Florist 2.0 Blog: Recent Episodes
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In its 50 years, the Public Broadcasting Service has introduced Americans young and old to a slew of educational topics, including the drama, science, history, food, and home improvement. Now, flowers have joined the list. “J Schwanke’s Life in Bloom” explores various ways and reasons to incorporate flowers into daily life. Fourth-generation florist J Schwanke, …
J Schwanke Launches PBS Series Read More »
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J Schwanke Launches PBS Series
Earlier this month, federal prosecutors charged dozens of wealthy parents, including prominent figures in law, business and Hollywood, with bribing college coaches and testing administrators to help get their children admitted to elite colleges. The scandal introduced the wider world to some truly brazen examples of corruption, such as doctoring athletic photos to pass kids …
Stress Awareness Month Provides Easy Marketing Pitch Read More »
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Stress Awareness Month Provides Easy Marketing Pitch
For the first time since 1985, Interflora World Cup – an Olympic-like event held every four to six years – made its way to the western hemisphere. The rare opportunity to catch the prestigious competition live without partaking in overseas travel drew hundreds of North American floral professionals and enthusiasts to the City of Brotherly …
World Cup Unites, Inspires Florists, Public Read More »
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World Cup Unites, Inspires Florists, Public
On Valentine’s Day, about 70 students at the University of Florida gathered to celebrate love — specifically, self-love. At the heart of their event, called “Love Yourself Night”? Plants. “Plants have been found to be a great form of therapy,” said Deneen Wang, a member of Campus Diplomats, the program’s organizer, whose mission is to …
College Students Embrace Plants’ Healing Benefits Read More »
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College Students Embrace Plants’ Healing Benefits
The Super Bowl, arguably one of the biggest live television events of the year, should draw an estimated 111 million viewers on Sunday. Seizing on an occasion that draws people together (minus, perhaps, a few thousand Saints fans this year), the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation will share photos and names of fallen military heroes on …
Memorial Day Flowers to Honor Heroes During Super Bowl Read More »
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Memorial Day Flowers to Honor Heroes During Super Bowl
On Sunday, January 20, Botanical International Design Studio in Tampa, Fla., celebrated 30 years in business by showing off what the company does best: throwing one heck of a party. Family, friends, longtime clients, and wedding vendor entered a historic home completely transformed with eye-catching and thoughtful details, including: Bistro lights and hundreds of …
Botanica Celebrates 30 Years with Flower-Filled Fête Read More »
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Botanica Celebrates 30 Years with Flower-Filled Fête
When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, I’m typically very cliché. Like the masses, I always want to, well, “reduce in mass.” But at 22 weeks pregnant, I know weight loss is simply an absurd goal right now. Instead, I’m focusing on growing my brain. (And my baby — obviously.) I recently got an email …
Improving Brain Health and Creativity in 2019 Read More »
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Improving Brain Health and Creativity in 2019
On Monday, December 17, most shops throughout New York City sported a very similar aesthetic: evergreen boughs, twinkling lights, shiny baubles, snowflakes, etc. But not Maison Gerard. The high-end furniture atelier and gallery featured a decidedly tropical vibe for “Passion, Petals, and Purpose,” an event hosted by Designer Cut Flowers, a Miami-based importer of premium …
NYC Designers, Event Planners Learn Art of ‘Tropical Nouveau’ Read More »
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NYC Designers, Event Planners Learn Art of ‘Tropical Nouveau’
Once upon a time hollyhocks had grown in every rural garden, then became slightly forgotten, only to come back stronger now. These flowering plants are easy in cultivation, but it is worth to learn their preferences in order to provide them with the appropriate growing conditions so they can become the pride of your garden. …
Growing Hollyhocks from Seeds Read More »
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Growing Hollyhocks from Seeds
Earlier this month, thousands of fans of PBS star P. Allen Smith learned the value of fresh product for holiday decor, and how to transition designs from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Georgia-based floral educator Sharon McGukin, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, joined the gardening and lifestyle expert at his home, Moss Mountain Farm in Roland, Arkansas, for an …
Georgia Designer Shares Holiday Tips on National Program Read More »
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Georgia Designer Shares Holiday Tips on National Program
It’s easy to take for granted the beauty and interest of a flower shop’s operations when you experience it every day. For outsiders, your design room and cooler can seem pretty magical. About a month ago, Nic Faitos started hosting private tours of Starbright Floral Design, a tactic he says is a great way to …
Store Tours Build Loyalty, Excitement for NYC Florist Read More »
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Store Tours Build Loyalty, Excitement for NYC Florist
In its 10th year in business, Strider, the online marketing company founded by fifth-generation florist Ryan Freeman and his wife, Janis, continues to evolve. Last month, Strider became a certified automated marketing agency. Veteran online shoppers have no doubt received highly personalized emails (such as product suggestions) from behemoth companies like Amazon or Pottery Barn. …
Strider Inc. Earns Automated Marketing Certification Read More »
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Strider Inc. Earns Automated Marketing Certification
Were you among the throngs admiring the lush arches of greenery and garden roses at Meghan and Harry’s wedding last May? In late September, Tampa, Florist florist Ian Prosser, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, traveled across the pond to train with royal wedding florist Philippa Craddock and her assistants. “In a way, it was like taking a …
Ian Prosser Attends Philippa Craddock Workshop Read More »
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Ian Prosser Attends Philippa Craddock Workshop
Shirley Lyons, AAF, PFCI, the recently retired owner of Dandelions Flowers & Gifts in Eugene, Oregon, received the fourth annual Tom Butler “Floral Retailer of the Year” award earlier this month during the American Floral Endowment fundraising dinner in conjunction with SAF Palm Springs 2018, the Society of American Florists 134th annual convention. Established in …
Shirley Lyons Wins Tom Butler ‘Floral Retailer of the Year’ Award Read More »
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Shirley Lyons Wins Tom Butler ‘Floral Retailer of the Year’ Award
Last May, Michael Skaff, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, was closing on a piece of property so he paid a visit to his attorney. The attorney’s office was in a building with about 30 other business tenants. When Skaff arrived, he immediately noticed the atrium. “It looked pathetic,” he said. Before leaving, Skaff asked his attorney for …
Savannah Florist Launches Interior Plant Design Biz Read More »
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Savannah Florist Launches Interior Plant Design Biz
The Strider team has been helping florists with online sales since 1994. Here’s a look at what we thought was interesting on the internet this week! We hope you think so too! Don’t be an average florist. Get the Essential Bundle from Strider today and grow your brand! Missouri Startup Aims to Add Fragrance to …
Adding Fragrance to Flowers? SEO Myths That Won’t Die! And more :) Read More »
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Adding Fragrance to Flowers? SEO Myths That Won’t Die! And more :)
Watch any consumer interact with flowers. Invariably, he or she will bend down to smell the blossoms. But unless the bunch includes lilies, garden roses, gardenias, hyacinth, a whole lot of baby’s breath or stock, there’s no olfactory treat to be had. On a trip to the auction houses in Aalsmeer a few years ago, …
Missouri Startup Aims to Add Fragrance to Flowers Read More »
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Missouri Startup Aims to Add Fragrance to Flowers
The Strider team has been helping florists with online sales since 1994. Here’s a look at what we thought was interesting on the internet this week! We hope you think Who needs reviews? YOU need reviews! Score lots of great online reviews from real customers with the Easy Review Builder from Strider. Cost-Effective SEO for …
Making Your Online Business Bloom by Strider Read More »
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Making Your Online Business Bloom by Strider
Here’s a tricky sales situation: A customer calls mid-week, requesting an arrangement for her dinner party for 12 on Saturday. She wants all orange tulips. It’s mid-August. Oh, and she wants to keep the price “as low as possible,” since it’s just “a little something for the dinner table.” So what do you, the sales …
What Would You Say? Read More »
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What Would You Say?
The Strider team has been helping florists with online sales since 1994. Here’s a look at what we thought was interesting on the internet this week! We hope you think Don’t be an average florist. Get the Essential Bundle from Strider today and grow your brand! Do Google reviews impact local ranking? – Search Engine …
Do Reviews Help With SEO? + 8 More Tips Read More »
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Do Reviews Help With SEO? + 8 More Tips
Desperate to get away, but a vacation doesn’t currently fit in your schedule or budget? Then take a virtual trip to South America via J Schwanke, AAF, AIFD, PFCI. In the final episode of his latest documentary, “The Flowers of Colombia,” the founder of uBloom.com visits garden rose grower Joey Azout, president of Alexandra Farms, …
Alexandra Farms Visit Completes Schwanke’s Latest Documentary Read More »
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Alexandra Farms Visit Completes Schwanke’s Latest Documentary
Google has been warning us for ten years. Big surprise: most florist websites and website providers are behind the curve on this. Again.
So what's to be done? Here are a few ideas:
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Google: Most Florist Sites Are Not Secure
The Strider team has been helping florists with online sales since 1994. Here’s a look at what we thought was interesting on the internet this week! We hope you think Don’t be an average florist. Get the Essential Bundle from Strider today and grow your brand! Yelp Marketing – What About Those Reviews? Source: striderseo.com …
Yelp Reviews, Google My Business Tips, Bridal Show Survival, and more! Read More »
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Yelp Reviews, Google My Business Tips, Bridal Show Survival, and more!
Spring means prom season, and that means you may be finding the perfect outfit for the occasion or you’re helping your teen search for a prom look that will be the life of the party. Flowers have long been a part of prom as well, but several young people are opting for more modern versions …
Chic Prom Flower Ideas Read More »
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Chic Prom Flower Ideas
Scrolling through my LinkedIn newsfeed, I saw a post titled, “Why You Need an Untouchable Day Every Week.” Sensing it contained advice on work-life balance, I clicked. (For the past two or three years, I’ve found myself working more and more weekends and letting once important things in my life — tennis, friends, etc. — …
The Magic of ‘Untouchable’ Days Read More »
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The Magic of ‘Untouchable’ Days
If there’s one thing Neville MacKay, CAFA, PFCI, loves, it’s storytelling. (Well, and flowers, obviously.) The longtime author of Canadian Florist’s “Neville on the Level” column is wrapping up his first book, a compilation of his greatest hits from the magazine, and already working on another. For his second book, the owner of My Mother’s …
Neville MacKay Wants YOU (To Share Your Stories) Read More »
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Neville MacKay Wants YOU (To Share Your Stories)
Earlier this week, our friends at Bloomerang outlined the devastating effects of FTD Inc.'s Valentine's 2018 market campaigns. This approach lead to a Valentine's holiday that underperformed their expectations by as much as $20 million. The company is considering $50 million in credit support from their largest shareholder, Liberty Interactive Corp.
But this article isn't about FTD. At least, not directly.
You see, this latest incident with FTD is not a new problem, but is actually symptomatic of a much larger problem in our industry. It's a problem that is perpetuated much more frequently by retail florists than the various conglomerations of online and order gathering outfits.
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What FTD’s Valentine’s Trouble Reveals About The Floral Industry
Last weekend, the Michigan Floral Association awarded two individuals very near and dear to the Florist 2.0 community. Mark Anderson, the founder of FloristWare, received the National Service Award, which recognizes a person or company who “is active and connected behind the scenes in the floral industry, works tirelessly for their customers, and is generous …
Michigan Floral Association Recognizes Freeman and Anderson Read More »
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Michigan Floral Association Recognizes Freeman and Anderson
Could you use a jolt of inspiration? Mark your calendar for April 21 and 22, when a dynamic lineup of presenters descend on St. Catharines, Ontario, mere minutes away from beautiful Niagara Falls. The weekend combines two conferences — the Canadian Florist Business Forum and the Niagara International Association of Florists’ Design Show — offering …
April 21-22: One Weekend, Two Great Conferences Read More »
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April 21-22: One Weekend, Two Great Conferences
Earlier this month, Jodi Duncan, AIFD, shared a short, conversational video about the difference between purchasing flowers artfully arranged by a professional florist and choosing a too-good-to-be-true Internet promotion (i.e. blooms in a box). To make her point, she held up a chocolate chip cookie and then a basket with said cookie’s ingredients. “Same thing, …
Jodi Duncan Launches Social Consultation Company Read More »
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Jodi Duncan Launches Social Consultation Company
On Thursday, February 8, smack in the middle of her busiest stretch of the year, Andreia Boscato Muller worked late into the night, making 80 boutonnieres for a very special prom. For three years, the owner of The Flower Studio in Altamonte Springs, Florida, has volunteered her services for “Night to Shine,” an international initiative …
Special Needs Prom Fills Honorees, Florist With Joy Read More »
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Special Needs Prom Fills Honorees, Florist With Joy
To encourage florists to share their knowledge with customers and to feel more comfortable with social media, The Floriology Institute launched the #TeachFloralContest, with a really covetable prize attached: a VIP experience at AIFD Symposium this summer in Washington, D.C. “We wanted to do something that could socially engage as many people as possible to …
Floriology Contest Promotes Education, Social Media Skills Read More »
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Floriology Contest Promotes Education, Social Media Skills
For more than 20 years of service beautifying the Big Apple’s hotels, collaborating with various New York marketing groups, and sponsoring charitable events, Nic Faitos, senior partner of Starbright Floral Design, received Lifetime Achievement honors at the Hotel Experience Awards on Monday, January 29, at the iconic Cipriani Wall Street. “Am I even old enough …
NYC Florist Wins Prestigious Hospitality Award Read More »
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NYC Florist Wins Prestigious Hospitality Award
Virtually every florist knows his or her craft helps people express emotions and commemorates life’s salient moments. However, it’s easy to forget that fact—that honor—when crunch time hits and the work piles up. In the coming days, you’ll no doubt feel the mounting pressure of Valentine’s Day. If you feel your passion start to slip, …
A Profound Purpose Read More »
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A Profound Purpose
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Oregon Flowers, Inc. has released a mobile application for Apple and Android devices to give customers an up-to-date report of what’s available to buy. “Over the past few years, we have a noticed a challenge in informing customers of what is growing inside our greenhouses and what’s coming down …
Oregon Flowers, Inc. Launches Mobile App Read More »
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Oregon Flowers, Inc. Launches Mobile App
Is improving your business a resolution for 2018? One way to do that is to stand on the shoulders of giants. Several industry associations and companies have planned stellar educational programs, featuring some of the brightest minds in the biz, to give you a leg up. Here are a few programs to put on your …
Save the Date: Can’t-Miss Educational Events Read More »
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Save the Date: Can’t-Miss Educational Events
The hunt is over. For seven years, Mayesh Wholesale Florist has hosted a contest to choose a designer to represent the brand, leading workshops and instructional videos, introducing retail florists across the country to new ways to use Mayesh products. This year’s winner is Kaylee Young. She took a few minutes recently to catch up …
Meet the 2018 Mayesh Design Star Read More »
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Meet the 2018 Mayesh Design Star
Another year has flown by and your busiest day is shockingly near.
