Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

By Leave a Comment

Social Media Mindset

If your last Instagram post didn’t get as much engagement as you were hoping for, this is for you:

It doesn’t matter and you are still a valuable, worthy human and business owner.

As business owners, I know that we all “have to” keep up on social media so we don’t “miss out”, but here’s why it doesn’t matter if you get enough “likes”:

#1. Being “good at social media” isn’t the same thing as having a successful business

#2. Likes don’t equal dollars or profits

#3. It’s hard to be visible when your posts aren’t getting served to your followers

I talk to floral designers all the time who say that social media is pushing them over the edge in terms of their time commitment and self-esteem issues, too.

As I mentioned in my livestream last month on Staying Accountable In Your Business (which you can see here!), even successful business owners can let the pressures of “being good on social media” get them down, so you have to actively work to manage your own input (your precious time) and how you identify with the results or audience engagement.

In short, “likes” can’t define you or your business (and if they do….it’s time to rethink that!).

FYI: If you could use some help writing better social media posts…

You can get 5 social media prompts for your floral business every month as a member of my Patreon community in the Marketing Mavens Tier.

In fact, you can get this month’s social media prompts AND last month’s social media prompts right now when you sign up for just $29!

PLUS: All Patreon members have access to the replay of the Productivity Power Hour.

The goal of the Productivity Power Hour is to write and schedule at least 4 Social Media Posts for the upcoming month in about 1 hour.

If you want to hop into the Power Hour or become a Marketing Maven, you can find Real Flower Business on Patreon here. I’d be honored to have you join me there!

I’m rooting for you and your business as you continue to grow and adapt to an ever-changing climate.

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison

—

By Leave a Comment

Better Sales Copy

What Is Sales Copy? And Why Does It Matter?

This is a question florists have asked me more than once over the years and it’s really important to understand because your brand message matters.

I hosted my first live chat of the year with some tips on what to focus on to start out the year! And yes, it’s about better sales copy to attract better clients! You can watch a replay now…

After you watch, if you’re interested in learning more, you’re invited to dive deeper with me this month in my 4-Week Training, The Art of Good Business, to learn how to attract more great customers with a better brand message!

 

There are still a few days left to enroll and join us before we start on Tuesday, Jan. 9th!

 

The reason I do this work is because you don’t have to build your business all on your own! In fact, no one can build a business all alone without feeling pretty isolated at some point.

 

Because there’s power in working along with others and feeding on their energy, too!

I’d be honored to have you join me to get the boost your business and your brand needs this year. (We’ll even have some fun, too.)

 

When one of my students, Rebecca, first enrolled in my program she booked 3 new weddings and had 2 new inquiries by the time she finished the 4 week training! Each step built up on the next and her confidence grew, too.

 

What are you doing to make this your best year in business yet? To attract the right customers? To make your website stand out?

If you’re considering joining me this January, I’d love to see you there!

xo. -Alison

P.S. I’m happy to answer questions if you have them, so reach out to get in touch.

—

By Leave a Comment

How To Stop Losing Weddings

Everyone has to start somewhere in their business, but what do you do when you’re really ready to level-up your brand and attract better clients?

My business started organically and it was ALL DIY!–from business cards I printed on my home computer to the “flyers” and occasional print ads I ran in the local papers.

I only booked 1 wedding my first year in business–it was ALL sunflowers–and I felt lucky to book the work! The next year I grew my bookings to 5 weddings (thanks to some friends, and friends of friends, getting married, of course!) and then, I slowly began to build from there….10 weddings, 25 weddings, 34 weddings!….but my business still wasn’t growing the way I wanted it to.

 

You see, even after 7 or 8 years in business, I kept losing the “better events” to another florist. (Like the same florist every time.)

Was this other florist more established than me? YES.

Did they have a team that did 20+ weddings per month? YES.

Was I capable of designing flowers as beautiful as their team? YES!

So why was I losing out over and over again?

 

Simple. They Had Better Brand Position.

 

I had to face the fact that even though I’d been in business for a little while and I had a lot to be proud of already, my business simply didn’t have the appearance on the outside that reflected how professional and capable I was in real life (on the inside)! Choosing me wasn’t a “no brainer”…yet!

 

And frankly, this was really maddening! Because time and time again I’d get the same basic reply, “We really enjoyed talking to you and we’re sure you’d do a wonderful job, but we went with another florist.”

So I decided I had to take action to figure out how to level-up to become the CLEAR choice from now on.

 

The action I took was to invest in a higher-level marketing and branding course (it was about $3,000 at the time, which was 20x more than I’d ever invested before!) and I committed to following the program and completing the course assignments.

 

It took me about 6 weeks of training (oh, and I had a tiny little newborn baby to contend with as well!), but I slowly started to put the pieces of my own marketing and branding puzzle together and you know what?….I started to feel a little differently about my business.

 

Now I won’t lie and tell you that I saw an immediate turnaround in my booking rate or my brand position–building a better brand doesn’t happen overnight! 

