Have you noticed that every women’s or decorating magazine has pictures containing fresh flower arrangements or containers with lush green foliage? It doesn’t matter what product they are trying to sell, it is often accompanied by a bouquet of fresh flowers or potted plant.
These floral accessories are showing up in kitchens, living room and bathroom pictures, as well as restaurant and other business shots. This wide exposure proves that flowers, greenery and potted plants are an intricate part of our daily lives.
Like most people, I don’t have the time to grow prize roses or daisies. I don’t have the finesse to create an awesome flower arrangement.
So, I rely on the professionals at my local flower and gift shop or greenhouse and nursery to provide the quality floral products I need to liven up my home decor.
Carrying fresh flowers or blooming plants may not be the right fit for every gift shop. For those who incorporate or use fresh flowers or blooming and green plants as the basis of their business, here are a few marketing tips to help you promote your floral accessories.
5 Simple Marketing Strategies That Will Make Your Fresh Flowers and Potted Plant Business Bloom.
Announce It To The World.
- Use outdoors signs or your store windows to alert passersby that you sell fresh flowers and green plants. Don’t assume customers know what you sell. A helpful little reminder can make a tremendous difference in your bottom line.
- Send special purchases and deals via email or announce them on Facebook or other social media platforms. Customers want to feel special. Sending these special offers to a “select” group of customers makes them feel special and entices them to purchase your products.
- Send new product introductions or reminders via snail mail. Directly mailing your customers is another way to announce and remind them of your products.
Use Specials To Draw Customers.
Look for special buys from your flower or plant vendors. Heavily promote these special buys to your customers. For example, you get a great deal on carnations. On your outdoor sign display:
“Bring Spring Indoors – Cash and Carry Carnation Special – Lots of Beautiful colors.”
Then, make sure the customers have to walk-by a display of beautiful blooming plants to see the carnations.
Create Interest With Unique Plants.
In one home decor magazine, a miniature lemon tree plant was used to make a kitchen cabinet ad more homey. Who doesn’t want a miniature lemon tree plant growing in their kitchen window. Not only did I want the kitchen cabinets, but I wanted the miniature lemon tree. One thing you can almost always bet on is that miniature plants will sell. Finding unique plant items and promoting them can draw in customers who wouldn’t otherwise visit your store.
Share Your Expertise.
For some shops, offering a “make and take” class is a good sales tool. Hold a class where you teach how to create beautiful fresh flower or green plant arrangements. Your students can pay a fee for their lesson and you provide the materials or you can charge the customers for the items they use.
Green Plants = Green House
Better air quality is just a houseplant away. Studies have shown green plants can help clean the air in your home. Generally speaking, you just need 2-3 plants in a room to get better air quality. Some of the best rated plants for air quality are weeping figs, rubber plants, peace lily, sword fern, English ivy and Boston ferns.
Consult with plant vendors and add this to your product mix, if you’re not already selling them. If you already sell these, play up the fact that they can help the air quality in homes.
Selling fresh cut flowers and blooming plants can boost sales in the off-season as well. When the humdrum of the winter weather won’t go away, promote your fresh cut flowers. Pushing the green foliage plants and flowers when no one else is thinking about them and you’ll see sunshine and blooming good sales.
Looking for vendors with products great for a “blooming” marketing strategy? FGmarket has just the wholesale vendors you need. To get you started, we have highlighted a few wholesale fresh flowers, fresh greens & foliage, green & blooming plants and greenhouse & nursery vendors below.
Tell us about your favorite blooming marketing strategy at social@fgmarket.com.
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