Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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Engagement Season Tips for Florists

Do you want to book some more events for 2025? Well, are you ready for engagement season?

Today, I have 3 Tips To Help You Prepare for Engagement Season–or whatever season your business may be entering–so that you can attract more of the right customers to your business! Click to watch now:

Join the Marketing Workshop!

A Few Notes To Recap

#1. Keep your ideal customers in mind–always!

Identify who you seek to serve so you can focus on what they want to hear from you!

That means, if your ideal customer really loves flowers and tends to have a reasonable budget, you don’t have to create content about how hard you work behind the scenes to clean wax out of votive candles or scrub buckets on a Monday morning.

Because your ideal customer would rather see the beautiful work you created this week and hear a little bit about why you love the look of the design!

 

#2. Revisit your existing marketing efforts.

  • What are you actually doing right now to attract the best customers to your business?
  • Are you putting all of your eggs in the social media algorithm basket?
  • What does your website express when I land on your homepage?
  • Are you speaking to the hearts of your ideal clients?
  • Where else can you reach them?

 

#3. Add more intention to your marketing strategy!

Level-up your marketing and branding strategy with a more magnetic message to attract the best clients!

Your “brand” is what your customers experience. So it’s more than just an image you project–it’s what people say about your company when you’re not in the room.

A better marketing strategy gives you leverage. In short, it makes it easier to book clients and gain trust if your brand credibility is already established in their minds.

 

After 22 years in business, I think it’s a wise practice to revisit your marketing and branding efforts on a regular bases (at least once per year!). That’s why I’m hosting my upcoming Marketing Workshop on December 3, 4 & 5th! You can learn about that and sign up here if you want to join me! I’d be honored to have you join me.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

xo. -Alison Ellis

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Simple Social Media Tips for Florists

How can you be more consistent with blogging and social media so that you attract the best customers, but also follow a strategy that’s practical and simple?

I got this question from a member of my Patreon Community the other day, which was actually more like 8 or 9 questions, so I answered them live so I could really dig into details and answer in depth!

If you have questions after you watch, let me know!

Click to watch now:

In this livestream I answered questions on:

  • Content ideas for blogging and social media
  • Discipline ideas
  • Goals of how often to post
  • How do you measure its success
  • Post structure
  • How do I keep it simple
  • How do I post our values, beliefs and key brand points

 

If you need some help crafting your brand message and sharing your voice, you can get access to Monthly Blog & Social Media Prompts by becoming a Marketing Maven inside my Patreon Community here: www.patreon.com/realflowerbusiness

I know that as a business owner, it can be challenging to be consistent and authentic because there’s often a bit of a trade off between consistent and authentic.

Wash, rinse, repeat = consistent  

But it often takes a little bit of contemplation to find what you have to share with the world that’s actually authentic!

I hope the tips I shared today will inspire you to simplify your social media strategy and share your voice with more intention.

And if you’d like to check out this month’s Social Media Prompts on Patreon, I’d be honored to have you join me there!

xo. -Alison

 

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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!

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Floralpreneur® Workshop for Florists and Farmers

Have you ever taught a floral design workshop?

In April 2023, I hosted my first live workshop for floral designers and farmer florists along with my friends, Françoise Weeks and Phebe Robinson Higgins, and I have to tell you it was a fantastic collaboration of creativity and business minds! From business strategies to botanical jewelry and foam free floral design techniques, attendees walked away ready to implement new tips and techniques to propel their businesses forward.

It was an excellent floral design workshop! See what florists said at the bottom of this post! In fact, it was so much fun that we’re already planning the next one for April 2024! Get on the notification list!

I never hosted a workshop before, but when Françoise Weeks asked me if I’d like to teach a workshop with her my immediate reply was, “Yes!…I know the perfect venue, and I know who should invite to teach with us!”

Within a few days, we had our teaching team in place and the BEST venue to host the first Floralpreneur® Workshop at The Round Barn in Waitsfield, Vermont.

