How To Add A Video To IGTV

Do you want more followers?

Are you on Instagram? Just kidding, I know you are!

But are you using video to increase your engagement?

Video is a powerful tool and IGTV is a perfect place to share replays of livestreams or promos to direct customers to your blog or website. Today, I’m sharing tips to help you use the power of video to reach your fans and followers on Instagram.

You’ll learn how to:

Upload a video from your computer/laptop,
Make a cover image for the video,
Post it on IGTV,
Share it to your stories!

Check out this quick tutorial on How To Post a Video To IGTV:

Now it’s time to take action: Post a video on IGTV before the end of this week!

FYI You can get MORE lessons and tutorials in my Marketing Shortcuts right here!

Level Up Your Marketing!

Pro Tip: Everyone’s focused on “more followers”, but you don’t want MORE followers you want MORE ENGAGED followers. Video is one of the most important ways to share your brand’s story and connect with clients.

Marketing and Branding are different, of course. Your marketing is how you advertise; your brand is what you deliver!

While “marketing” and “branding” are often used interchangeably, they are distinctly different.

Grab My Marketing Shortcuts!

Thanks to tuning in to today’s tutorial! I hope you will put these tips to work for your business.

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. You can find the video I uploaded in this tutorial on IGTV HERE!

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Anti-racism and Inclusivity in the Wedding Industry

Friday is Juneteenth.

As we struggle as a country–and as a world–to make sense of racial injustice that feels senseless and wrong, leaning into history and examining “what we always thought” are critical to our efforts to move forward.

I did NOT learn about Juneteenth in history classes…

And I did NOT think about what freedom and independence meant for ALL Americans…

But I am paying closer attention…

Because it’s not enough to be “not racist”…

Right now, we’re called upon to take action against racism.

How? Speak out, stand up, and show up as an ally to defend the civil rights of ALL. (yes, it will take work!)

So why is June 19th significant?

Watch this short video for an intro to Juneteenth:

Someone asked in my Facebook group, “What are your anti-racism policies for your business?” And that made me think.

Because my only “anti-racism” policies were in my own mind and heart–they were not on paper or on my sleeve or on my website….

But it’s time to remedy this, right?….

So if you’re like me and you did NOT think about this (because you did not “have to” or you thought it “goes without saying because you’re not a racist”), let me share how I’m beginning to fix this careless omission by amending my About page to include the following:

At Floral Artistry, we believe in a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment , where all employees, clients and vendors–whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or identity–feel valued and respected.

This is a small step, but an important one. So if you are committed to “doing better” in your own biz practices, a statement about your company’s values is a simple way to start.

In fact, I added a 2nd statement to my Core Values page as well:

Floral Artistry respects and values diverse life experiences and heritages and aims to ensure that all voices are valued and well served regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.

If you’re missing a statement like this you are not alone and it’s never too late to update and show up as an ally in your business.

If you have a resource or a statement on anti-racism that you want to share, please do so in a comment!

xo. -Alison

Here’s more about why all Americans should honor Juneteenth…

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

May Tuesday Q&A Replays

After a busy May of guest appearances on my Tuesday Q&As as well as a guest appearance by me on Mornings with Mayesh, I’m taking a week off from my livestreams, but if you missed anything this month, don’t worry–you can catch the replays right here!

First up, Phebe of Popped With Phebe joined me live to talk about a new way she’s popping up with fresh flowers and live Zoom design workshops for local clients. She is a wealth of knowledge on client relationships so if you missed this one, make sure to click below to watch! Find Phebe’s online resources here!

Next, Yvonne and I talked about YOUR WEBSITE on Mornings with Mayesh on May 19th. Get some of our best website tips by clicking the video below and click here to grab the Website Bootcamp and Marketing Shortcuts I mention in this episode.

We closed the month of May with another special guest, Michelle Loretta, of Sage Wedding Pros. She brought us some straight talk on cashflow, finances and how to make it through 2020-2021 in your small business through the COVID-19 crisis. You’ll find Michelle and her online tools for wedding pros right here!

I’m looking forward to talking with you more in June….but wow, May was a fabulous month of sharing with floralpreneurs!

Do you have a question for an upcoming Tuesday Q&A? Don’t hesitate to be in touch!

xo. -Alison

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

6 Week Coaching For Florists

How can I take my floral business to the next level?

Floralpreneur® Fastrack is a 6-week private coaching course with Alison Ellis designed to help you maximize your branding potential and reach the best clients.

It’s not enough to be a talented floral designer, you have to know how to attract clients, close the sale and turn a profit to truly succeed in business!

I’ve been asked for private coaching packages this year and while the word “package” never felt quite right, I developed a custom coaching course for a few floral designers recently that I’m certain can help you in your floral business, too….so now I’m rolling out this unique opportunity to work 1:1 with me for up to 2 designers per month.

