There’s no denying it: We live in a digital world. Yet, while most florists have embraced e-commerce (particularly during the pandemic), many are still not using the vast capabilities of online marketing to grow their online businesses. And digital marketing isn’t just for online sales; it can also boost your in-store business. That’s why we wanted to share the most important online marketing trends for 2022 to include in your overall marketing strategy.
Video
We’ve been saying it for years: Video is one of the best ways to market your business. Not only are videos great at keeping people’s attention, but they’re also great for SEO (search engine optimization) and can bring more traffic to your website. If you haven’t dropped a few videos on your website or social media pages yet, start now. Show viewers how to care for their flowers, keep arrangements lasting longer, create their own arrangements, and much more.
Social Media
Social media marketing is not just a good idea. It’s VITAL if you want to increase your exposure (particularly with Millennials and Gen Z) and your sales. We have plenty of ideas for social media marketing in our articles on Instagram and Facebook trends in this issue. And you have plenty of other choices, like Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, and more. The key is to create a social media marketing calendar and be consistent with your posts.
Hyperlocal SEO
You may already optimize your website for searches using local SEO targeted at your city, district, or region. Hyperlocal SEO is a more recent trend, which does the same optimization, but for smaller, more focused areas like neighborhoods, streets, and spots located near well-known landmarks. This is a great way to target locals with your business and get more traffic to your site — and your store!
Personalization and Remarketing
Did you know that 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase something if the brand offers a personalized experience? You can start by personalizing emails and offering recommended products to targeted lists based on their interests. Another great way to personalize is by remarketing. For example, you can use online display ads to reach people who have previously visited your site, with the information collected through cookies. Or you can remarket to them through email campaigns and newsletters.
Influencers
Influencer marketing is more popular than ever, particularly for reaching younger customers. Using influencers, you can achieve word-of-mouth advertising on a broad scale. You can sponsor a local influencer’s YouTube posts, partner with them on Instagram, or even Livestream a flower arranging tutorial together. It’s a great way to get yourself known, increase engagement, and add more followers to your social media profiles.
Shoppable Content
Shoppable content refers to a post, video, image, or ad that consumers can click through to make a purchase. Having plenty of shoppable content online can increase your opportunities to make sales. You can link to your website, or people can purchase straight from your Facebook or Instagram post. To learn more about shoppable content, read our Instagram and Facebook trends articles in this issue.
AI and Chatbots
One top floral industry marketing trend is using AI-based technology and chatbots. These bots use instant messaging to communicate with site visitors. They are friendly and helpful, giving the customer a feeling of personal attention and recommending the right products or services based on customer responses. Plus, chatbots make customer service easier, as you can set up automated answers to common questions. Chatbots have become simple to set up, with plenty of chatbot builders available online.
Short-Form Content
Instagram Stories and Reels, TikTok videos, YouTube Shorts — they’re all forms of the most popular type of content on the web right now: short-form content. And when it comes to digital marketing, short-form content is fast becoming the way to grab attention and sales. We’ve got plenty of ideas for creating short-form content in our Instagram and Facebook trends articles, but the simple message is this: Get creative, have fun, and get your content online as fast as possible!
We’ve given you an overview of the top online marketing trends, but there’s a lot more to learn. Choose the trends you most want to incorporate into your marketing strategy, dig in, find out all about them, and put them to use. Good luck!