Isora Lithgow Creations helped document Day 2 and she captured this beautiful group of flower loving humans so perfectly it is an honor to get to share them with you.

Here’s a recap from the Floralpreneur® Workshop:

Alison Ellis of Real Flower Business (that’s me!), Phebe Robinson-Higgins of Popped with Phebe, and world renowned designer, Françoise Weeks, taught a 2-Day Hands-On Workshop for Floral Designers and Farmer-Florists on Foam Free Woodland Designs, Pricing and Booking Strategies, and How To Run A Successful Pop-Up Shop.

Floral designers joined us from Canada, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, & Virginia and we had such a wonderful time. I can’t say enough about the floral designers who decided to join us–they were a beautiful bunch of humans. (You can see a group shot at the end of this post!)

Françoise taught foam free woodland designs as well as botanical jewelry. My favorite thing about doing a workshop with Françoise is that no two designs are alike. Every student’s work is unique! You can see some of the beautiful wearables that Robin of Wild Thing Flower Farm created (as well as her lovely smiling face!) below.

Phebe shared her insights on running a successful Pop-Up Shop and how to parlay that into a larger marketing opportunity. She shared so many nuggets of wisdom and even set up a sample display featuring roses courtesy of Rosaprima Roses so florists could walk through the entire customer experience.

As a business coach, my focus is always on profitability and practical business strategies, and I took this opportunity to teach Flower Math Formulas and 5 Steps To Book A Wedding to show exactly how I lead customers through a sale. It was so much fun to teach live and get to answer all the questions in real time!

There was so much to love as I flipped through these photos and remembered our time together and all of these smiles are at the top of my list! Talking business really can be a good time!

Everyone gathered around to see some of the tech Phebe uses to send out quotes. She did not hold back on the tips! Next year, Phebe will share even more marketing ideas and techy touches florists can use in their business.

Isora got a group photo before the end of the day–I told you we were a beautiful bunch! It was such a great time, we’re doing it again next year! Details will be coming very soon! Click here to get on the notification list.

Special thanks again to Isora Lithgow Creations, Nick from 802 Events, Sheryl of Thistle and Bone Floral for all the invaluable help, Walt at Mountain Flower Farm for the pussy willow branches, Rosaprima Roses and our incredible venue, The Round Barn.

This was an experience I will never forget. I’ll have to do a part 2 post with more images of the students’ work…so stay tuned.

xo. -Alison Ellis

What did florists say about the workshop?…

“This workshop breathed life into my business practices, creativity, and proposals. The instructors were motivating, generous, and organized. A total success!”

“Amazing instructors, Alison created an unforgettable experience!”

“…wonderful food, venue, detailed planning involved and learned far more than what I thought I would!”

“I loved how welcoming every student and educator was, how everyone was not only willing but eager to share with each other and how very supportive the environment was. I was slightly intimidated signing up (because compared to the others I am very new to the field) but from my initial call with Alison through to the final dinner, I felt included and supported but all (sounds like a Hallmark card) but honestly it was a great experience.”

“Rejuvenating energy and creativity!”

“Everything is taken care of! You just have to show up and everything is provided. It was nice not to have to think about what we were doing next, eating, etc. It was just all there.”

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Pricing Questions Answered Bonus 1

Did you tune into the Pricing Chat for Florists on Tuesday? If you missed it, grab it NOW before the limited time replay goes away!

Free Pricing Chat Sign Up!

I received MORE questions than I could get to in the Pricing Chat on March 7th, so I’m hosting 2 Bonus Q&A Sessions on Instagram for you. You’ll find Bonus Session 1 below–check it out and let me know if you have any questions before the Bonus on Monday, March 13th!

By the way, the Flower Math Spring Sale Ends on March 13th. These are the final days to get into the course for the lowest price! Click Here to Learn More!

 

Flower Math Sale Ends Soon!

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