No matter how big or small your floral business, social media is a vital marketing tool. Here are the top eight sites every florist should be using to increase your social media presence.
A good, well-maintained Facebook page is the best way to increase exposure to your business and show off everything you have to offer. You can easily reach your target audience with Facebook, since Facebook business page URLs are public and instantly rank on search engines: the more “likes” you receive on your Facebook posts, the higher you’ll rank, making it easier for potential customers to find you!
- Google My Business
Equally important for increasing traffic—both to your online store and your brick-and-mortar location—is Google My Business. It’s free to set up on Google, and your profile will appear whenever someone searches for flower shops in your area, giving potential customers quick access to your address, phone number or hours of operation. Google Business integrates directly with Google Maps, and it showcases your customer reviews in search engine results.
- Yelp
Yelp is the website used most often by consumers who are looking to purchase floral products, as it’s the leading customer review social platform on the web: If you have great ratings and reviews, Yelp can drive a lot more business to your store. Google, Bing and Apple Maps are all integrated with Yelp, making it easy for customers to find you. Once you’re listed on Yelp and start getting reviews, respond to them right away. You can even offer a small discount to customers who post Yelp reviews while they are in your store!
Pinterest is a fantastic tool if you want to show off your floral work, particularly for weddings and events. Pinterest readers often use this platform to determine where they will book their wedding floral services, so having great images online will help event planners and buyers to find your business. You can even add links to your Pinterest boards on your florist website.
Instagram is one of the best ways to keep in touch with your existing customers through beautiful images of your artistic floral creations. Like Pinterest, buyers of wedding and event flowers will often look to Instagram for examples of florists’ work prior to making a final buying decision. By regularly uploading new images, you keep customers engaged, and they may even repost an image on their social media sites, further increasing your exposure.
Twitter is a great way to increase your social media presence and build your brand. It’s easy to let your customers know about specials, news, and upcoming events, and you can immediately find out what your customers need and want, simply by asking a question on Twitter. One great feature of Twitter is that you can keep an important tweet at the top of your timeline by pinning it there; customers won’t miss your latest news, special offer, or upcoming event.
- YouTube
Creating videos of your floral arrangements and uploading them to YouTube may be more time-consuming than taking a photo, but it can really pay off. For example, you may want to upload a video of a wedding featuring your floral creations, which is a great way to increase wedding sales. You can link to these videos on your website or Facebook page, enabling more people to see them. Make sure your YouTube user name is your business name, and create a compelling headline for your video, to improve your chances of more views.
LinkedIn is a great way to connect with other local business, as it’s the leading social networking site for professionals. Customers can also recommend your services on LinkedIn, improving your brand presence. When creating your LinkedIn profile, write a great bio that promotes everything your flower business can offer, including your beautiful work and years of experience! Include an eye-catching profile image, and link to your website. Make sure to include your products and services, and ask for reviews; as you add more posts to your newsfeed, you’ll gain more great exposure.
If you’re new to social media, start with a Facebook business page and move on from there. The more social media exposure, the better for your business!
