What is the true ROI from all your time and energy spent generating social media content? Often, the kneejerk answer is that social success should generates sales, but Melanie Spilbeler, managing partner at FreshPath Marketing, disagrees.
“Sure, you can get some sales directly from social, but it’s more about building your brand’s presence and creating loyalty,” says Spilbeler.
She suggests promoting your brand without sounding too salesy by telling stories, providing value, and engaging with your audience. All this effort forges connections. And on social, making connections — with both current and future clients — is key.
Fortunately, telling the story behind your brand can be a super fun and creative process.
“Social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are all about visuals, making them perfect for celebrating the beauty of flowers and the people who arrange them,” Spilbeler says.
Build a Presence
One of the best ways to grow brand awareness is to showcase the people behind the product.
Try a fun and engaging series like “Meet the Florist Mondays,” says Spilbeler. Showcasing team members’ personalities makes your company feel more relatable and personal to followers.
Another way to show off your capabilities is to tell stories. Talk about the inspiration behind an arrangement or how you source flowers. Explain what inspired a particular design. Lead a behind-the-scenes tour of the shop, introducing people along the way. “People love stories, and they make your posts more engaging,” Spilbeler says.
In the end, clients will better engage with your posts and stories if you are providing value. DIY videos tend to perform well because the end user is invested in the process. Offer tips, tutorials, and inspiration in videos, such as how to make a bouquet or a guide on selecting the best flowers for different occasions.
Connect Emotionally
Telling followers about who you are as a person and your business ethos drives deeper connections and makes for improved brand loyalty.
“Authenticity is key right now,” says Spilbeler. “Be real. Be who you are. Flowers are beautiful but the floral industry is not all roses,” she adds.
Instagram has a variety of tools for generating conversations by asking questions, running polls and encouraging comments.
“Why not ask your customers what types of house plants they like or what kinds of services they are most interested in,” says Spilbeler, adding that this type of engagement doubles as helpful crowdsourcing.
Yet another conversation-starting tactic is a user-generated campaign.
“Encourage customers to share their floral creations using a branded hashtag,” says Spilbeler. Reposting their photos on your account “helps create a sense of community but also acts as genuine testimonials for your brand. It’s a win-win.”
Get Inspired
Another step towards next-level brand storytelling is to follow and study businesses that excel at it. One of Spilbeler’s favorites is Tulipina (@tulipinadesign).
“Their Instagram is a stunning gallery of vibrant and creative floral designs,” she says. They often share high-quality photos of their work, behind-the-scenes shots, and collaborations with other brands, making their feed both visually appealing and engaging.
Spilbeler is also a fan of Bloom and Wild (@bloomandwild), a UK-based online flower delivery service, because they do a fantastic job of engaging with user-generated content, behind-the-scenes videos, and sustainability initiatives, she says. When they share customer stories and photos, it makes their feed highly interactive and community focused.
For more social media ideas to boost brand recognition and engagement, read “Build Brand Recognition” in the September/October issue of Floral Management magazine.
Jennifer Sperry is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