To whip florists into shape, sales and customer service expert Tim Huckabee is hosting a boot camp webinar, as he has for many years. This time, however, there's a twist.
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Huckabee Issues $1,000 Challenge for V-Day 2018
Currently, the Thomas fire raging through Southern California has not reached Florabundance. Therefore, the wholesale company in Carpinteria intends to proceed with its sixth annual Inspiration Design Days program next month.
The discounted room rate expires on Monday, so interested attendees should act quickly.
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Save the Date for Florabundance Design Days
J Schwanke, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, has had a pretty covetable start to the holiday season. For the past week, the founder of uBloom.com has been in Roland, Arkansas, decorating Moss Mountain Farm and talking all things floral with the property’s owner, television personality P. Allen Smith. Schwanke filled Florist 2.0 in on his time in …
J Schwanke Gives Floral Design Advice For PBS Show Read More »
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J Schwanke Gives Floral Design Advice For PBS Show
Mere weeks before he intended to reopen his shop, Victoria’s Flowers, in Didsbury, Alberta, Gordon Fulton, AIFD, CAFA, died on November 13 at age 55.
When news broke of his passing, florists from far and wide expressed sorrow for a man who possessed a sharp eye for design, unbridled enthusiasm, and an insatiable desire to help his friends.
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Florists Mourn Gordon Fulton, ‘A Talented Designer and Loyal Friend’
On St. Simon’s Island, a sleepy barrier island off the coast of Southwest Georgia, sits a 600-acre estate with a stately plantation and cottages. The former home of philanthropist Nancy Reynolds (heiress of the R.J. Reynolds tobacco company) has hosted political heavyweights including President Jimmy Carter and Mikhail Gorbachev—but not many non-celebrities. “It is super …
Design Workshop Combines World-Class Accommodations, Dining, Instruction and More Read More »
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Design Workshop Combines World-Class Accommodations, Dining, Instruction and More
The Michigan Floral Foundation added a familiar name to its Hall of Fame last month. Dwight Larimer, AAF, PFCI, president of Design Master Color Tool, became the 11th individual to receive the honor during a ceremony Thursday, October 24, at the University Club of Michigan State in East Lansing. Upon graduating from the State …
Dwight Larimer Inducted to Michigan Floral Foundation Hall of Fame Read More »
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Dwight Larimer Inducted to Michigan Floral Foundation Hall of Fame
Fans of Virginia florist Holly Heider Chapple, rejoice! There’s a new tool entering the market that will help you achieve her signature lush, garden-like style. Last month, Syndicate Sales announced that it would be manufacturing a product Chapple affectionately calls “the pillow.” She caught up with Florist 2.0 to offer details on her new partnership. …
Syndicate Sales To Produce Holly Heider Chapple’s Innovative Pillow Design Read More »
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Syndicate Sales To Produce Holly Heider Chapple’s Innovative Pillow Design
One of the world's most esteemed designers trekked from Siberia to the Toronto Botanical Gardens to help the Canadian Academy of Floral Art celebrate its 25 anniversary. Roman Steinhauer, lead florist and art director at Siberian Orchid in Novosibirsk, Russia, is a two-time winner of The Russian Cup of Professional Floristry and the runner-up in the 2016 Europa Cup.
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CAFA Celebrates A Quarter Century
Do you love flowers? (Of course you do, or else you wouldn’t be reading this!) The American Floral Endowment wants you to capture your passion for petals in a short video. AFE’s #FlowerLoveVideoContest launched October 12 and runs through December 8. Contestants may enter a video up to 60 seconds long for the chance to …
AFE Launches #FlowerLoveVideoContest Read More »
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AFE Launches #FlowerLoveVideoContest
Fancy a trip to South America? You can go (virtually), thanks to J Schwanke, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, aka “the flower expert.” His latest documentary, “The Flowers of Colombia,” a 12-piece series, comes out next week. The project has been two years in the making. Augusto Solano, CEO of Asocolflores, the association of Colombian floral exporters, …
J Schwanke Takes Viewers to Colombia Read More »
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J Schwanke Takes Viewers to Colombia
It’s one of my favorite times of year! No, I’m not jazzed for pumpkin spice lattes (home brewed French Roast for me, please) or sweater weather (we have at least two months to go here in Florida), but rather the arrival of the International Floral Distributors’ 2018 Flower Trends Forecast. Michael Skaff, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, …
International Floral Distributors Release 2018 Trend Report Read More »
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International Floral Distributors Release 2018 Trend Report
For 24 years, Floral Management has held a contest to identify exceptionally clever and successful campaigns. The winner, dubbed Marketer of the Year, receives $5,000, a cover story and (typically) much fanfare at the Society of American Florists’ annual convention. (Thanks again, Irma!) This year, SAF announced the winner, American Grown Flowers, via a Facebook …
American Grown Flowers Wins Coveted Marketing Award Read More »
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American Grown Flowers Wins Coveted Marketing Award
The most common question we get from florists all over is: What do I need to focus on for my online marketing? This is a very legitimate question, as online marketing can cover a really broad set of options, and there are always new channels to consider.
Recently we surveyed florists to find out how they were using and engaging with some elements that we've determined to be the most essential. The highlights are presented in the following infographic for your review.
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How Are Florists Faring with Critical Online Marketing Tactics?
Oh, Mother Nature… Like many of you, I was excited to spend this week in Palm Beach, mingling with others in the industry and soaking up knowledge at the Society of American Florists’ annual convention. I had planned to leave a little early to catch a flight to Charlottesville, Virginia for a friend’s wedding this …
Patience and Flexibility Necessary as Irma Disrupts Flower Deliveries Read More »
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Patience and Flexibility Necessary as Irma Disrupts Flower Deliveries
Earlier this summer, Laura Daluga, AIFD, spoke about cause marketing at the Canadian Florist Business Forum. “People like to help others and they like to support businesses that do the same,” she told the crowd. The heart wrenching photos and stories from Texas speak to millions of people — likely including you and your customers. …
Best Practices for Charitable Sales Read More »
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Best Practices for Charitable Sales
Craving a swanky late summer activity that provides a hefty dose of design inspiration? A trip to Detroit may be in order. The American Institute of Floral Designers North Central Chapter is partnering with the Cranbrook House & Gardens Auxiliary to present “Art in the Elements: A Plein Air Floral Exhibition” Friday, September 8, through …
Historic Detroit Property to Feature Interactive Floral Exhibit Read More »
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Historic Detroit Property to Feature Interactive Floral Exhibit
Do your customers love the big, full look of lilies — but hate their strong aroma? Get excited. Breeders in the Netherlands have come up with several pollen-free varieties, among other intriguing advancements to delight your clientele. Tyler Meskers, operations manager for Oregon Flowers, attended Dutch Lily Days earlier this summer and told Florist 2.0 …
Dutch Lily Days Shows Off New Varieties Read More »
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Dutch Lily Days Shows Off New Varieties
Want the chance to train alongside one of the nation’s most esteemed event designs? Through the end of the month, FTD is accepting applications for its “Intern with Ian” contest, in which one lucky member will receive a trip to Florida to work with Ian Prosser, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, NDSF. Prosser, the owner of Botanical …
FTD Announces ‘Intern with Ian’ Contest Read More »
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FTD Announces ‘Intern with Ian’ Contest
The search is on for Mayesh Wholesale Florist’s 2018 Design Star. The contest, now in its eighth year, officially opened on Tuesday, August 1. The winner will lead five workshops (four domestic, one international), star in monthly videos, and receive a variety of benefits, including a trip to Quito, Ecuador; a one-year subscription to StemCounter; a …
Mayesh Seeks 2018 Design Star Read More »
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Mayesh Seeks 2018 Design Star
“Here we grow again…” That’s become the mantra of Botanica International, the company renowned designer Ian Prosser, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, NDSF, started in Tampa, Florida in 1989. It’s been 10 years since Prosser chose to abandon retail sales and focus on providing upscale, show stopping events. The decade has involved several developments to help Botanica …
Botanica International To Expand Its Event Empire Read More »
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Botanica International To Expand Its Event Empire
For the next few weeks, any donation you make to the American Floral Endowment will have extra mileage, thanks to a partnership with Sakata Seed America. For 40 days, July 10 to Aug. 18, Sakata will match donors’ contributions to AFE dollar to dollar, up to $10,000. To celebrate its 40th year in North America, …
Sakata and American Floral Endowment Announce ’40 Days of Summer Giving’ Read More »
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Sakata and American Floral Endowment Announce ’40 Days of Summer Giving’
If you’re in Atlanta this week for AmericasMart, be sure to stop by Accent Decor booth. The company responsible for a long list of the industry’s most intriguing containers and accessories (including the Celfie vase) will be celebrating its 20th anniversary at the annual wholesale gift show. Co-founder Margaret Hofland took a few minutes to …
Accent Decor Turns 20 Read More »
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Accent Decor Turns 20
Is your showroom looking a little drab? Through its sixth annual Makeover Magic Contest, FTD will award one lucky florist a shop makeover by FTD education consultant and visual merchandising expert J. Keith White, AIFD. Over the past five years, White and members of the FTD team have crisscrossed the country to help …
FTD Announces Makeover Contest Read More »
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FTD Announces Makeover Contest
In May, Smithers-Oasis added fourth-generation florist Laura Daluga, AIFD, to its six-person design team, which leads educational programs throughout North America, breaking new floral trends and sharing knowledge and experience to help florists grow their businesses. Deluga is a designer at Keller & Stein in Canton, Michigan, and owner of the Department of Floristry, a …
Meet Laura Daluga, the Newest Member of the Oasis Design Team Read More »
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Meet Laura Daluga, the Newest Member of the Oasis Design Team
Here’s a recent update on a critical issue for all computer users. This information comes courtesy of Malwarebytes, a security software firm. A new strain of ransomware, a Petya-esque variant being called Petya/NotPetya, is swiftly spreading across the globe today, impacting tens of thousands of computers as of 2:00 p.m., PST. More powerful, professional, and dangerous …
PSA: New Ransomeware Attack – Check Your Protection Now Read More »
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PSA: New Ransomeware Attack – Check Your Protection Now
Last month, hundreds of florists, growers, wholesalers and other volunteers spent Memorial Day honoring fallen service members by placing flowers on their graves. It’s a well-known Christmas tradition for volunteers to place wreaths at the grave sites at Arlington National Cemetery, but a similar tradition that honors our fallen also takes place around Memorial Day …
Volunteers Lay More than 250,000 Roses on Fallen Soldiers’ Graves Read More »
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Volunteers Lay More than 250,000 Roses on Fallen Soldiers’ Graves
Millennials, the current cohort of 18-year-olds to 30-somethings, value experiences over physical things. This generation focuses its spending on travel, concerts, social events, and cultural programs. Millennials’ estimated income is more than $230 billion, representing 21% of all money earned in Canada alone. In 15 years, they’ll represent 75% of the labour force. It’s time to listen to their wants!