 

BUT what I did begin to understand right away was how much OPPORTUNITY I had to actually reach those “better clients” (my ideal clients) with some strategic messaging and a more functional website!

 

And that opportunity began to give me a lot of useful information (as well as a little bit of optimism) that I had the power to turn this thing around!

 

So I continued the work and continued to get OBSESSED with my ideal clients and to find out who they really were and what they really needed to hear from me to get to a YES!

 

Now, when clients inquire with me, they are interested in working with ME, not just any florist.

Now, when clients go to my website they tell me how much they LOVE it.

Now, when I send a proposal, they book me quickly, instead of shopping around.

Now, when clients DON’T book with me, I am not worried that it’s because I didn’t put my best foot forward!

And now, that “other florist” still has a good brand position, but clients choose ME OVER THEM lots of times!

 

And after years and years of doing this work to attract the right clients and build an integrity brand, it’s a genuine passion of mine to help florists do the same thing by tapping into your own unique branding potential!

 

The floral designers and flower farmers who’ve already enrolled in my program, The Art of Good Business, know that you have to leverage your own inner potential so you can make a great first impression that looks as awesome on the outside as you KNOW you are on the inside!

You can CLICK HERE for all the details on this January Training and Enroll today if it’s a good fit for you!

 

If any of my business journey sounds relatable and you want to unlock your earning potential by attracting more clients who can afford to pay you to create work that also lights you up and fills your creative bucket, I would be delighted to have you join me in January for The Art of Good Business.

 

You can get started for only $129!

 

More income, more creativity, more freedom…it all starts to fall into place more easily with a better brand position!

 

I won’t just throw a bunch of strategies at you and teach you how to build a business exactly like my own. This course will walk you step-by-step towards creating your own, unique, special, floral business.

 

I don’t teach florists how to “be like me” in order to succeed. The goal of this course is to get to the heart of what makes your business special. My hope is that by signing up for this course, you can position yourself better in your local market, that you can find the courage to try new things in your business, and that you can be happier in business and in life.

In short in this 4 Week Course we’re going to:

*Get to the heart of who your ideal clients are so you can create a magnetic marketing message that attracts more of the best customers to you

*Improve your website so it converts to more sales with qualified customers

*Lead clients through your sales process to help them get to a YES more quickly

*Establish your own unique brand strategy that stands out above the competition without posting on social media every day

 

I see each of my students as individuals with their own hopes, dreams, and talents, so I put my personal time into teaching this course…

 

* I answer all questions personally and promptly.

* I teach the course live every January so you can continue to get support year after year.

* If you have questions after the live sessions, you can still reach out–you’re not alone.

 

I want you to know that you will get special attention when you enroll in this course, and you will be supported in building a business that is perfect for you.

I am happy to answer questions about my program prior to enrolling if you have them! Registration Closes Jan. 4th.

If you don’t want to be in the same place you were last year, I would love to help you level-up in 2024.

-Alison

 

—

By Leave a Comment

Luxury Weddings And Marketing Tips

Does your social media attract your ideal customers or are you repelling great clients accidentally?

Click to watch for some practical advice to help you course correct if your marketing has gotten a little off track!

FYI The Marketing Workshop for Florists starts on Monday, Dec. 4th! If you haven’t registered yet, Now’s the time to sign up so you can start attracting more of the BEST clients to your business.

>> Click Here for all the details!

As I mentioned in my live chat above, here are a few things to think about when marketing to “luxury” event!

Have you noticed that there are a lot of people who throw around the word “luxury” when it comes to weddings and events? Well, it turns out that “luxury” events may not be what you think.

To borrow a quote from one of my favorite movies of all time, The Princess Bride, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

That’s because every single wedding you design is a luxury!

 

Just think about it: You can get married without a single stem of flowers, which means when clients choose to hire you as their florists it IS a luxury. (Yup, you’re already in a luxury market!)

It’s easy to lose sight of this in the social media world where “luxury” seems to be described as $100,000 weddings and above.

 

But as a florist who’s done her fair share of $100K weddings, they aren’t necessarily “luxury” in the way that social media wants you to believe!

Because that $100K budget actually gets spent quickly!

 

And while there may be $10,000 (or even $15,000) for flowers, that might “just barely cover” what they’re asking for–it’s not “ample” or “over the top”, it’s adequate (depending on the guest count!) and you can make it a beautiful event!…

However, you’re probably NOT creating that grand entrance to the reception tent, lining the entire aisle with flowers, or hanging a floral installation over the dance floor…which is what we tend to think of when the word “luxury” is invoked.

So when we’re really talking about “luxury events” you’re working with MUCH BIGGER BUDGETS–maybe even 3x higher, for example.

 

What does it take to do a $30,000-$45,000 floral installation? Well, in short, it’s soooooo much!

From a team of 8-10 floral designers you can trust (at $20-$50 per hour!), to multiple vehicles that need to be rented and loaded, to long design days (and nights!) to get the job done, to the VERY high expectations that your clients and their planner communicate to you every step of the way for 6-12 months!

