shop’s contact info and the message “I love my mother!” Then pass the blossoms out at a location within your intended demographic. Simply say to recipients, “Forgot it was Mother's Day? We didn't! Here! Take one!" She said, “It may not mean direct client conversion, but it is definitely more memorable, and it (will) make people talk.” After all, she pointed out, “Word of mouth is still the best strategy for retailers. Instead of writing down how good you are, you get to show them!”
Another florist also recommended giving out flowers. “We give out unsalable flowers with our business cards regularly in the parking lots of the two (local) grocery stores,” she wrote. She said she has gotten several weddings out of the tactic, as well as raising awareness among customers who said they weren’t familiar with her shop (despite its longevity at its location). (When asked by other florists about quality concerns with “unsalable” stems, she explained that the person handing out the blossoms tells recipients that the flowers are “too pretty to toss but not nice enough to sell.” She makes sure to let customers know the flowers don’t have much vase life left.) She said she also has had great luck having “a parking lot sale” on Saturday mornings with nice weather. “People see the stuff and come in droves,” she said.
Handing out flowers at competitions or charity events was a tactic used by another florist. She suggested contacting the local newspaper ahead of time to let them know you’ll be providing the giveaways. “The free publicity is always good!” she said. Similarly, another florist used to have good luck handing out flowers at her small town’s annual parade. “My girls were young, and they had a basket full of them to hand out....fun for everyone!” she wrote.
A less obvious site at which to give away free flowers is your local hospital. One florist noted that she had tried newspaper inserts, direct mail and e-mail through a third-party vendor with no results from any of those methods.
“Then we took 500 carnations and business cards, went to hospital and handed them to every person we came across,” she said. Her staff offered an added incentive to recipients: If they came in to the shop and said they had received a flower at the hospital, they got 10 percent off. It was a big hit, she said—big enough that she now repeats it annually. “It always pays for itself, and we gain new customers,” she wrote.
What about you? What have been your most successful marketing promotions—for Mother’s Day or otherwise? Send your advice to [email protected] so we can share your suggestions with other florists.
One More Thing...
Now that you're visiting FlowerChat, 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!