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Experiences! How to Attract Millennials To Your Flower Shop
Last month, Poppy Parsons, AIFD, CAFA, got a phone call from Jennifer Harvey, CFD, CAFA, a bubbly Ontario designer she met at Canadian Florist’s Inspired Design contest in 2014, announcing that she’d be in her province in late June. “I was so excited,” said Parsons, owner of Smart Flowers in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. “We’ve been trying to get together …
Decorated Duo to Host Summer Design Class Read More »
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Decorated Duo to Host Summer Design Class
If you want to have a more profitable shop, prepare to get a little introspective. “You have to chart your course,” said Derrick Myers, CPA, CFP, PFCI, during the annual Canadian Florist Business Forum Monday, May 29. “What do you want to be and how are you going to achieve it?” Before diving into target …
Goals and Good People Key Characteristics of Profitable Businesses Read More »
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Goals and Good People Key Characteristics of Profitable Businesses
The week before Mother’s Day, a handful of growers representing four flower farms on the West Coast, traveled to the other side of the globe to explore whether there’s a place in the Chinese floral industry for American-grown flowers. “I’d never given much thought to that part of the world, but when the opportunity came …
American Grown Flowers Go To China Read More »
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American Grown Flowers Go To China
Floral Strategies celebrates its 20th anniversary next month. After 5,000 shop visits over three continents, dozens of webinars and magazine articles, and too many presentations to count, founder Tim Huckabee, AIFSE, looks back on where the journey began—and his vision for the future. F20: Take us back in 20 years. How did Floral Strategies …
Tim Huckabee Reflects on 20 Years of Coaching Read More »
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Tim Huckabee Reflects on 20 Years of Coaching
Last week, consumers got two new options to dress up their mail: one sporting a corsage, the other, a boutonniere. Not surprisingly, a professional florist had a (major) hand creating these attractive designs. Florist 2.0 caught up with Virginia freelance designer and educator Carol Caggiano, AIFD, PFCI, on her most unexpected job yet. F20: How did …
Meet Carol Caggiano: Floral Stamp Designer Read More »
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Meet Carol Caggiano: Floral Stamp Designer
A leader in the floral industry was recently appointed to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Florist 2.0 caught up with Dr. Marvin N. Miller, AAF, hortistician at Ball Horticultural in West Chicago, Illinois to learn a little about his new post, his career highlights, his reflections on how floriculture has changed over the years, and …
Ball Horticultural’s Marvin Miller Appointed to USDA Committee Read More »
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Ball Horticultural’s Marvin Miller Appointed to USDA Committee
Got plans for the 4th of July? Why not take an extended holiday break in Seattle with some of the most talented and creative designers in the world? The American Institute of Floral Designers just opened up registration for the organization’s National Symposium “X,” July 1-5, at the Washington State Convention Center and the Sheraton Seattle Hotel. …
AIFD Opens Registration for 2017 Symposium ‘X’ Read More »
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AIFD Opens Registration for 2017 Symposium ‘X’
Got broken stems? Don’t cry! You have the building blocks for a hot new trend: floral flat lays. Actually, flat laying’s origins date back to 1987 when Andrew Kromelow, a janitor at the Frank Gehry furniture store, picked up stray items around the store and arranged them on a flat surface at 90 degree …
Fabulous Floral Flat Lays Read More »
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Fabulous Floral Flat Lays
Unless you gave up all media for Lent, you’ve no doubt heard about the United Airlines fiasco in which a paid passenger was dragged off a plane to be replaced by a United employee who needed a seat. The incident — caught on camera, of course — prompted millions of angry comments, a presumptive mass …
Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word Read More »
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Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
Last week in Raleigh, roughly 15,000 people saw flowers in a new light: as a gorgeous medium that can be molded into fine art. For the third year, the AIFD Southern Chapter and the North Carolina State Florists Association collaborated with the North Carolina Museum of Art to present “Art in Bloom.” The four-day affair, …
Floral Art Steals the Show in Raleigh Read More »
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Floral Art Steals the Show in Raleigh
You ought to be in pictures — well, advertisements. That’s the message Smithers-Oasis North America, a manufacturer of floral foam products, adhesives, decorative wire, bouquet holders, and other accessories, wants to send floral designers. Since January 2016, the company has run a social media contest seeking prospective designs and florists to feature in its magazine ads. Through Facebook, Smithers-Oasis created …
Social Media Campaign Shares Ideas, Puts Designers in the Spotlight Read More »
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Social Media Campaign Shares Ideas, Puts Designers in the Spotlight
Think about your latest batch of mail. Chances are, there was a catalogue or two in the stack. Every time I flip through a catalogue, regardless of the retailer, I suddenly find myself craving all manner of goods. Why? Because the products have been carefully staged and photographed to look devastatingly appealing and useful. Oh, …
Professional Photographers Put Your Designs in the Best Light Read More »
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Professional Photographers Put Your Designs in the Best Light
Throughout the month of March, FTD is urging people to recognize the influential women in their lives and show their appreciation with flowers. The company kicked off its campaign, #ILooktoHer, on March 8 (International Women’s Day). Volunteers huddled around a retro van from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to shower 5,000 women in downtown Chicago …
FTD Campaign Celebrates Inspiring Women Read More »
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FTD Campaign Celebrates Inspiring Women
Calling all Midwestern florists: there’s a killer workshop heading your way soon that will expand your design repertoire, sharpen your photography skills, offer a simple tactic for sticking to your budget, and leave you with three gorgeous designs to brighten your shop (or home) along with accompanying photos for your portfolio. A few months ago, …
Mayesh Workshop Offers Design Lessons, Business Advice and More Read More »
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Mayesh Workshop Offers Design Lessons, Business Advice and More
Imagine an event that demonstrates the joy of working with, giving, and receiving flowers; draws attention to International Women’s Day; and raises money for local charities. That’s the gist of the uBloom Flower Power Challenge, which kicks off the West Michigan Home and Garden Show tonight in Grand Rapids. J Schwanke, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, founder …
Schwanke Shows Western Michiganders the Power of Flowers Read More »
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Schwanke Shows Western Michiganders the Power of Flowers
On Valentine’s Day, the staff of The Society of American Florists—employees who typically work behind the scenes to advance the industry—got in on the action by delivering flowers to seniors in two assisted living communities in Alexandria, Virginia. The SAF workers were among 500 volunteers (dubbed “Cupid’s Crew”) with Wish of a Lifetime, a nonprofit …
The Benefits of Benevolence Programs Read More »
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The Benefits of Benevolence Programs
If you’ve caught any episodes of Bloodline, the thrilling family drama on Netflix starring Kyle Chandler and Sissy Spacek, you’ve likely experienced a little real estate envy. (It’s only natural: in reality, the Rayburn family’s house is The Moorings Village and Spa, a luxury resort that rents rooms for up to $3,000 a night!) If you’re a fan and a florist, …
Florida Florist’s Designs Appear on Netflix Hit Show Read More »
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Florida Florist’s Designs Appear on Netflix Hit Show
The industry has lost an icon. Barbara “Bobbi” Ann Ecker Blatchford died Friday, February 3, leaving behind two children and legions of fans throughout the world. Over the weekend, social media exploded with tributes to the inimitable Bobaloo. Bobbi’s illustrious career had anything but a conventional beginning. She recounted the story for me back in 2012, when …
Hats ON For Bobbi Read More »
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Hats ON For Bobbi
An industry leader in business education and sales training, Floral Strategies has hit a milestone and is celebrating by overhauling its popular webinar series to better serve florists. President Tim Huckabee, AIFSE, founded the company in 1997 after his tenure at Surroundings, a high-end flower shop in New York City. He wanted to pass on …
Floral Strategies Turns 20, Shakes Up Webinar Series Read More »
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Floral Strategies Turns 20, Shakes Up Webinar Series
Google's Chrome browser is going to start warning customers that your site is Not Secure. Here's what you need to know before Jan 31st, 2017. Missing out on this change could cost you a lot of business.
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Alert – Don’t Be Insecure About Your Website
Who’s ready for prom?! Just kidding — let’s focus on one occasion at a time. Nonetheless, it’s worth taking five minutes to bookmark a new research study to revisit once you come down from the Valentine’s Day high. Economists expect millennials to collectively spend more than $200 billion annually starting this year and $10 trillion in their lifetimes. …
Research Study Delves into Millennials’ Minds Read More »
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Research Study Delves into Millennials’ Minds
A Texas florist is soliciting goofy stories from guys who ticked off their wives and girlfriends. The winner will receive an over-the-top Valentine's gift.
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Texas Florist to Pardon Biggest Bonehead
With one month to go, you’re no doubt in full-on Valentine’s Day mode. Your customers, though, are still coming down from the Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hannukah/New Year’s high. Their inboxes and social media feeds have been bombarded with sales messages for the various holidays. Hit them with a hard sell now (save the occasional email offering a discount …
3 V-Day Marketing Ideas to Work on Now Read More »
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3 V-Day Marketing Ideas to Work on Now
More than 90 million people made New Year’s resolutions last week and statistics suggest that only 8 percent (!) will adhere to them. Whether you vowed to log more miles on the treadmill or consistently update your blog, your dreams can become reality if you approach them logistically. After all, a goal without a plan is called …
How to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick Read More »
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How to Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick
Alas, the holiday season is coming to a close. Let’s bid it adieu with a virtual tour of Europe’s famous Christmas markets, courtesy of Kathy Dudley, owner of The Bloomery in Butler, Pennsylvania. She shared some fabulous photos and observations that Florist 2.0 readers can digest now and use for inspiration in December 2017. F20: …
(Pennsylvania Florist’s) Christmas Vacation Read More »
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(Pennsylvania Florist’s) Christmas Vacation
We are receiving multiple reports from florists regarding unauthorized manipulation of their Yelp listings by a an uncontracted third party. Update: Both Yelp and BloomNation have provided some clarification. The listings in question feature the “This florist does delivery” highlight, along with a button marked “Start Order”. Clicking the order button takes the customer into a checkout …
Florist Warning: Check Your Yelp Listings Read More »
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Florist Warning: Check Your Yelp Listings
Seeing is believing. In Gainesville, Florida, a barbecue company wanted to expand its wedding business, but found the message, “We cater–and do more than just BBQ,” wasn’t catching on. So they decided to host a mock wedding to show newly engaged couples just what they could do. The company asked one of each typical wedding vendor to help …
Big Fat Fake Wedding Captivates Couples Read More »
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Big Fat Fake Wedding Captivates Couples
“You might not remember me…” Raise your hand if you’ve ever started an email with this — let’s be brutally honest — LAME and passive phrase. (Oh. So. Many. Times. UGH.) Did you hear back from the person you hoped to connect with? I sure didn’t. The holiday season is in full force and, with it, parties …
How to Write a Networking Email with Teeth Read More »
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How to Write a Networking Email with Teeth
By now, you surely know that the goal of social media marketing is traffic. The more likes, comments, tags and shares you get, the better your brand’s visibility. You show up in more customers’ newsfeeds, which leads to even more traffic. “That creates a storm of Google-goodness and that gets you gets you ranked higher in …
Psychological Triggers That Make People Like and Share Content Read More »
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Psychological Triggers That Make People Like and Share Content
Thanksgiving, traditionally, is celebrated with family. But the sentiment of the holiday—gratitude—should not be reserved just for your flesh and blood, but spread around as much as possible. With only five weeks remaining in 2016, it’s a fine time to get introspective. Who has had your back this year? Who’s introduced you to new ideas and opportunities? I …
Let Us Give Thanks for Our Tribes Read More »
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Let Us Give Thanks for Our Tribes
In Guelph, Ontario, Robyn Scott is courting customers ready to deck the halls with a series of design workshops. Over the next three weeks, the owner of Blooms & Flora will offer hands-on lessons, priced at $95 to $135, for those interested in creating hand-tied bouquets, holiday urns, wreaths, wall hangings, mantle designs, and holiday …
Build a Following with Floral Workshops Read More »
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Build a Following with Floral Workshops
Just in time for the holiday rush and the start to engagement season, Saskatchewan florist Poppy Parsons, AIFD, CAFA, got some great free publicity—thanks to friendships she’s formed with vendors in her community. Parsons’ designs appeared prominently on the blog, “Sask Ever After,” an influential source for people planning a wedding. The opportunity came about because …
Networking Lands Saskatchewan Florist on Province-Wide Blog Read More »
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Networking Lands Saskatchewan Florist on Province-Wide Blog
On Wednesday, October 26, Karin’s Florist turned 60—a milestone birthday that more than 20,000 people in Vienna, Virginia cheered. “When we started planning about a year ago, we realized the anniversary coincided with the city’s Halloween parade and knew we had to capitalize on it,” said President Maris Angolia, AAF. The staff immediately began brainstorming …
Virginia Florist Hosts Regal Birthday Party Read More »
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Virginia Florist Hosts Regal Birthday Party
Some holidays are a natural fit for florists. (A certain romantic celebration in February comes to mind.) Others require a bit more creativity. In Victoria, British Columbia, Brown’s the Florist isn’t letting candy companies have all the fun this Halloween. The 104-year-old shop, which has three locations, is promoting a trio of “spooktacular” ideas to engage with …
British Columbia Florist Shows Halloween Spirit Read More »
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British Columbia Florist Shows Halloween Spirit
With the holiday season only about a month away, it’s a fine time to assess your staff’s manners and make necessary tweaks before the onslaught of customers arrives. To start, why not evaluate some of the biggest brands and try to mimic their strengths? Earlier this month, QSR Magazine, a trade publication representing the fast …
Three Easy Words That Spell Stellar Service Read More »
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Three Easy Words That Spell Stellar Service
Since 1951, Rockcastle Florist has been Rochester, New York’s go-to place for quality flowers and service. Recently one of the shop’s employees—Mary Rockcastle, daughter of owners Wendy and Keith—spun off with her own fashion line. Dubbed “Little Lamb Studios,” her designs will hit the catwalk at Rochester Fashion Week, which kicks off tonight. Florist 2.0 caught …
NY Florist Participates in Rochester Fashion Week Read More »
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NY Florist Participates in Rochester Fashion Week
For the sixth year the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation organized the handout and headstone placement of 140,000 roses and summer flowers at Arlington National Cemetery. Thanks to Mayesh, Kennicott Brothers, and other WEFSA wholesale florist members over 125 florists gave out roses at local cemeteries, parades, and from their shops.
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6th Annual Memorial Day Flowers A Big Success
In less than two weeks, a farm in Northern Virginia will host a floral jubilee unlike any other event in the industry. Called Flowerstock, a riff on Woodstock (the famous 1969 music festival), it features demonstrations from 13 revered designers, merchants selling sundries such as antiques, linens and jewelry (useful items for staging photo shoots …
Fabulous Flower Fest Coming Soon to Virginia Read More »
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Fabulous Flower Fest Coming Soon to Virginia
A few years ago, Christy Hulsey was designing her best friend’s wedding and decided to bring her young daughter along. “I thought it would a good idea,” said the owner of Colonial House of Flowers in Statesboro, Georgia. “It was not. All she wanted to do was touch the floral designs.” To distract her daughter, …
Pottery Barn Blog Nets Georgia Florist National Attention, SEO Points Read More »
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Pottery Barn Blog Nets Georgia Florist National Attention, SEO Points
‘Tabledance’, a pink OT hybrid lily from Green Valley Floral took top honors in the Society of American Florists’ Outstanding Varieties Competition held this week in Maui, as part of the organization’s annual convention. Growers around the world vie for the coveted title each year, shipping boxes of their most prized product, which are displayed …
‘Tabledance’ Wins Big in Maui Read More »
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‘Tabledance’ Wins Big in Maui
Have a sales person who never pitches any grand, high-end arrangements? A designer prone to stuffing? A manager reluctant to handle disputes? If your employees are lacking in initiative, demonstrating conduct you’d like to change, consider altercasting. I recently learned this term in a Wall Street Journal article, though I’ve long been familiar with the …
Want to Encourage Greatness? Try Altercasting! Read More »
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Want to Encourage Greatness? Try Altercasting!
