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!
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