Instagram Is Not Your Long Game

Is your Instagram engagement down?

I read this article last week, Why your Instagram Engagement Kinda Sucks Right Now, and I thought some of the floralpreneurs I know and love would find it interesting. I’ve heard complaints about a lack of engagement over the last several months and this certainly helps to explain why!

Now, while it’s frustrating to think that Mark Zuckerberg seems to control the fate of your business marketing, in truth, he does not!

YOU control your branding and marketing strategy…

So while Instagram may be of help to some businesses in the short term, you should always focus on the LONG GAME when you are planning for your business.

It’s easy to get distracted by “likes” (and endless scrolling), but successful entrepreneurs don’t get distracted. They get laser focused.

What are you doing to get laser focused on your brand strategy (for the long run)?

I’ve been running my business for 18 years and I don’t focus on Instagram followers so much as I focus on creating valuable content and connections that benefit my ideal customers.

If you want to learn more about what I mean, click here for details on the program I teach every January, The Art of Good Business. I’ll break down the most important steps you want to focus on to build a brand (and a branding strategy) that sets your business up for the long run.

You can check out this quick intro from inside the course:

Learn More HERE!

Remember: There’s no such thing as a “finish line” when it comes to building a solid brand. Once you have a great brand, you have to keep it up! Maintain the high standards that earned you that reputation. And keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. The Art of Good Business is a self-paced online course that you can do anytime on your own, BUT I walk you through it every January–because I don’t want you to just sign up for the course, I want to see you get results! So I am here to walk you through the steps and answer your questions this month and every month. Click here to learn more.

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A Conversation with Koehler and Dramm

I was invited to to sit down with Emily and Mary-Catherine at Koehler and Dramm to talk about my new book, Falling Into Flowers, and share a bit about who it’s for, what you can expect to get out of the book, and why I wrote it in the first place!

We talked about weddings, dreaming bigger in your business, checklists and production schedules, rediscovering a love for the customer and impacts of Covid moving forward.

Click to watch (or listen while you’re making holiday wreaths)!

Order a Book HERE!

Why am I willing to share what I’ve learned?

Emily asked me to share WHY I am so willing to share what I’ve learned with other florists (see that below!):

Be the Visionary in your Business!

During our chat, Mary-Catherine zeroed in on the need to focus in on what you actually want in your business, and Emily added that it’s the perfect time for strategic planning…here’s where I share a bit about being the visionary in your company instead of the “worker bee” (see that below!):

What’s the #1 Thing Florists Should Take Away?

Falling Into Flowers is for all floral designers who want to run a successful business, but here’s what I hope you’ll get out of it (see that below!):

Order from Publisher

Order on Amazon

If you have ever thought about becoming a wedding florist, this book is for you. Beautifully written, Alison provides a clear and through understanding of the business side of being wedding florist. From an overall plan to selling a wedding to working hard and making a profit, she genuinely shares her many years of experience. I think my favorite part is the wedding production schedule, this clearly lays out the weekly process and the amount of effort required to produce a successful wedding. Overall, “Falling into Flowers” is an authentic and candid view of owning and operating a real wedding floral business. -Nancee (review from Amazon)

Thanks for taking the time to watch my interview with Koehler and Dramm! If you have questions for me, get in touch!

And if you’d like to “dream a little” in your business, check out this intro from the Build Your Dream Into A Business Plan Live Session I hosted for Patreon subscribers:

Get the Full Session on Patreon

You’ll find a full list of my online courses for florists HERE!

To learn more about Alison click here!

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Build Your Dream Into a Business Plan

Build your dream into a business plan! Now is the time to make a plan for 2021!

And this is what’s on deck for my Patreon subscribers this month. You can join me–and other business savvy floralpreneurs just like you!–for some end-of-year intention setting here: https://www.patreon.com/realflowerbusiness

What would you like to do with your life and your career?