Last week, Mayesh Wholesale Florist, Inc., announced Christy Hulsey, of Colonial House of Flowers in Statesboro, Ga., as winner of its sixth annual Design Star contest. As Design Star, Hulsey will lead several workshops at Mayesh branches this year and create design videos throughout 2017. Yvonne Ashton, Mayesh’s director of marketing, said judges were impressed …
Meet Christy Hulsey, Mayesh’s 2017 Design Star Read More »
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Meet Christy Hulsey, Mayesh’s 2017 Design Star
Following nearly a year of planning, Kym Erickson, AAF,CF, MNCF, and her team at Soderberg’s in Minneapolis, transformed the agriculture building at the Minnesota State Fair into a woodland wonderland. As president of the Minnesota State Floral Association, Erickson feels a duty to show the public the value of floriculture and considers the state …
Soderberg’s Staff Wows Minnesota Fair Guests Read More »
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Soderberg’s Staff Wows Minnesota Fair Guests
Back to school shopping this weekend? Take time to study windows and displays at the mall to gather ideas for the coming months. Do you see recurring colors, patterns or themes? Which ones attract you–make you want whatever they’re selling? A few years ago, I listened to a FloralStrategies webinar Tim Huckabee hosted with Gregory Nato, …
Get Merchandising Ideas From Shopping Malls Read More »
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Get Merchandising Ideas From Shopping Malls
I belong to the Social Q’s Facebook group, an etiquette-themed panel that discusses how to handle everyday sticky situations with tact (think: how to address noisy neighbors, respond to passive aggressive emails, come up with a wedding guest list with minimal hurt feelings…). As of late, though, the topics have veered toward current events, including …
Does Customer Service Allow Any Room for Snark? Read More »
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Does Customer Service Allow Any Room for Snark?
Many people have crowned Simone Biles the phenom of this summer’s Olympic Games—with some declaring her the greatest gymnast of all time. The diminutive powerhouse packs her routines with technical difficulty far greater than any of her opponents, and consistently executes them with only minimal errors. As thrilling it is to watch her fly …
What You Can Learn From Simone Biles Read More »
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What You Can Learn From Simone Biles
Can you spot the difference between ‘Freedom’ and ‘Forever Young’? How about ‘Mondial’ and ‘Vendela’? What distinguishes ‘High and Magic’ from ‘Fiction’? Put your rose knowledge to the test with Jet Fresh Flower Distributors' new mobile app, "Jet Fresh Flowers' Name That Rose." JFF's "Name That Rose" is the first-ever quick-answer, multiple choice-style flower quiz game. The goal: correctly identify roses by variety before the timer runs out.
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Jet Fresh Flowers Launches New App
We’ve officially arrived at what I term “the most loathsome time of the year”: the home stretch before the U.S. presidential election. Tis the season for snarky, condescending, angry and vulgar statements plastered all over social media. This year, I fear, will display the most hostile comments we’ve ever seen, as two candidates with unprecedented levels of …
Election Season Facebook Etiquette Read More »
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Election Season Facebook Etiquette
Earlier this month, the American Institute of Floral Designers inducted 67 new members into its prestigious ranks. To earn the coveted acronym, florists must first pass a two-part test (the Professional Florist Design Evaluation) with flying colors and then receive three letters of recommendation. Florists are inducted at the AIFD symposium the summer following their …
Meet Dynamic Denver Designer Kari Smith, AIFD Read More »
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Meet Dynamic Denver Designer Kari Smith, AIFD
The weeks between the Fourth of July (or Canada Day) and the arrival of fall can feel long and challenging for retailers trying to come up with visual merchandising displays. If you’re pressed for ideas, you might steal this one from my favorite local barista, Zach Peavler, owner of The Local Bean. He decorates his coffee shop with …
Let Local Artists Decorate Your Shop Read More »
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Let Local Artists Decorate Your Shop
Whether you celebrate Canada Day or the 4th of July, there’s a three-day weekend right around the corner. But if you’re anything like me, you might feel a bit apprehensive about taking time off. For freelance writers and small business owners alike, the 40-hour workweek is a fantasy. I feel like I’m always on call and …
Three Reasons to Savor Your Long Weekend Read More »
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Three Reasons to Savor Your Long Weekend
If you follow Mayesh Wholesale on Instagram, you may have noticed a lot more guys in their feed than usual. The company recently wrapped up its #MayeshDudesNBlooms Instagram photo challenge. While discussing prospective themes with her team, marketing director Yvonne Ashton mentioned that Father’s Day was coming up. “With the popularity of the #flowerbeard hashtag …
Men Dig Flowers Too Read More »
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Men Dig Flowers Too
Taking sales calls is not unlike going on a first date. Worry about how the other person will react can cause you to clam up or overthink everything you say, resulting in awkward conversation that sounds insecure and falls short of selling your assets. Disclaimer: I’m extremely experienced with the latter scenario, but I’ve never …
How to Get Bigger, Better Sales (Without Really Trying) Read More »
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How to Get Bigger, Better Sales (Without Really Trying)
“People move and die every year, so a 100% customer retention rate simply isn’t realistic,” said Rick Rivers, of A Floral Boutique in Ormond Beach, Florida, during Canadian Florist’s annual Business Forum May 30. “The goal to hit is 75%.” During his presentation, Rivers shared his strategies for keeping customers satisfied. “The average lifetime of a customer …
6 Ways to Hit a 75% Retention Rate Read More »
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6 Ways to Hit a 75% Retention Rate
Canadian Florist magazine held its annual business forum Monday, May 30, and invited Meagan Tanner of Google Canada to speak. Tanner, who’s spent nine years working with more than 1,000 small businesses in three countries, described the key to success as being in the right place to reach consumers and having a message that resonates. …
The Scope of Mobile Search Read More »
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The Scope of Mobile Search
A few weeks ago, I wrote about innocuous phrases that inadvertently come off as rude in email correspondence. I’d like to follow that up by discussing emails that try too hard to be nice and polite and, consequently, come off as insecure and annoying and, ultimately, get ignored. Earlier this week, I came across a post on LinkedIn …
Write Emails Like an Executive Read More »
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Write Emails Like an Executive
Cue Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance. It’s just about time to toss the caps in the air. Graduation may not be a major boon to florists, at least not compared to other spring events (Easter, Administrative Professionals Week, Mother’s Day, prom). But there’s still a place for flowers during this milestone ritual. I remember when I …
Go After Grads Read More »
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Go After Grads
Jennifer Pryor celebrated Mother’s Day with 70 friends (some old, many new) on the front lawn of her Lexington, South Carolina flower shop. Last Sunday, the owner of White House Florist hosted a tea party and fashion show with the help of a local event planner (Melanie Murphy, of By Invitation Only…Event Planning & Design), …
Tea Party and Fashion Show Nets SC Florist New Fans Read More »
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Tea Party and Fashion Show Nets SC Florist New Fans
Mother-daughter relationships are very important at Madeline’s Flowers in Edmond, Oklahoma. After all, the shop is run by Barbara Bilke and her daughters, Lenzee and Lacee. For Mother’s Day 2016, the Bilkes are promoting a floral design class for mothers to do with their young daughters. For $100, participants receive flowers to create a crown …
Oklahoma Florist Markets Experiential Gift for Mother’s Day Read More »
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Oklahoma Florist Markets Experiential Gift for Mother’s Day
There’s a lot of focus in the industry on how to be cheerful and helpful in our phone and in-person interactions with customers. And for good reason—these are critical parts of running a successful retail business. After more than five years of reading Tim Huckabee’s columns, participating in his webinars and hearing him speak at …
Are Your Emails Sabotaging Your Customer Service? Read More »
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Are Your Emails Sabotaging Your Customer Service?
Hooray for Hollywood! That’s what Christine Vasconcelo, FSMD, thinks when an upcoming flick dovetails nicely with holidays that call for flowers. The owner of Bloomingdays in Tampa, Florida is running a promotion that includes free movie tickets to “Mother’s Day,” the Gary Marshall film starring Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, and Jason Sudeikis, out …
Tampa Florist Ties Into ‘Mother’s Day’ Movie Hype For Holiday Marketing Read More »
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Tampa Florist Ties Into ‘Mother’s Day’ Movie Hype For Holiday Marketing
Make this Memorial Day an opportunity to better your business. Canadian Florist, published by Florist 2.0 founder Ryan Freeman, will host its annual business forum May 30 at the new Universal EventSpace in Woodbridge, Ontario. This one-day event will feature some of the industry’s most sought after speakers delivering tech, sales, marketing, and design advice to …
Save the Date: Canadian Florist Business Forum is May 30 Read More »
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Save the Date: Canadian Florist Business Forum is May 30
Relax! This isn’t a post about a national franchise notorious for bashing flowers in its advertising. I’m focusing instead on a sweet subject. Cupcakes! Twice this week, florists in my Facebook newsfeed have posted photos that very nearly made me abandon my diet and drive to the bakery down the street. Instead, I closed my browser …
Edible Arrangements Read More »
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Edible Arrangements
A few months ago, I blogged about my experience at a Painting With a Twist class and ways I thought florists could replicate the activity in their shops. Jackie Levine, manager of Central Square Florist in Cambridge, Massachusetts, took it one step further: she partnered with a painting studio to offer customers a fun evening …
Cambridge Flower Shop Partners With Painting Studio For Ultimate Design Event Read More »
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Cambridge Flower Shop Partners With Painting Studio For Ultimate Design Event
Inspired by the Sylvia Cup, a live-action floral design competition hosted during the Society of American Florists’ annual convention, Heather de Kok, AAF, AIFD, PFCI decided to launch a similar event in Canada. Seventeen Canadian designers squared off Friday, March 18, for The Maple Cup in Edmonton, Alberta. The contestants received the on-the-spot challenge to …
Canada Hosts Inaugural Maple Cup Read More »
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Canada Hosts Inaugural Maple Cup
It’s been a major week in politics. On Tuesday, while America waited with bated breath for primary results in winner-take-all states, Florida and Ohio, nearly 90 floral industry professionals assembled in Washington, D.C., to meet with their representatives during the Society of American Florists’ 36th annual Congressional Action Days. During CAD, florists visited their state’s Congressional offices, …
Florists Flex Their Political Muscles Read More »
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Florists Flex Their Political Muscles
As my 10-year college reunion approaches (Go demon deacons!), I thought it’d be fun to reach out to an old sorority sister of mine, Karen Greenoe, who just so happens to be a rock star florist. She owns Lily Greenthumbs in Charlotte, North Carolina. Check her out! Right before Valentine’s Day, Karen took a little trip …
Meet Karen Greenoe, a Preston Bailey Protege Read More »
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Meet Karen Greenoe, a Preston Bailey Protege
The Floral Design Institute in Portland, Oregon will host people from the local community Tuesday, March 8, in a special bouquet-making class for Women’s Day. “The bouquet will leave with the makers,” said director Leanne Kesler, AIFD, PFCI. “The plan is that they’ll keep one for themselves and share the other with a woman in …
Watch Consumers Make Bouquets for Women’s Day Read More »
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Watch Consumers Make Bouquets for Women’s Day
A little more than two years after he launched BeautifullyFresh, Bill Schodowski has taken his one-man wholesale operation online. “This has been a major goal of mine,” said Schodowski. “It’s going to save my sanity and make flower buying more convenient for my customers.” Up until now, Schodowski would email customers each morning with a …
BeautifullyFresh Goes Online Read More »
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BeautifullyFresh Goes Online
Attention, Time, People, etc.: Go ahead and call off your search for “Man of the Year.” Yes, it may only be February, less than 1/6 of the way into 2016, but already we have the perfect candidate. Meet Hayden Godfrey. He’s a high school senior in Smithfield, Utah who bought 900 carnations —one for every girl in his …
Teenager Gives Every Girl in His High School a Carnation Read More »
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Teenager Gives Every Girl in His High School a Carnation
With Valentine’s Day just 9 days away, it’s safe to say most floral professionals are operating on very little sleep. But there’s one florist who’s decided to officially operate a 24-hour shop: Nic Faitos, owner of Starbright Floral Design in (where else?) New York City—the city that never sleeps. We caught up with Nic to get …
Meet the Florist Who Never Sleeps Read More »
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Meet the Florist Who Never Sleeps
Mayesh Wholesale Florist recently announced winners of its charity design contest. The company challenged florists to create a romantic tablescape perfect for Valentine’s Day, which were put to a vote. The top three winners received a large donation to a charity of their choice. Each of Mayesh’s 16 branches participated, with several designers collaborating on a single concept. Hundreds …
Mayesh Names Winners in Charity Design Contest Read More »
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Mayesh Names Winners in Charity Design Contest
Georgianne Vinicombe kicked off the new year with a makeover. Around Thanksgiving, the owner of Monday Morning Flowers and Balloon Company, with locations in Princeton, New Jersey, and Yardley, Pennsylvania, decided a 6- by 12-foot cooler in her Princeton shop needed to go. “It was in the middle of our showroom and felt like a …
A Roomier, Rosier Space — Just In Time For Valentine’s Day Read More »
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A Roomier, Rosier Space — Just In Time For Valentine’s Day
Confronted with a Sunday Valentine’s Day in the middle of a holiday weekend — the worst case scenario — Rick Rivers knew he’d have to pull out all the marketing stops this year. In addition to his billboard ads and “Dr. Love” coupons dispersed at sports bars during NFL playoff games, the owner of A Floral …
Chamber of Commerce Event Earns Florida Florist Early V-Day Sales, New Leads Read More »
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Chamber of Commerce Event Earns Florida Florist Early V-Day Sales, New Leads
One way to boost your name and reputation in the weeks before Valentine’s Day is to take advantage of online praise you may have received over the recent holidays. Why? Review sites are terribly popular. Yelp, for instance, receives 142 million unique viewers a month. Reviews are deemed highly credible. Studies have found that 88 …
Leverage Holiday Reviews Before Valentine’s Day Read More »
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Leverage Holiday Reviews Before Valentine’s Day
If you’re like me, you couldn’t care less about watching the ball drop in Times Square tomorrow night but come from Friday morning, you’re glued to the television set for the rose parade. Since I started writing for the floral industry close to six years ago, my fascination with this annual ritual has shifted from, …
Behind the Scenes at the Tournament of Roses Read More »
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Behind the Scenes at the Tournament of Roses
…And what your opening line should be Christmas lights are out and so are the carolers. To the florist who works in weddings, these signs mean something very significant: booking season has arrived. At Twisted Willow Design, we book approximately 70% of our weddings from December to early February. How do these prospects come about? …
How To: Leave A Wedding Show With 100+ Consultations Booked Read More »
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How To: Leave A Wedding Show With 100+ Consultations Booked
If you’ve turned on your television at all in the last six weeks, you’ve surely see the barrage of advertisements from Kay, Zales and Jared. Tis the season to pop the question. According to Wedding Wire, a whopping 40 percent of engagements occur between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, which means there should be a lot …
How to Woo Luxury Brides in 2016 Read More »
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How to Woo Luxury Brides in 2016
Last week, for the first time, the Pantone Color Institute announced two shades as the color of the year for 2016: Rose Quartz and Serenity. The pair of colors, a pale pink and baby blue, naturally conjures images of a gender reveal party or a baby shower, but Pantone executives maintain that was not the …
Florists React to Pantone’s Colors of the Year Read More »
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Florists React to Pantone’s Colors of the Year
Fans of PBS celebrity P. Allen Smith, may have noticed a familiar face on one of his recent shows. On November 9, J Schwanke, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, host of JTV at uBloom.com, joined Smith on his syndicated show, “Garden Style.” The two discussed foliages and how to use them in décor. “An all-foliage arrangement is …
Schwanke Appears on PBS Show Read More »
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Schwanke Appears on PBS Show
First and foremost, happy Thanksgiving from your friends at Florist 2.0! We hope the day brings you quality time with family and no work emergencies whatsoever. But there’s another holiday on the horizon. On the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, comes Giving Tuesday (December 1), a day that celebrates generosity. To be certain, there …
Consider These Floral Organizations For Giving Tuesday Read More »
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Consider These Floral Organizations For Giving Tuesday
Want a New Year’s experience of a lifetime? The California Cut Flower Commission wants you to serve as a farm ambassador during the annual Tournament of Roses. Ambassadors interact with the public, answering questions they have about the floats, the flowers and the farmers who grew them and passing out CA Grown stickers and pins. …
California Cut Flower Commission Seeks Rose Parade Volunteers Read More »
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California Cut Flower Commission Seeks Rose Parade Volunteers
What could be dreamier than a stay at a bed and breakfast on a Virginia farm? What if it had a focus on floral design? Get excited: Holly Heider Chapple, a renowned event florist and floral educator, recently purchased 25 acres of farmland just down the road from her home in Leesburg, Virginia. “I’d been …
Famed Floral Educator Buys Farm For Truly Experiential Classes Read More »
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Famed Floral Educator Buys Farm For Truly Experiential Classes
For the past decade, a few of the nation’s most talented designers have transformed a 5-acre plot in western Michigan into a floral fairyland, which has enthralled thousands of locals every fall. Known as “Nature’s Creative Edge,” the event has benefited various organizations, including local charities and the American Institute of Floral Designers. And it’s …
Bob Friese Inducted into Michigan Floral Foundation’s Hall of Fame Read More »
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Bob Friese Inducted into Michigan Floral Foundation’s Hall of Fame
“It’s official: Your job is killing you.” Now there’s a phrase that begs you to click for more info. When that popped up in my Twitter feed, I just had to read more. The link went to an article on Inc.com that said stress on the job can shave almost three years off your life. Yikes. The article …
Are You a Hard Worker or a Workaholic? Read More »
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Are You a Hard Worker or a Workaholic?