There has arguably never been a better time to buckle down and get to work on your branding and marketing, but you can get there a lot faster with my Floralpreneur® Fastrack Program! (Fill out the Inquiry Form below!)

While it can be tempting to keep doing the same thing you’ve been doing, here are some actions I suggest you take if you want to take your business to the next level:

Create a more compelling story for your About page.
Streamline your contact form and intake process to help lead clients to “yes”.
Get A Social Media Strategy! Blogging, pinning and sharing to IG so you’re posting on all the platforms where your clients are looking for you.
Update your website so it reflects your brand’s story and unique awesomeness.
Add more of your own voice to your sales copy.

This may sound like a lot of work, but together, we can make it a lot easier! I can help you with all of the above!

Scroll through this survey below to get in touch and find out if this program is a good fit for you and your business! It’ll just take a moment!

Create your own user feedback survey

Want more details? You’ll find pricing and interest free payment plan options if ya scroll on down….

Here’s what a custom coaching package looks like:

Three 1:1 Calls with Alison: 1. Initial call to get acquainted & set agenda (45-minutes), 2. Brand Story and Website “stuff” (90-minutes), 3. Sales Coaching & Consultations (up to 90-minutes). ($750)
Website Review: I’ll create a custom screenflow to help you quickly improve your website with some key tweaks, changes and edits that you can make asap. This recorded private video allows you to watch, pause, take notes, make changes, and repeat! ($195)
Write/Edit Sales Copy for: Home page, About, Testimonials, Contact Form, and 2 Additional Pages or Blog Posts (you’ll write them, I’ll edit and help punch them up!). ($1,000)

Plus you’ll get these Bonuses:

6 months worth of weekly Blog Post Prompts/Social Media topics that you can write about to help develop your brand’s voice. (30 Prompts/$50 value for free!)
How To Write Proposals That Sell pdf with a behind-the-scenes look at how I create free mood boards & 3 Ways I Present Pricing In Proposals. ($99 value at no charge!)
Real Life Transcript Of A Phone Consultation. ($50 value at no charge!)
Online Toolkit with additional lessons and tutorials on how to improve your marketing & attract the best clients on your private dashboard at realflowerbusiness.com ($300+)

This sounds great! Sign me up…

You can join my Floralpreneur® Fastrack for $1,800 (you’ll save $600 Off)!

The total price for the custom coaching and website revamp comes to over $2,400 with the bonus prompts, transcript and proposal training.

If this sounds like a good fit for you, we can do an interest free payment plan! Take advantage of an 8-month payment plan or 12-month payment plan.

That’s $225/8 months or $150/12 months and zero interest.

Prefer to pay upfront?

You can save an additional $300 OFF with a one-time payment of $1,500 HERE. (That’s $900 in savings!)

Later on:

If you feel like you need more 1:1 time with me you can add on an additional call at another time for $200 if you’d like. 6 months from now, or whenever you’d like a check-in if needed.

If you’re not sure if this coaching program is right for you, you can reach out anytime! Just shoot me an e-mail at floralartvt@gmail.com

And hey, if you’re not comfortable answering the survey questions above or shooting me an e-mail, then you’re definitely not ready to join me in this coaching program!

Before you buy a course or hire a coach ask if they have the qualities of a great mentor:

Is this person getting amazing results in their business?
Do they get those outcomes by doing what they teach?
Are their clients getting amazing results, too?
Are they willing to share real numbers?
Is there real support and real accountability that comes along with this purchase?
Will this information shorten my learning curve?

The answers should be “yes” to all of the above.

Ready to sign up? Click here to make 1 payment of $1,500 and save $900 today!

Want to learn more about Alison? Click here!

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Wedding Postponements, Canceled Events, and Your Floral Business

Let’s talk about cancellations, deposits, refund requests and YOUR BUSINESS….

First, this is your business, which means you don’t have to do things my way.

What I do doesn’t have to be what you do. I recognize that there’s a lot to consider around postponing and pushback and you can watch a replay of my live Q&A where I address real florists’ questions.

Because what strikes me over the last couple of weeks/days is how florists are feeling sensitive and defensive about their own decisions.

For example, if a florist chooses to refund a deposit or partial deposit due to a COVID “situation”, that doesn’t mean that YOU have to refund and it doesn’t mean that you’re being judged or that you’re a bad person if you choose to keep a deposit.

It’s not unwise to amend your terms under these circumstances in order to reach an agreement with your clients.

HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE TO PROCEED UNDER THE CURRENT CONDITIONS IS UP TO YOUR BUSINESS POLICIES.

Ideally, your heart and mind are at peace with how you choose to proceed.

As a lawyer in my group put it:

You can be just as creative, and collaborative with your clients, regarding altering contract terms to fit the times, as you are in doing design work and taking care of your clients in the happier, floral area of your business.“

Frank Sinatra said, well sang, “I did it my way”….and that’s the situation you’re in now.

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