This may sound like a BIG question…OR you may be jumping out of your seat, ready to answer EXACTLY what you envision for yourself….OR maybe you’re somewhere in between…

Allow me to share an example of my dreams from about 8 years ago…

I found some old notebooks in my basement a few weeks ago and I could tell from a quick glance that they were a time capsule of my own “dream a little dream” exercises. Today, I read through these notes and here’s what I found:

What would you like to do with your life and career:

Do 15 weddings per year
Raise a beautiful family
Grow flowers and cultivate my land
Sell books or package my ideas for $

What do you want to be known for:

Doing beautiful work
Being uber professional (yes, I really wrote “uber professional”)

You may already be able to tell how I’m doing on some of these items…

For example, my first book, Falling Into Flowers, was published by Wildflower Media this year! Check!…and I’ll share more detail on what I did and did not accomplish on this list next week with my Patreon members for a live chat!

The reason for sharing these “old dreams” with you is this:

Wherever you are in your life and your career right now, the MOST important step to take as you plan for a new year ahead is to DREAM.

Dreaming is where you begin to create that vision for your future, and the plans (ie. “how you make it happen”) begin to take shape AFTER you’ve allowed yourself to dream a little dream.

Do you make time to dream in your business?

I know it sounds simple to say “dream a little dream”, but when you actually sit down to write out your vision, you may find it’s harder than you thought! So that’s why I’m here to help!

If you want some help mapping out your dream for 2021 and beyond…

or need a push (to help you dream bigger!), consider joining me over on Patreon on Tuesday, Dec. 8th, at noon Eastern to talk about planning your dreams!

Membership ranges from $3-$29 and you can choose a tier that works for your budget. That link to join is right here: https://www.patreon.com/realflowerbusiness

FYI as soon as you subscribe, you’ll unlock LOTS of lessons including my October Business Planning Session and my November Blog Challenge, as well as the 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients!

This member-only training is jam packed with an up close and personal look at how I book clients and run my business (including a real transcript of a wedding consultation)…so at $3-$29 it’s a no brainer investment in your business this year!

There are multiple Tiers on Patreon, but…

*Most Popular Option is Marketing Maven at $29/month.

In addition to EVERYTHING included in the lower Tiers to help you attract great clients and close the sale more easily, Marketing Mavens get:

Monthly Brand Building Social Media & Marketing Prompts for weekly blog posts, social media content, IG posts to help you attract great clients. (This is for anyone who says “I don’t know what to write about” or “I don’t know what to post”.)
You’ll save time, money and stress with these trainings and tips every month, PLUS you won’t have to wonder “what should I say to my audience this week” any more. Branding prompts are released on or before the first Monday of every month.

But you can join for as little as $3, and you can STILL join this live chat on Tuesday!

SO….MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND MEET ME INSIDE MY PATREON GROUP HERE!

Questions about whether this training is right for you? Get in touch! And remember, there’s no obligation–you can cancel anytime.

I hope I’ll see you LIVE inside this special end-of-year “push towards success” on Tuesday, but in the meantime, keep doing beautiful work and keep dreaming!

xo. -Alison

P.S. Not sure what Patreon is? It’s a super cool platform where I share my VERY best business strategies and it’s NOT on Facebook! In 2021, Patreon will be where you can continue to get monthly training from me…especially if you want to spend less time on Facebook (like I do!).

If you like the free stuff I share on Facebook you will LOVE the insider look that you get on Patreon training. xo.

Related Business Planning Tools for Florists:

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Black Friday Deals

Welcome to the Black Friday Sale!

Save NOW thru Nov. 30th at 3pm Eastern.

This year’s sale is designed to help you establish authority and book GREAT clients!

Do you want to increase your authority, grow trust with your clients, and make them feel well cared for?

Here are 3 Deals to Help You Build The Voice of Your Brand:

[Read more…]

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How do you handle cancellations?

should you cancel your 2021 wedding or event

Will weddings and events happen in 2021?

That’s the question that a lot of vendors and couples are starting to ask as new mandates are announced in many states—including my home state of Vermont.

I’m starting to see scenarios repeated in my Facebook group regarding how to handle the new cancelation or postponement requests. This is a really important question for everyone to answer because we are ALL going to get these requests. They are coming soon.

I am in this with you–I know how it feels to anticipate what lies ahead for us in the wedding industry.

One florist wrote:

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