As the days grow darker and colder, we naturally want to nest. If you find yourself eager to curl up in front of the television and indulge in something on Netflix, you might want to check out “Chef.” The 2014 film written, directed by and starring Jon Favreau is a feel-good story about a man, …
An Inspiring Flick to Indulge In This Weekend Read More »
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An Inspiring Flick to Indulge In This Weekend
On Wednesday, Oct. 7, thousands of people had a most remarkable “hump day.” That’s because dozens of industry professionals — including growers, wholesalers and retailers— devoted several hours to pass out complimentary bouquets during a feel-good campaign called “Petal It Forward.” Playing off the “pay it forward” concept, in which people perform random acts of …
Flower Giveaway Goes Viral Read More »
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Flower Giveaway Goes Viral
One of the floral industry’s premier designers and educators will be taking the stage Tuesday, Oct. 13, at TEDxEvansville. Jodi Duncan, AIFD, owner of Jodi Duncan Designs in Norris City, Illinois, will deliver an 18-minute anecdote titled “FlowerPowered.” “It looks at my experience with a single bloom transforming my day and how I was able …
Jodi Duncan to Speak at TEDxEvansville Read More »
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Jodi Duncan to Speak at TEDxEvansville
In 2012, Belgian designer marked his debut with Christian Dior by hosting, hands down, the most stunning fashion show ever. In homage to Dior’s passion for flowers and gardens, he blanketed five rooms of a Parisian mansion with one million blooms — blue delphiniums, white orchids, pink peonies, and yellow and orange roses. People around …
Detroit Florist To Turn Abandoned House Into Something Magical Read More »
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Detroit Florist To Turn Abandoned House Into Something Magical
Mayesh Wholesale Florist recently announced the winners of its annual Design Star contest. This year, Jerome Raska AIFD, AAF, PFCI, CF and Shawn Michael Foley outshine a field of 17 talented designers to earn the coveted title. Foley, a designer at Hothouse Design Studio in Birmingham, Alabama (owned by another Design Star alum, Mandy Majerik, …
Two Stars Are Born Read More »
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Two Stars Are Born
Jet Fresh Flower Distributors, the proud purveyors of Gerbs of Hope, have launched a gerbera design contest to raise awareness for this terrific type of flower. “Gerberas are great flowers for design,” said marketing director Ryan Black. “They are available in more than 40 colors, as well as tinted and natural varieties. They feature large, …
Jet Fresh Issues Gerbera Design Contest Read More »
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Jet Fresh Issues Gerbera Design Contest
The Society of American Florists kicked off its 131st annual convention Wednesday in Amelia Island, Florida. To launch the event, the association hosted a flower contest, The Outstanding Varieties Competition, which featured 225 entries from 33 companies, from Florida, Oregon, California, Ohio, Hawaii, Colombia, Ecuador and Israel. Nine judges, consisting of three growers, three wholesalers …
‘Brilliant Stars Green Pink’ Wins Best in Show Read More »
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‘Brilliant Stars Green Pink’ Wins Best in Show
There’s a lot of pessimism circulating about the future of floristry. The Department of Labor reported that there were 62,400 florists in 2012 and predicted that their ranks would decrease by 8 percent in 10 years. The DOL attributes this drop to consumers’ shifting buying habits, foregoing formal designs for grab and go bunches at …
Floristry’s Future Superstars Read More »
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Floristry’s Future Superstars
We’re just a few weeks away from one of the industry’s biggest events, the 131st annual convention of the Society of American Florists. Held at the Ritz Carlton on beautiful Amelia Island, Florida, the convention will assemble hundreds of floral leaders for three days packed with educational sessions presented by 48 experts. Two of those …
Florist 2.0 at SAF Amelia Island 2015 Read More »
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Florist 2.0 at SAF Amelia Island 2015
In this week’s blog post, we caught up with Hitomi Gilliam, AIFD, of Design 358 in Vancouver, British Columbia, who recently conducted a European Master Certification program in Atlanta with partner Tomas de Bruyne. Titled “Intimate to Ultimate,” the event focused on weddings. KH: Tell me a little about ‘EMC+ Intimate to Ultimate’. HG: EMC+ Intimate …
Hitomi Gilliam, AIFD, Talks European Design Read More »
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Hitomi Gilliam, AIFD, Talks European Design
Are gerberas among your staple flowers? If so, you have an opportunity to make a big difference in lives of Guatemalan children. Let us introduce you to Gerbs of Hope, a foundation started by the Fratti family, owners of Verdifratti Farms in Guatemala. To raise funds to provide children with nutrition and medical care, the …
Feed Two Kids With One Box of Gerberas Read More »
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Feed Two Kids With One Box of Gerberas
Happy August, everyone! Here in Florida, the month is practically synonymous with thunderstorms. Although traditionally our rainiest month of the year, August 2015 seems to truly be one for the record books. Tampa, for instance, typically gets 5-9 inches each August. As of today (August 6), the city’s already had 7.8. In the past two …
Is Your Shop Ready for a Natural Disaster? Read More »
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Is Your Shop Ready for a Natural Disaster?
About a week ago, the owner of a diner in Maine demonstrated some of the worst customer service conceivable. Perhaps you saw the story, which went viral on social media and many national newspapers, including The Washington Post. In summary: a family walks into a crowded diner on a Saturday morning. Their toddler daughter, stressed …
A Tale of Two Tantrums Read More »
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A Tale of Two Tantrums
You may purchase top quality flowers and employ creative designers with prestigious accreditation, but if your sales staff lacks confidence, ambition or tact, your business will never meet its potential. Training, an invaluable exercise for every employee, improves these shortfalls — to a point. Some people simply aren’t cut out for certain roles, says Mitch …
How to Land Top Sales Talent in Your Shop Read More »
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How to Land Top Sales Talent in Your Shop
Most children embrace summer vacation as a time to be lazy. Not Claire and Bridget Geary. On Friday, June 26, the girls went to work with their mom, Jen, owner of Sterling Rose Design in Avon Lake, Ohio, to shock and awe some locals with the joy of flowers. Across the country, hundreds of florists …
A Thrilling Surprise Read More »
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A Thrilling Surprise
It’s been nearly a decade since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. In that time, two enterprising women turned a community building activity into a national franchise. Perhaps you’ve heard of Painting With a Twist®. The business, which pairs instructional art with friends and spirits, has more than 220 locations in 30 states. Earlier this year, …
Learning + Libations = Business Success Read More »
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Learning + Libations = Business Success
If you want to be known as a florist who’s chic, creative and cutting edge, you need to be educated on the latest trends. That means tuning into the fashion world, synthesizing what you see and applying it to your designs. That can be a lot of work. Fortunately, there are a few experts in …
Go to Market with J Schwanke Read More »
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Go to Market with J Schwanke
This week, all eyes have been on Charleston, S.C., the latest site of senseless carnage. The murders of nine people at a bible study at Mother Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church has stirred up many emotions — sadness, fear, anger, disgust — not to mention a fierce debate about South Carolina’s legacy with slavery, secession and the …
A Floral Memorial Read More »
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A Floral Memorial
Last week, Jacob McCall, AIFD, competed against 25 of the world’s top florists in Berlin for the Fleurop-Interflora World Cup, the industry’s preeminent design competition held every four to six years. (Consider it the floral Olympics.) Participation in World Cup is by invitation only and competitors must have already been successful in competitions or shows …
Mr. McCall Goes to Berlin Read More »
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Mr. McCall Goes to Berlin
Many florists regard summer as a drag: daily orders slow, no major gift giving holidays occur, and everyone seems to operate in vacation mode. But for Carolyn and Vince Butera, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, summer is the best. It’s a time to turn customers into friends and to bond with fellow small business owners in their community. …
Summer Party Builds Relationships Read More »
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Summer Party Builds Relationships
With Flag Day (June 14) and the 4th of July coming up, perhaps you’ve considered displaying an American flag at your shop to show your love of country. Research suggests that, just as customers prefer buying locally-sourced or made products, they also like patronizing patriotic businesses. But be advised: there are very specific rules you must …
The Protocol of Patriotism Read More »
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The Protocol of Patriotism
There are so many phrases that flowers express. I’m sorry. Thank you. Congratulations! Feel better. I love you. This is a fact that every florist knows but one that’s not so obvious for consumers who have unlimited gift options for nearly every occasion. But for the thousands of people who visited graveyards last Monday to …
A Symbol of Reverence and Gratitude Read More »
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A Symbol of Reverence and Gratitude
Technically, summer’s still about a month away, but culturally, the seasonal shift happens this weekend with the Memorial Day holiday. What do the next three months have in store for you? I sincerely hope there’s a vacation, which has been proven time and again to improve morale and productivity. But when you’re the owner of …
A fun and rewarding homework assignment Read More »
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A fun and rewarding homework assignment
To their surprise (and delight), about 150 mothers in Tuscaloosa, Ala., opened their doors Friday to find a brawny fireman bearing flowers. The early Mother’s Day gifts were part of “Celebrate Mom,” a fundraiser to help the local hospital, DCH Health System, purchase beds for its neonatal unit. Those extra special deliveries came from The …
Alabama Florist’s Mother’s Day Arrangements Benefit Local Neonatal Unit Read More »
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Alabama Florist’s Mother’s Day Arrangements Benefit Local Neonatal Unit
Here is something you may not already know. The theory of six degrees of separation was proposed in 1929 by a Hungarian writer. It suggests that we are all connected to any one other person in the entire world by a chain of people we know, with at least five people in between the string. …
Leveraging the Power of Six Degrees of Separation Read More »
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Leveraging the Power of Six Degrees of Separation
With the holidays fast approaching, business owners everywhere are getting their sites ready for the holiday shopping season. If you own a local floral shop, the holidays are a particularly critical time. But with the biggest names in the industry setting aside huge marketing budgets for national campaigns during the holidays, how can you compete? …
5 Holiday Merchandising Tips for Ecommerce Websites Read More »
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5 Holiday Merchandising Tips for Ecommerce Websites
When people think of marketing, they think of sleazy salesman equipped with lies and snake oil. They think of the unfavorable times that their wallets were gutted by unfulfilled promises. They think of dishonest corporate culture that is filled to the brim cold, often robotic, ideas and slogans. People do not think fondly of marketing. …
How Storytelling Can Build a Real Connection with your Audience Read More »
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How Storytelling Can Build a Real Connection with your Audience
Choosing the right digital marketing partner can be a difficult task for any small business. There are countless new services launching almost daily and it’s hard to keep up with what really works today for marketing a florist business. Here are 5 tips to keep in mind when choosing a potential digital marketing firm to work with: …
Tips for Choosing a Digital Marketing Partner Read More »
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Tips for Choosing a Digital Marketing Partner
Businesses are becoming more concerned with SEO strategy. With Google’s algorithms constantly changing, it’s important to have a SEO toolkit. Here are three things to keep in mind when improving your SEO strategy: People are searching differently now than they were before. Search terms are getting longer, and more specific. You will need to use …
3 Things to Remember about SEO Read More »
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3 Things to Remember about SEO
The most important responsibility of a Facebook marketer is to increase engagement. If you aren’t actively increasing your engagement, then you’re better off spending your time and resources on other marketing platforms. The problem, though, is that it is getting more difficult for small business to capitalize on engagement—there is too many noisy algorithm changes …
Why You Should Run Facebook Contests Read More »
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Why You Should Run Facebook Contests
Facebook can be used for many things, and sometimes the options can be blinding. Mark Wallrapp, Facebook’s Director of Strategic Accounts, suggests focusing on less to accomplish more. He recommends staying true to the voice of the brand and tapping into people’s emotions. He states that companies need to figure out what they are good at, …
Facebook Marketing Read More »
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Facebook Marketing
Drumming up business through SEO, or search engine optimization, is still relevant among small businesses, even though most tactical SEO strategies aren’t being used as much any more. What that means is that websites used to load keywords onto a page with hopes of tricking a search engine into driving people searching for that keyword …
Content Planning For Small Biz SEO Read More »
