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Florist Tech: Be Web-Ready for Cupid |
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Written by Georgiana Laudi
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Remember last Valentine’s Day? It was the one you promised you would plan better for in 2011. Well, here’s your chance to stay true to your good intentions. Valentine’s Day is only a few short months away, and if you get your web essentials geared up now, there’s no stopping you come February.
Update your website
Your website is precious real estate during the holidays. Not only does it serve as your 24-hour salesperson, it can also alleviate the burden on your sales staff during busy times.
Products: By December you know what new products you’ll be offering, so don’t wait to add these new items to your website – of course, you won’t make them viewable or available for sale until mid-January. If your website is updated for you, then take this time to go over what’s coming. Price and list the items you plan to carry now, so it’s easy and quick to notify your webmaster when the time comes. Don’t forget to take note of everyday items that you’ll want disabled in February too, like those with lots of roses not priced for the holiday.
Search engine optimization: Now is the time you’ll want to think about writing some great keyword rich content. This might be a page with content like ordering tips or the Valentine’s Day category page used to list your products. If you have pages like these already from previous years, use them and give them a refresh by removing old and adding new products, changing or adding some text or playing with colour or layout. If possible keep the URLs and page titles intact though; you don’t want to lose search engine ranking you may already have gained.
Home page: Changing up your homepage for the new season is always important, but this multiplies tenfold come Valentine’s Day. Get a clear idea now what your star bouquets will be, where you want to place information about special promos or contests. You will want to have this ready to go live mid-January too.
Hold a contest
Whether the intention is just to promote your shop, a certain product or encourage early ordering, contests are a great way to attract attention. Here are a couple ideas to get your creative juices flowing now:
- Find a local partner (such as a spa or restaurant) and hold a gift certificate giveaway. When customers order flowers, they are automatically entered. Ask the partner to promote your contest at their location, on their website or even to their e-mail list. Provide them with the posters, images and links they will need, to make it easy for them and to make sure your shop gets maximum exposure.
- Run a Valentine’s Day trivia campaign on Twitter or Facebook during the first week of February. Every day ask trivia questions related to the holiday or flowers and the first ones to answer correctly are entered to win free Valentine’s Day flowers for their partners.
- Make it about the romance by holding a contest on Facebook for the most romantic Valentine’s Day story or top three things they love about their valentine. Ask for a picture of the winning couple or announce them by tagging them in your Facebook page wall post. This way, it appears on their walls, too, and can serve as inspiration to their friends.
E-mail like a champ
E-mail campaigns are still a great way to market directly to your customers. Because it’s permission based (opt-in), it has one of the highest conversion rates in online marketing. Depending on what your subscribers are used to, they likely expect to receive e-mail from you during this holiday. Just be careful not to abuse this; you don’t want to come across as spammy. If the thought of e-mail marketing gives you the chills, try services like MailChimp or CakeMail. With relatively little expense they make newsletters super easy. If you take the time to set this up now, you’ll feel confident enough by January to dive in and schedule your e-mails.
Here are a few dos and don’ts:
- Don’t start too early – Your first e-mail shouldn’t go out before Feb. 1. If you are running a contest or any specials, this is a great time to give your subscribers first access and encourage them to share with friends.
- Do warn about ordering deadlines – Your second e-mail is a great time to emphasize that they shouldn’t wait until the Feb. 13 to order and let them know your contest or special is ending.
- Do give procrastinators options – When it gets down to the wire, one last e-mail may be in order. A last chance for romance, so to speak. Be friendly but concise, if this is the third e-mail they are receiving from you, make it quick and painless.
- Don’t overdo it – Two or three e-mails during the first two weeks of February is enough. For example: Feb. 1, 8 and 11.
Spread the word with social media
Your blog: Make the decision to buy flowers an easy one for your customers. Blog about fun Valentine’s Day ideas, contests and tips on how, what or when to order. Be helpful and informative, and people may even spread the word for you. Be sure to use great keywords in your titles and text to benefit from the extra search engine traffic too.
Facebook and Twitter: Use your time wisely and update your Facebook page and Twitter feed by leveraging what you’re already working on: your website updates, new products, contests and blog posts. Set up keyword e-mail updates using tools like Social Mention to watch what people are saying about the holiday, your area or your shop. When time allows, answer any questions – if you see an opportunity – and establish your shop as the Valentine’s Day experts that you are.
Further Resources:
Search Engine Optimization
Valentine’s Day SEO Project (Siloing) by Ryan Freeman: www.floristseo.com/seo/valentines-day-seo-project
E-mail Marketing Software
MailChimp: www.mailchimp.com
CakeMail: www.cakemail.com (bonus points for being Canadian)
Constant Contact: www.constantcontact.com
Social Media Monitoring
Social Mention: www.socialmention.com
Google Social Search: www.google.com/#hl=en&prmdo=1&tbs=mbl%3A1&q=flowers&fp=1&cad=b
Georgiana Laudi is a third-generation florist and marketing manager at Terrafolia in Montreal. She’s also dedicated to helping other florists succeed with their websites. Visit her online at GrowAFlorist.com or reach her at
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