(The stress level, in other words, is probably more than 3x!)

This is why it’s important to be careful what you wish for in your own “luxury goals”. 

➤ How do YOU define luxury as it pertains to your customers and your own brand identity?

➤ What sorts of events do you want to attract?

➤ Do you want to do full-service weddings and events that are manageable, yet profitable, and don’t require a huge team?

➤ Are flowers for the wedding party your specialty, so you’ll happily design boutonnieres, bouquets and corsages, but leave the rest of the event to the DIY client?

➤ Or do you prefer the higher-ticket, higher-stress events because you thrive in that CEO position overseeing a team?

 

So before buying into the idea that you should be striving for “luxury”, recognize that you’re already doing it! 

Define for yourself what your brand of luxury looks like so that you know EXACTLY what it means to your customers.

 

In short, when it comes to folks trying to convince you to break into a “luxury market”, don’t believe the hype.

Whether it’s personal flowers only or the biggest wedding of your career, the artistry you provide matters.

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison

 

REMINDER: The Marketing Workshop for Florists starts on Monday, Dec. 4th!

If you haven’t already registered, Now’s the time to sign up so you can start attracting more of the BEST clients to your business. Click Here for all the details!

  • We’ll meet for 3 Days, Mon, Tues and Weds for about 45 minutes each day.
  • Recordings will be available if you can’t join me live!
  • VIP sessions will take place each day at 1:30pm Eastern to answer YOUR specific questions and provide additional support!

Questions for me? Get in touch. I’m here to support you along the way!

—

By Leave a Comment

Marketing Tips for Florists

How Do You Avoid Trend Traps?

As a small business owner, I don’t have to tell you that social media trends are always changing, and the last thing you want to do is follow a TikTok trend that feels fake and phony and actually turns your clients off. 

But if you’re posting on social media without an intentional marketing strategy to build your brand reputation, you may be experiencing that now! (If you’ve ever seen someone post a reel or make a video that seemed WAAAAY out of character, then you know what I mean!)

There’s nothing wrong with you if you’ve been following social media trends; it’s hard to resist the popular trends that “everyone else is doing”. But when you market with more intention, you can build a brand that’s trend proof! (No silly dancing or lip syncing required!)

Posting about what kind of Barbie you are, or using the most popular sound bite of the week, and trying to please an algorithm instead of appealing to your ideal customers is a HUGE marketing & branding mistake that a lot of florists are making.

The first step to course correct:

Stop writing “educational posts” that come across like complaining! 

 

Ever see a florist break down “why flowers cost so much”? That’s a perfect example of a “trend trap” because it seems like the right thing to do in the moment, but is your ideal customer attracted to a post about all of your overhead and the hours you work?

 

Or would they be more interested in your brand story, or a helpful tip for THEM instead of a “look at how hard I work and how much all this costs” reel?

 

(Hint: if your ideal client has a decent budget for flowers, they don’t need that kind of “budget education” so they don’t even realize you’re talking to them! In other words, the clients who CAN afford you will just scroll on by!)

 

Here’s what to do instead:

Get obsessed with your ideal customers and create a marketing plan that attracts them to you!

 

Ask yourself:

  • What is my customer worried about right now? 
  • What would my customer be thrilled to know? 
  • What problems do I solve for my clients?
  • What am I selling that my customers would be interested in buying today?
  • Why am I the BEST choice for my clients?

Now, when you can create social media posts that answer these specific questions, what will your ideal clients hear? They’ll hear you speaking to them loud and clear because you’re talking about what matters to them!

 

So which kind of marketer would you rather be? The one who falls into the trend trap or the one who speaks directly to the hearts of their ideal customers? (I can tell you from personal experience, I’d rather be the latter.)

 

If you’re a floral designer or flower farmer who’d rather spend time designing beautiful flowers and booking clients, than following trends, then I’d love to invite you to join me inside the Marketing Workshop for Florists because when you sign up, you’re about to get my best marketing tips to help you stand out as your own unique brand.

Click Here for Details on the Marketing Workshop!

In 3 Days of Live, Virtual Training I’m going to show you how to get out of the social media traps and start bringing the best clients to you.

By the time you finish day 3 you’ll be talking to your customers with more clarity and purpose, which will feel so much better than lip syncing along with next week’s trend!

My students say the Marketing Workshop is actionable, informative and totally worth the investment. (And at $57 what do you have to lose? There’s even a money back guarantee!) Use Coupon Code: FRIDAY15 Today to take advantage of 15% for Black Friday!

So why wait any longer? Join me for the Marketing Workshop for Florists on Dec. 4, 5, & 6th, at 12pm Eastern/9am Pacific!

If you have questions for me or if you had an “a-ha” moment after reading this post, get in touch to let me know!

xo. -Alison

CATCH A REPLAY WITH SLOW FLOWERS SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM!

Debra Prinzing and I sat down for a chat on Instagram today as part of Slow Flower Members Appreciation Month to talk a little bit more about the power of marketing to your ideal customers vs following trends, click to watch!

 

—