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Content Planning For Small Biz SEO
Effective communication is vital to growing a successful florist business. Email marketing gives you the opportunity to get information out to your customers in a convenient and cost-effective way, whether you want to send out details of new opening hours, product offers or special holiday promotions. Getting started with email marketing is easy, but we’ve put …
Remember These Email Marketing Basics Read More »
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Remember These Email Marketing Basics
When it comes to web design, people will judge a book by its cover. Your company will be judged by the quality of its design. First-time perceptions of your business will directly correlate with your web presence, functionality and aesthetics. This alone can make-or-break your conversions. If you’re not sure whether your design is hurting …
The Best Tips for Improving your Website Layout Read More »
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The Best Tips for Improving your Website Layout
With the advent of social media platforms like Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, content marketing has become quite competitive. Marketers are constantly looking for new campaign ideas. With over 27 million pieces of content being shared each day, it’s clear that the possibilities are ever-increasing as new technology emerges. Content marketing shapes the way consumers make …
The Value of Content Marketing Read More »
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The Value of Content Marketing
Let’s say we have two florists. One who is afraid of changing anything on his website, in fear of negatively influencing the good/decent results that he’s been getting. And we have another florist who, unlike his counterpart, is relentless in optimizing his web presence, and is not satisfied until he achieves great results. One florist …
How Split Tests Can Boost Your Conversions Read More »
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How Split Tests Can Boost Your Conversions
A lot has been said about Local SEO recently, especially in the form of targeting your keywords to customers searching for florists in local neighborhoods. To make the most of geo-targeting, you need to find that healthy balance between precision and making sure that visitors searching for you aren’t too limited.Many people already search for …
Geo-Targeting To Neighborhoods: A Great Way To Win Customers Read More »
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Geo-Targeting To Neighborhoods: A Great Way To Win Customers
Online reviews are important. How important? Based on a recent study with over 1,000 participants, 90% said that their buying decisions were directly influenced by a positive review, and 86% of them said that a negative affected their views about certain products. The quality and quantity of your business’ reviews are paramount. Whether you are …
How to Maintain and Strengthen Your Online Reputation Read More »
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How to Maintain and Strengthen Your Online Reputation
There are 25 million active small business pages on Facebook. That tells us a few things: When it comes to selling and marketing online, Facebook is the juggernaut of social media. And if you have not used Facebook as a marketing platform, you need to start. Just like other forms of marketing, you will run …
The 3 Most Common Facebook Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them Read More »
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The 3 Most Common Facebook Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them
Twerk: A provocative dance styling typified by moving one’s behind up and down rapidly; unfortunately popularized by Miley Cyrus; often promises a lot more than what is delivered. Hint: Your website shouldn’t do this! Depending on your personal and dancing preferences, twerking might be a desirable thing – or it might be a symbol of all …
Your Website Shouldn’t Twerk Read More »
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Your Website Shouldn’t Twerk
Headlines this week: What Makes A Good Deal? 3 Types Of Promotional Emails You Should Be Sending How To GIF Up Your Emails SAF Growth Solutions: You Should Go Customers Ready To Break Free From Recession Habits Memorial Day Flowers Decorates Veterans’ Graves
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Newsletter: Is Your Price Right?
Email marketing isn’t just blasting your offers to your list. An email list can be used to take care of customer service and retention, brand building, and generating useful data about your client/prospect base. All of this, either directly or indirectly, can lead to more sales. If every email you send to a customer or …
The Promotional Email: 3 Types of Emails You Should be Sending to Your List Read More »
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The Promotional Email: 3 Types of Emails You Should be Sending to Your List
Headlines this week:
Houston Florist Got By With (A Lot) Of Help From Her Friends
The Most Read Subject Lines
Marketing Metrics That Matter
Getting 60+ Reviews In 30 Days
57 Tips For Better Blog Marketing
Pinterest Introduces Guided Search
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Newsletter: Imagine Launching A Flower Shop at Mother’s Day!
The subject line is the primary factor that decides if your emails get opened. If your subject is weak, your email campaign is guaranteed to underperform. The subject line will tell the reader whether he should, or shouldn’t, open your email. It tells him whether he should be curious and read your emails, or it …
The Promotional Email: The Best Subject Lines to Use for Your Campaigns Read More »
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The Promotional Email: The Best Subject Lines to Use for Your Campaigns
HOW STRESS CAN MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER, NOT WORSE Mother’s Day has come and gone, but in flower shops across the country, the springtime madness marches on. “We are still full throttle with proms, graduations, weddings, Memorial Day, garden center sales and Dominican/Haitian Mother’s Day,” said Rick Canale of Exotic Flowers in Boston, Mass. …
Florist 2.0 Newsletter: May 16, 2014 Read More »
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Florist 2.0 Newsletter: May 16, 2014
The dust is settling after Mother’s Day week, which means this is the time when florists will be reflecting on and examining the week that just went by. Smart florists will be following the advice of guys like Tim Huckabee and Bill Schodowski who routinely preach having a prompt post-holiday staff meeting to discuss and …
Customers Tell The Real Story About Mother’s Day Satisfaction Read More »
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Customers Tell The Real Story About Mother’s Day Satisfaction
In the previous post in the series, we talked about the philosophy and objectives of an email marketing campaign. We also touched on how nearly every email you send out should either solve a problem or meet a core desire of your audience. This helps to increase the effectiveness of your email campaigns, because it …
The Promotional Email: How to Craft Attention-Grabbing Emails Read More »
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The Promotional Email: How to Craft Attention-Grabbing Emails
We all hate spam. The hatred is universal and unequivocal. I have not met one single person who enjoys receiving spam in his inbox. But yet, spam still exists—in shocking numbers. Because of this, many businesses are gun-shy when it comes to email marketing—afraid that they are going to frustrate their list if they email …
The Promotional Email: How to Start a Successful Campaign Read More »
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The Promotional Email: How to Start a Successful Campaign
Pinterest is becoming one of the most trafficked and popular social media websites online, and for good reason too: the traffic converts particularly when your niche thrives on visuals. As florists, using Pinterest can significantly contribute to your bottom line. This is not surprising given the huge percentage of women on the website –over 80%. …
4 Pinterest Best Practices for Florists Read More »
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4 Pinterest Best Practices for Florists
Mobile sales have usurped desktop sales. This tells us two things:
1) That the mobile trend is now an unstoppable force; mobile sales are likely to dominate technology for the foreseeable future.
2) People are now more comfortable on their mobile devices than on their desktops and laptops.
Ignoring these facts is like knowing a destructive category 5 hurricane is coming to your town, but you refuse to evacuate.
Needless to say, if you aren’t opening up mobile marketing channels, you are nuts; what we today call “online marketing” will be dominated by mobile channels and funnels for at least the next 5-15 years.
The urgency for mobile-compatible website design is apparent. Designers know this. There have been debates on the best way to make a website mobile-friendly—either with a separate mobile site or an all-encompassing responsive design. For a few years, mobile sites held popularity, but lately the opinion has swayed over to responsive design.
The reason: even though mobile sites do have their place, responsive design is the future. Let’s look at the benefits.
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3 Reasons Why You Should Have a Responsive Website
Here is our webinar from April 16, 2014, showing how real local florists can gain a plethora of legitimate online reviews from real customers. To recap: Reviews provide a big boost for potential customers and search engines The reviews are completely legit, from real customers Reviews are presented in a customer-friendly and search engine-friendly manner …
How To Get Online Reviews for Florists Read More »
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How To Get Online Reviews for Florists
When it comes to marketing online, too many florists are still completely ignoring the powerful online marketing tool called Pinterest. Based on the concept of pinning pictures to a board, Pinterest is a picture based website dedicated to user generated images. The idea is to help share even more beauty around the world to as …
4 Reasons For Florists To Use Pinterest Read More »
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4 Reasons For Florists To Use Pinterest
The average florist simply doesn’t have the time to use cutting-edge marketing techniques to one-up their competition. The common thought is that it’s good enough to simply create a website, spruce up your social media profiles, snag a decent amount of web traffic, and that’s it. While all of that is fine and necessary for …
How to Spy on Your Competitors: The Best Tools and Tactics to Use Read More »
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How to Spy on Your Competitors: The Best Tools and Tactics to Use
You KNOW you need to get real online customer reviews … but it’s so hard and frustrating to get customers to write actual reviews in the right place! Check out our latest free webinar as we unveil a new solution designed to easily and quickly generate real reviews from real customers.
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The Fast & Easy Way to Generate More Real Reviews and Customer Feedback
Many florists typically struggle with social media marketing. Not just because it involves frequent participation, but because it also takes up a significant amount of our time. So, what can you do to make your social media marketing more effective and in less time? Most importantly, how can you get even more revenue, increased brand reach and visibility… all without necessarily increasing the amount of time you spend on the platforms? Well, the following practical suggestions should help.
Start Shooting Videos
Okay, don’t let this scare you. You don’t need a video recording equipment, expensive cameras or microphones. If you can afford them, fine. If you can’t, don’t sweat it. Your phone’s camera on a stand will do the trick.
The good thing about videos is that it is real and effective. People get to see who you are and identify the person behind the brand. The days of being faceless entities are long gone –at least for florist shops. Tell a story, teach your audience a unique floral decoration style, show them which flowers are perfect for which occasion and teach them catchy floral arrangements.
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3 Ways to Effectively Manage and Optimize Your Social Media Reach
It’s hard to know if your blog is successful if you don’t track and measure its results and failures. It’s like trying to win a race while wearing a blindfold. You won’t be able to take any real steps forward because you won’t be able to see what’s in front of you.
In your blogging strategy, everything needs to be clear. You need to know what’s working and what isn’t. You need to be aware of what can come in the future. You need to be knowledgeable about what happened in the past. You need to know where you’re wasting money. You need to know the areas where you need to spend more money.
A caveat: Blogging isn’t necessarily easy. Success is rarely born from a random accident. The authoritative blogs you see—the ones that are pulling in hundreds of thousands of visitors consistently—have a system in place that tells them what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong. They aren’t making choices erratically; most of the decisions they make have reasons behind them. These “reasons” are really goals that they are trying to meet.
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The Best Metrics to Use When Measuring Your Blog’s Success
Voice search is gradually going mainstream. Sure, we haven’t gotten there yet, but the technology is catching up. While typing is still predominantly the main way to enter search terms in the search engines, most mobile devices come equipped with voice search options. Interestingly, these voice search options are uncannily accurate particularly if you’re from …
Will Voice Search Impact Your SEO in 2014? Read More »
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Will Voice Search Impact Your SEO in 2014?
The average business blog owner is doing it wrong. By “it” I mean the content creation and the day-to-day management of that content. The truth is that the average business blog is nothing more than a bundle of boring text that puts the readers that they have to sleep. This is unfortunate, because in 2014 …
3 Keys to Having a Successful Business Blog Read More »
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3 Keys to Having a Successful Business Blog
So, there’s been a lot of debate about the impact of Google authorship on search engine rankings. Some SEOs say it helps, others say it doesn’t. The truth is no one really knows that it does work. In fact, there was a heated argument about this recently in a private IM membership forum. One of …
Is Google Authorship Essential for High Search Engine Rankings? Read More »
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Is Google Authorship Essential for High Search Engine Rankings?
