WITH LESS THAN SIX WEEKS TO GO BEFORE MOTHER’S DAY, THE SECOND-BUSIEST DAY IN THE FLORAL INDUSTRY IS FAST APPROACHING. JUST LIKE VALENTINE’S DAY, WITH A BIT OF EXTRA PREPARATION AND MARKETING, IT CAN BE AN EXTREMELY PROFITABLE HOLIDAY. HERE ARE SOME USEFUL TIPS TO HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF MOTHER’S DAY:

REWARDS BONUS PROGRAM

INCENTIVIZE YOUR CUSTOMERS WITH REWARDS OR BONUS PROGRAM OFFERINGS. A FEW COMMON TACTICS AND THEIR ADVANTAGES INCLUDE:

• Offering discounts on Mother’s Day pre-orders or bonus points in place of discounts (double or triple bonus points for orders placed before a specific deadline).
• A reward system allows you to charge your full price, deferring the discount into the future. It will also be a much lower discount, especially since many customers will never get around to redeeming their points.
• A points system gives the customer a reason to share valuable marketing information. In order to take part of the points program, the customer has to give you their name, phone number and email address.
• Bonus programs should be promoted to your customers so all of your receipts, invoices and marketing materials should mention that you are offering bonus points on all sales during a specific time.

BUILDING AND MAINTAINING CUSTOMER DATABASE MOTHER’S DAY IS A GREAT HOLIDAY TO INCREASE YOUR CLIENT DATABASE SINCE YOU HAVE A GREATER NUMBER OF CURRENT AND NEW CUSTOMERS ORDERING FOR THAT DAY:

• Taking down customer names and email addresses even when the shop is busy. This information will help increase sales all year long.
• Keep your staff relaxed and customers happy by splitting deliveries into separate roads and providing drivers with printed lists.
• Create an alphabetized pickup list for customers collecting flowers in-shop; make sure to collect any missing information when they arrive

MARKETING IDEAS

HIGH SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

• Put up posters on college campuses, at coffee shops, and other places where students hang out, perhaps advertising cheaper, student-only arrangements.
• You could also try offering a small discount when students show their school ID.

ONLINE MARKETING

• Six weeks before Mother’s Day, use your customer database to send regular emails with discounts for advance orders, using time limits to encourage immediate purchases.
• Helpful reminder emails a week or two before the day can be used to promote reasonably priced arrangements and information about product availability.
• If you don’t already use Google AdWords, they often offer free credit for new users, and you only pay for the clicks you get on your ads. They also provide a great web portal, giving you details on the demographics of the people who clicked on your ads, allowing for more targeted marketing.

COUPONS WITH ARRANGEMENTS

• Provide discount vouchers for Mother’s Day with all arrangements sold, encouraging customers to sign up for your rewards program. RESTAURANT PARTNERSHIPS
• Partner with local restaurants to offer special Mother’s Day dinner and flower packages.
• Ask the restaurant to display one of your arrangements in their window, allowing them to give it away to a different customer every week during the month or so before Mother’s Day.

EFFECTIVE MARKETING IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN NORMAL DURING THESE BUSY TIMES OF YEAR, AS IT CAN BOTH BOOST SALES IN THE SHORT-TERM AND BRING IN MORE CUSTOMERS DURING THE QUIETER PERIODS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IF YOU ARE PROACTIVE ABOUT PREPARATION AND MARKETING, THERE ARE SOME GREAT CHANCES TO ADD UP TO 15% TO YOUR NORMAL SALES THIS MOTHER’S DAY.