One of the hardest parts of writing a blog post is finding an exciting topic to use. Depending on your market, this can be especially tough, as you constantly find yourself struggling to keep your readers engaged. It’s like running on a treadmill without the option to stop or turn it off—eventually you’ll tire out. …
How to Select Topics That Will Have Your Readers Hooked Read More »
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How to Select Topics That Will Have Your Readers Hooked
First reported yesterday morning, florists with FTD website woke up to find several new categories of items active on their websites, just in time for those Valentine’s shoppers. The kicker? The items are all FTD Drop Ship gifts! This comment was posted by one affected florist: Look what appeared on my ftd website overnight without …
FTD Websites Add Drop Ship Items To Unsuspecting Florists Read More »
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FTD Websites Add Drop Ship Items To Unsuspecting Florists
Creating engaging blog content is easier said than done. Every blog owner wants to be an authority in their market, often without having the slightest idea on how to go about it. We’re going to talk about something that can work, if used correctly. We’re going to focus on long posts, and discuss how they …
The Art Of The Long Post: Three Pillar Rules to Knock Your Readers Off Their Feet Read More »
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The Art Of The Long Post: Three Pillar Rules to Knock Your Readers Off Their Feet
For most florists, mobile marketing is still a tough arena to navigate. Not just because it’s a relatively new marketing medium, but also because figuring out what your audience wants and how they want it can be quite confusing. There’s a lot of guessing and some mixed results. Overall, mobile still shows a lot of …
5 Crucial Mobile Marketing Trends to Watch Out for in 2014 Read More »
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5 Crucial Mobile Marketing Trends to Watch Out for in 2014
Last week Google’s Webmaster Central blog, which exists as an information channel for website owners, published a post entitled Affiliate programs and added value. Whenever Google posts some information (usually a nicely-couched edict) about web quality, search optimization, or their beloved “guidelines” it’s natural for many in the SEO community to react with skepticism. However, …
Google Speaks – But Are Florists Listening? Read More »
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Google Speaks – But Are Florists Listening?
Local Search can just as easily be a juggling act. There are so many aspects to handle that it's easy to get confused and drop the ball.
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How to Rank Locally in 2014: 5 Local Ranking Factors You Need to Think About
Small businesses are losing access to at least 80% of their fan base and people suddenly have to pay if they want to get a message out to all their fans and friends on Facebook.
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Should Facebook Be Relevant to Your Marketing Plans in 2014?
As a small business owner, your ability to make a profit depends on getting clients consistently and effectively. New leads are the lifeblood of your business; without them, your business would keel over. Every small business wants new leads. The trick is how to go about getting them. There are a myriad of ways to catch new clients …
Not All SEO is Created Equal: An Intro to Local SEO Read More »
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Not All SEO is Created Equal: An Intro to Local SEO
You’ve heard all about SEO and know it has something to do with optimizing your site to get it ranking in the SERPs—or search engine results pages. So, you’ve taken everyone’s advice, and optimized your site as well as you could. But for some reason your site isn’t ranking. And you have no idea why. It’s understandable. …
Are These 3 On-Page SEO Mistakes Keeping Your Site from Ranking? Read More »
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Are These 3 On-Page SEO Mistakes Keeping Your Site from Ranking?
Funny thing: For all of the online proclamations of “Content is King,” you would think that most business owners with enough savvy to have a website would have caught on by now. But that's sadly not the case. Many businesses still don't have a blog, and if they do, it's usually a non-updated, abandoned piece of web space that's drier than the Sahara. And even if the blog is updated on a regular basis, the posts are usually fluffed-up, canned articles that accomplish close to nothing. The average small business blog suffers from more neglect than an abandoned, haunted house.
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Don’t be Left Behind: Why Your E-commerce Site Needs an “Authority Blog”
Regardless of what type of business you’re in, you can grow sales and skyrocket customer retention rates by building an audience. Not only will people feel more comfortable doing business with you because they’ve gotten to know you, but they’ll recommend you to their family, friends, and acquaintances. Word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising …
Build an Audience to Grow Sales and Increase Customer Retention Rates Read More »
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Build an Audience to Grow Sales and Increase Customer Retention Rates
Social media marketing isn’t just about looking for and identifying smart ways to motivate and keep your audience engaged. Sure, that’s an essential aspect, but it is also about pre-empting their needs or being in their faces as frequently and as unobtrusively as possible. We all know that the best defense is a good offense. …
4 Social Media Conversations Florists Need to Look Out For in 2014 Read More »
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4 Social Media Conversations Florists Need to Look Out For in 2014
Many small businesses are finding out that creating and distributing their own original content costs far less than paid banner ads, media buys or newspaper center spreads and produces even better results.
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What Kind of Content Will Rule in 2014?
Have you considered adding a social media resolution? If you haven’t, maybe we can help. Feel free to adopt one or more of these resolutions.
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
5 Social Media Resolutions for Florists in 2014
If you have been following the marketing space and industry, you will know by now that the mobile marketing space is expanding and becoming bigger. For instance, 2013 was considered a great year for mobile marketing. So was 2012, 2011 and 2010. In fact, in the last 4 years, we have seen incremental growth in …
3 Essential Elements for Mobile Marketing Success in 2014 Read More »
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3 Essential Elements for Mobile Marketing Success in 2014
Since it’s the time of year for recaps and best-of lists, here are the top posts from the Florist 2.0 SEO Blog in 2013: Most read posts: (There is a definite theme!) Using Google Analytics to Assess the Effectiveness of Your Advertising Campaign Using Google Analytics to Assess and Improve SEO FTD Follows TF’s Example …
Top Posts of 2013 Read More »
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Top Posts of 2013
From Ryan, Janis, and all the Florist 2.0 team, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!
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Merry Christmas
Social media marketing when used effectively can create a horde of raving fans, product and service evangelists, and most importantly, increase your profits tremendously.
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3 Proven Social Media Marketing Tips for Florists
Keywords are the core of the search engines. To get answers to any queries or questions, you’ll need to enter the keywords and hope that the search engine returns something relevant and useful. As a result, the foundation of most pay per click ad campaigns is the keywords.
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Are Target Audiences More Important than Keywords in Paid Search?
Like it or not, some of your website’s visitors come from people using mobile devices. Unfortunately, you’re probably losing them because your website isn’t optimized for their devices. Recent studies by the Harvard Business Review show that people spend between 12% and 49% of their time either doing some window shopping or actively seeking out products to buy.
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
4 Powerful Mobile Marketing Tips Florists Can Use Today
If you have been using Facebook Business Pages to connect with and inform your subscribers, prospects, clients or customers, you might want to take a look at your recent stats, specifically stats from the last 2 weeks.
Lots of people and businesses have seen their organic reach drop and their messages get across to less than 30% of their fans. If yours hasn’t been hit yet, you’re either very lucky or like George Takei, spared of their wrath for the time being. Turns out Facebook recently tweaked their algorithm to limit the amount of reach businesses and fanpage owners have to their audiences. That is, unless you’re willing to pay for it.
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Is Focusing on Facebook Organic Reach and Business Pages Worth it Anymore?
For many small business owners, conquering and mastering PPC is extremely difficult. Not just because of the stringent rules and requirements, but also because of the learning curve. Unfortunately, recent Google Adwords updates and Bing/Yahoo updates haven’t made it any easier. If anything, it does seem like PPC advertising is getting increasingly difficult. While it’s …
4 Killer PPC Marketing Tips for Better ROI Read More »
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4 Killer PPC Marketing Tips for Better ROI
What do Samsung, Apple and HTC have in common? What do Teleflora, FTD and BloomNet have in common? These companies are pack leaders and recognised authorities or top brands in their niches and industries. Why is that? What makes these companies tick? How are they able to consistently achieve great and enviable results? How can …
4 Unique Ways to Stand Head and Shoulders Above the Florist Crowd Read More »
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4 Unique Ways to Stand Head and Shoulders Above the Florist Crowd
Everyone is talking about mobile these days. Not just in terms of the hardware, but also in terms of its sheer reach. Recent studies in 2012 show that there are about 1 billion smartphones, tablets and phablets in circulation globally, new tech start-ups centred around mobile, innovative new conversation media like Whatsapp and Snapchat and …
Why Are Florists Neglecting Mobile Marketing? Read More »
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Why Are Florists Neglecting Mobile Marketing?
Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about how Google+ is influencing search engine rankings. Is there any truth to this? Is it just pure rumour or reliable conjecture? Are there results and data to back up these claims?
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Does Google+ Influence Search Engine Rankings?
Pay per click advertising is often hard to crack. Therefore, it’s not surprising to find small businesses failing in their attempts to make it work for them. In fact, it has often been suggested in some quarters that Google – the biggest player in PPC- is effectively against the small business, hence the sometimes astronomically high cost per click. Question is do you have to consistently focus on Google?
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PPC for Florists – Proven Methods and Techniques
Most businesses and organizations do some sort of content marketing these days. The interesting thing however is that less than 20% of the businesses who make this claim use content marketing effectively. This is good news for businesses on a budget. This means that if they can fine-tune their content marketing strategy, they’ll most likely …
4 Incredibly Effective Content Marketing Techniques Read More »
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4 Incredibly Effective Content Marketing Techniques
Phishing is a major security threat, with particular risk to small businesses who may not have extensive security resources.
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Phishing Business Impacts – Infographic
Please allow me to be personal for a moment: Choice and flexibility are ideals that are near and dear to my heart. As a business owner I always try to position our companies to be nimble and agile (at the risk of borrowing an over-abused term). As a husband and father I always want to …
Some Thoughts About Choice Read More »
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Some Thoughts About Choice
Florists with FTD-hosted websites should be aware of a recent change to their website templates that introduces a Pagerank-siphoning link back to an FTD-branded website. In a move reminiscent of Teleflora’s poorly-executed effort to build links for the term “florist” off their clients’ websites, FTD has introduced a link at the end of the footer …
FTD Follows TF’s Example in Siphoning Pagerank Read More »
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FTD Follows TF’s Example in Siphoning Pagerank
Using psychology to increase sales may seem a little underhanded, but in reality it’s all about giving your customers what they want. When you formulate your business marketing and publicity campaigns, or train your employers in customer service, you will benefit from using the psychology to increase sales, build relationships and ultimately, increase productivity of …
Words To Help You Sell More Read More »
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Words To Help You Sell More
According to studies, the concept of being “unbiased” is merely hypothetical. Every decision that a person makes involved two mental activities – the rational or logical mind and the irrational or emotional mind. However, as neuroscientist Antonio Damasio found out, people with injury or structural damage in the part of brain that controls emotions cannot …
There’s No Such Thing As An Unemotional Decision Read More »
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There’s No Such Thing As An Unemotional Decision
Using content is the best and the most reliable way of persuading customers to go through the buying cycle. So, what exactly is the buying cycle? The best way of understanding the concept is to break it down into different stages. The process starts by making potential customers aware of your business and progresses into …
Using Content to Guide Your Customers through the Buying Cycle Read More »
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Using Content to Guide Your Customers through the Buying Cycle
The psychology of a customer ultimately influences her purchasing decision. So, you can begin from this end of the sales process and gain more clients within a short span of time. Playing on the psychological advantage is effective for every product, be it a computer or furniture, but can be particularly effective when you sell flowers. One …
Psychological Selling Tips for Writing Compelling Copy Read More »
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Psychological Selling Tips for Writing Compelling Copy
It’s no secret that content engagement is a crucial part of every retailer’s web marketing strategy, but how do you know when users are actually being engaged? It seems intuitive enough that you would need a powerful way to track both static (blog posts, articles, etc) and dynamic (videos, podcasts, animation) types of content. For …
Content Tracking with Google Analytics Read More »
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Content Tracking with Google Analytics
Google Analytics is hugely under-utilized though it has very useful features. One of these is the ability to create custom reports that display only the data that you or your customers want to see. Custom reports let you filter your metrics based on a number of factors, as well as your own chosen settings. They are created by combining …
Creating Custom Reports in Google Analytics Read More »
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Creating Custom Reports in Google Analytics
As all online retailers know, search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for attracting traffic. More traffic leads to more sales, which makes SEO a worthwhile investment for all retail florists. But how do you know that your SEO strategy is working as well as it could? Google Analytics can help you to assess your SEO …
Using Google Analytics to Assess and Improve SEO Read More »
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Using Google Analytics to Assess and Improve SEO
A well-planned advertising campaign – whether through paid search like AdWords, social media, or even content marketing – can bring in a lot of traffic to your site, hopefully leading to more sales and more profits. But how do you know your advertising campaign is working as it should be? In this post, we’ll take …
Using Google Analytics to Assess the Effectiveness of Your Advertising Campaign Read More »
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Using Google Analytics to Assess the Effectiveness of Your Advertising Campaign
As a business owner you know how important it is to track key aspects of your business. However, most florists are not comfortably familiar with reading and understanding website date, or knowing which data points are more important than others. If you are not tracking the most critical metrics, you will have no way of knowing how …
Online Marketing Metrics You’d Better Be Keeping An Eye On Read More »
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Online Marketing Metrics You’d Better Be Keeping An Eye On
Most of the discussion about online marketing focus on bringing people to your website, but the goal of marketing is not views – it’s sales. That’s why it is so important to pay attention to your conversion optimization – getting as many visitors converted to customers as possible. One important step in getting conversions is …
Using Google Analytics’ Goals and Funnels for Conversion Optimization Read More »
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Using Google Analytics’ Goals and Funnels for Conversion Optimization
Google Analytics is a powerful program for examining website performance, but there are times when slicing and parsing historical data is not enough. GA’s Real-Time reports give you a live look at what customers are doing on your website right now. These real-time metrics provide up-to-the-minute reports on many aspects of website performance and popularity, and a …
Using Google Analytics to Look At Real-Time Metrics Read More »
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Using Google Analytics to Look At Real-Time Metrics
Google Analytics is a free, massively popular analytics program for tracking a number of website performance features. While ‘landing page’ can be used to refer to a specially crafted marketing page, in this context it simply means the page on which a visitor first arrives when coming from another website or search engine. This may be …
Using Google Analytics to Report On Landing Pages Read More »
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Using Google Analytics to Report On Landing Pages
In the world of small business today a dedicated web presence is a necessity for success. Using social media, having an interactive and informative website and providing your customers with an incentive to visit are all excellent tools to build you business and expand your online presence. Google+ has just made this easier for small …
Google+ Cover Photos & Profile Images – A Florist’s Opportunity Read More »
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Google+ Cover Photos & Profile Images – A Florist’s Opportunity
You are always looking for new ways to reach new customers. You are always looking for new ways to reach existing customers. This is typically where Internet marketing comes into play. One of the Internet marketing tools you can add to your marketing toolbox is the new and improved enhanced Google AdWords campaigns. The enhancements …
Google’s New Enhanced Campaigns in AdWords Can Boost Business for Florists Read More »
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Google’s New Enhanced Campaigns in AdWords Can Boost Business for Florists
Interflora was wiped from Google’s search results last week after the internet giant penalised them for alleged manipulation of advertorial links. The UK’s longest-serving flower relay service is accused of breaching Google’s strict regulations. It would appear as though Interflora embarked on an aggressive campaign on the run-up to Valentine’s Day, placing over 150 advertorials …
How the Mighty Fall: Interflora disappears from Google search Read More »
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How the Mighty Fall: Interflora disappears from Google search
I want to kick off the new year by encouraging all our readers to approach your business with the right mindset. To that end, I’m going to share a pearl of wisdom from a recent post by Seth Godin titled “True Professionals Don’t Fear Amateurs“. Talking about the effects of a lowered barrier to entry …
Start Year with a Professional Attitude! Read More »
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Start Year with a Professional Attitude!
Since Google is currently the dominant search engine in the world, all webmasters should learn how to please Google if they want to master Search Engine Optimization. However, since Google keeps changing its algorithm, it is not easy to stay on top of the game all the time. Many business owners are inexperienced and rush …
SEO in 2013: What You Need to Do to Survive? Read More »
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SEO in 2013: What You Need to Do to Survive?
The Internet plays a huge part in the way people do business these days. Online revenue has grown more than three times faster than your more traditional sales. This includes the floral business as well. In fact, one of the more popular online ecommerce shopping categories is flowers with approximately 90 percent of the US and Canada …
Enhancing the Check Out Process of your Floral Ecommerce Site Read More »
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Enhancing the Check Out Process of your Floral Ecommerce Site
Take a step back from in-depth SEO, website referral metrics, and the sweet spot for your PPC campaign. Or, for beginning businesses in the online world, start here. For either case, it pays to approach the basics that lead to online marketing success. According to Carolina Miranda, there are three important components that can lead to impressive success …
The Basics of Online Marketing Success Read More »
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The Basics of Online Marketing Success
Anyone can turn on their computer these days and go on an exciting shopping trip on the other side of the world. While this gives consumers choices that have never been available to them before, online shopping can also involve a lack of personal connection between the consumer and the merchant. Because people are more …
How Social Media Can Create Customer Contact Read More »
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How Social Media Can Create Customer Contact
In a time of incredible advances in technology to build businesses, social media has become a prime avenue for adding customers. If you have not yet capitalized on this free form of advertising, you’re missing out on an incredible opportunity to reach a large amount of people in a fraction of the time you would …
Retail Flower Shops: Using Facebook To Reach The Masses Read More »
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Retail Flower Shops: Using Facebook To Reach The Masses
Social media networks are a goldmine for businesses. They can connect customers to your business, offer a way to share valuable content and media, connect with your business’ blog, and in general, boost every aspect of your online marketing strategy. They’re growing as well – Facebook just reached one billion users, according to CNN’s Aaron Smith. Carefully choosing …
Finding Ideal Social Media Networks for Your Flower Shop Read More »
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Finding Ideal Social Media Networks for Your Flower Shop
Guest blogging is unfortunately an untapped market for many businesses. Choosing to write articles and posts on one’s own site, the business loses out on a potentially wider audience and further benefits that are available. It doesn’t have to be that way. As it relates to online marketing, guest blogging can actually become a valuable resource …
Online Marketing Advantages with Guest Blogging Read More »
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Online Marketing Advantages with Guest Blogging
For businesses that have an online presence, the blog is an integral component. It helps boost SEO value, can involve link building, and it can provide valuable content for readers and customers, helping to aid sales. Business tips that emphasize the importance of the blog are on the right track. However, there are some notable mistakes that …
Blogging Mistakes To Avoid Read More »
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Blogging Mistakes To Avoid
As the holidays rapidly approach, a strategically designed online marketing campaign can maximize the upcoming holiday season. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your holiday campaigns: Identify the holidays you will target The first step is to identify which holidays you are going to target. Are you going to target… …
Planning Your Online Marketing For The Upcoming Holidays Read More »
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Planning Your Online Marketing For The Upcoming Holidays
If you’re not doing what you can to reach out to mobile users, you’re handing your competition all kinds of business. As highlighted in a recent post on the Google Mobile blog, it’s more important than ever to create mobile-friendly websites. Apps and mobile themes for websites are popular solutions, but they generally miss the …
Google Warning: Give Mobile Users What They Want! Read More »
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Google Warning: Give Mobile Users What They Want!
When small business looks for ways to attract new customers by joining the ever-expanding internet marketplace, it is important that special attention is paid to creating an internet presence that becomes a real resource for your customers. So far, the focus seems to be on creating a place on Social Media to realize the largest …
Effective Online Marketing Requires A Social Media Connection Read More »
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Effective Online Marketing Requires A Social Media Connection
In order to do business in today’s economy, special attention needs to be paid toward your leadership qualities. By creating a place of business in which your employees can grow and thrive, you will be paving the way toward small business success. So, what are some effective strategies you can take to lead your business …
Some Small Business Tips To Plant, Nurture and Grow Your Floral Business Dream Read More »
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Some Small Business Tips To Plant, Nurture and Grow Your Floral Business Dream
You may be wondering why so many small businesses are using blogs as a form of online marketing. It may seem weird to dedicate so much time and effort to something that doesn’t directly bring you income. The truth of the matter is, a blog can help direct customers to your business and create very tangible …
Use a Blog as Part of Your Online Marketing Arsenal Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Use a Blog as Part of Your Online Marketing Arsenal
The upcoming holidays are some of the biggest months for florists. As a retail florist, it may seem difficult to compete with the online order gatherer giants. The biggest advantage for customers finding you online is they can save a lot of money not going through a middleman. The good news is changes to the …
Online Marketing For Retail Florists Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Online Marketing For Retail Florists
Whether you’re a brand new business or you’ve been in the neighborhood for years, it can be tough to stand out from the competition. There are other local shops to contend with, on top of the increase in online floral businesses. Here are nine business tips to help you get your name out there as a retail …
Small Business Tips for Retail Florists Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Small Business Tips for Retail Florists
Instagram is quickly becoming the place to be for top brands. 40% of global companies are now using Instagram. That’s still much lower than the 98% adoption rate of Facebook, but the number of Instagram users is steadily climbing. Instagram’s intriguing filters could be the perfect showcase for your floral works of art. In fact, Instagram’s visual …
Showcasing Yourself on Instagram Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Showcasing Yourself on Instagram
One of the newest players in the world of online marketing is a website called Pinterest and because of the nature of this online community, it can lend itself particularly well to the florist business. The sharing of things that people find beautiful is a perfect fit for photos of flowers. All you need is a way to …
Pinterest Can Be Your Storefront in Cyberspace Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Pinterest Can Be Your Storefront in Cyberspace
It’s easy for us as business owners to get carried away worrying about our how our business is doing in the Google search rankings … but what about your personal brand? Over 1 billion searches are performed on names every month! What are people finding when they Google YOU? (Graphic courtesy of Brandyourself) What about …
Google Personal Results Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Google Personal Results
Running your own business has you doing all types of projects, at all hours of the night. The idea of running your day to day business, and then adding to it might seem overwhelming. The good news is that social media can benefit small business owners (like florists!!), the most. According to a survey by Social Media …
Social Media Boosts Business for Florists Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Social Media Boosts Business for Florists
According to ComScore, the “Fourth Screen” (aka Tablets, following TVs, PCs and Smartphones) is now officially mainstream. Is your web site optimized for Tablets as well as Smartphones and PCs? If not, check out our affordable Responsive Design ecommerce sites for florists!
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
How Americans Use Their Tablets
Learn about data visualization software. A quick reminder, courtest of Visual.ly, about the importance of using a Facebook Business Page – not a Personal Profile for your business marketing on Facebook!
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Facebook Business Pages 101
It sometimes feels like computers and new information technology have reshaped alot of our world overnight — and that’s certainly true for the florist industry. Veteran florist Amy Wheeler of Palm Coast, Florida recently told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that online floral sites are now the norm for a lot of consumers: “It’s nothing like …
Customer service, localism are trends helping florists Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Customer service, localism are trends helping florists
Digital Marketing thinktank eConsultancy recently wrote about Amazon’s latest – and most prominent to date – colossal fail of their cloud hosting service. This isn’t the first time Amazon has crashed hard (it wasn’t that long ago they went down for nearly a week), but this time some big names were involved. How big is …
Amazon Hosting Isn’t Fail-Proof After All Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Amazon Hosting Isn’t Fail-Proof After All
It should come as no surprise to anyone that the marketing channels with the lowest degree of difficulty also come with the lowest level of effectiveness. The study by Market Sherpa also reveals that even larger corporations are struggling with planning and formalized processes for implementing marketing tactics. However, that hasn’t stopped companies from going …
Marketing Channel Effectiveness vs Difficulty Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Marketing Channel Effectiveness vs Difficulty
Marketing Sherpa has just released their 2012 Lead Generation Benchmark Report. This is an extensive report on tactics and methods for generating new business leads, and draws from close to 2,000 companies covering both B2B and B2C marketing. Some interesting insights include: Online tactics top the charts in effectiveness. Multichannel messaging has been rated as …
Online Marketing Most Effective Tactics, According to Market Sherpa Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Online Marketing Most Effective Tactics, According to Market Sherpa
In an interesting, “didn’t see that coming” type of twist former bad boy OG and Florist.com / HonestFlorist owner Aron Benon has taken aim at the underbelly of the floral industry in his new blog at Flowers.Org. The latest post explicitly calls out noted gatherer Ava’s Florist for their fake-local tactics. What’s your take on …
Ex-OG Outs Ava’s for Fake Local Marketing Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Ex-OG Outs Ava’s for Fake Local Marketing
A YouTube video claims falsely to have been shot by a media consulting firm and trashes one of the firm’s clients. A Facebook post cuts and pastes copyrighted material. A Tweet makes a slanderous claim about a person. The result of any of these could be a lawsuit and, if deep pockets are involved, an …
Social Media and Liability Risks for Florists Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Social Media and Liability Risks for Florists
Last week SEO and WP veteran Joost de Valk outted GoDaddy (no link for you!) for tricking customers with a nasty little footer link scheme leveraging client web sites. Sound familiar? It should – this is the same practice we caught Teleflora doing to their florists a few months back. When confronted with the practice …
GoDaddy Linking Scheme Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
GoDaddy Linking Scheme
What an Enterprise or Business Must Measure to Achieve Social Media Marketing Effectiveness 1) Facebook Likes and Page Views You can make a company page free of cost on Facebook. Track the results you can see in your Facebook business page to see who is really visiting your page and where they are coming form. …
Ways To Measure Effectiveness Of Social Media For Your Business Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Ways To Measure Effectiveness Of Social Media For Your Business
From time to time we like to report on the various Florist Directories and Internet Yellow Pages sites that are relevant to florists. While many of these sites (but not all!) still count as citations for your local business listings, it’s becoming more and more questionable as to whether or not there is any traffic …
Florist Directory Report – Fall 2011 Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Florist Directory Report – Fall 2011
Don’t miss our Live Blogging coverage of the Florists For Change conference on the Real Florists Blog.
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Live Blogging of FFC Atlanta
This is a follow-up to the post Teleflora Linking Scheme – Are You A Victim?. We have received word unofficially that Teleflora is responding to a number of complaints about this issue. We can confirm that Teleflora has removed the hidden link from the pop-up page. Why This Is Not Enough The pop-up page in question …
TF Link Scheme Update Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
TF Link Scheme Update
Thousands of Florists Are Unwittingly Contributing To TF.com’s SEO Efforts In the world of internet marketing, links are the currency that powers the economy of search and user behaviour. Consider: Links enable users to move from one page to the next, be it from page to page on the same site, or from one site …
Teleflora Linking Scheme – Are You A Victim? Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Teleflora Linking Scheme – Are You A Victim?
By now, I hope, all small business operators who have been following my blog have come to understand the importance of SEO. To review it in a nutshell, SEO is important if you want to compete successfully with your niche competitors and emerge as a winner in your field. The size of your florist outlet …
SEO basics for small businesses (Part 10) Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
SEO basics for small businesses (Part 10)
Your customers aren’t coming to your site to buy flowers. They’re not coming to purchase quick delivery or a red rose bouquet. Your customers aren’t coming to your site to buy keywords. Don’t let your product descriptions focus on the literal bouquet; instead, make it focus on the moment surrounding that bouquet. What Product Descriptions Should Be We’ll readily admit …
Stop Selling Bouquets (and Start Selling Moments) Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Stop Selling Bouquets (and Start Selling Moments)
I wish to devote this blog to a very common question which is many a time raised by amateur internet marketers and small business owners at webmasters– are SEO and SEM the same? The internet technology is so rapidly evolving that terminologies associated with it are also appearing at an amazing speed and very often …
SEO and SEM – are they one and the same? (Part 9) Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
SEO and SEM – are they one and the same? (Part 9)
Traffic is the biggest target in SEO and it is this which all marketers, big or small, aim at driving into their websites in large volumes. Internet marketing intends to convert this traffic into customers and it is here that the footfalls can directly translate into profit for any business. Small business owners lack the …
SEO tips for small business traffic building (Part 8) Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
SEO tips for small business traffic building (Part 8)
By this time, all of you must have gained a fair idea that SEO is important for making a mark in small business. Without it you stand nowhere, even if you have a website for your store. And it is also true that only a combo of a well-designed website and the right seo tools …
Web design and SEO – a winning combination for small businesses (Part 7) Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Web design and SEO – a winning combination for small businesses (Part 7)
In all my newsletters, I have always maintained that the basics of SEO can never be neglected if you want REAL results from your seo campaigning. “Keyword” occupies a major position among SEO strategies and has to be impeccably incorporated into any website content if it is looking for seo optimization. This entire post is …
Keyword and SEO (Part 6) Read More »
Post from: Florist 2.0 SEO Blog by Florist 2.0
Keyword and SEO (Part 6)