Christmas marketing can quickly become a case of simply trying to ‘do more.’ Get another Instagram post out, send another email…
But before the busiest part of the season arrives, it can be more useful to stop and check whether the marketing you’re already doing is actually making it easy for customers to understand, choose and buy…before you do more of it!
We asked BFA Industry Partners Queen Bee to share five practical Christmas marketing checks to work through now, to make sure your efforts pay off.
Queen Bee’s Christmas Marketing Checklist
Christmas gives florists plenty to talk about. Wreaths, workshops, gifts, bouquets, table flowers, installations, corporate orders, delivery dates, collection slots…
Which means it’s very easy to think the answer is simply more content.
But before you start ramping things up, we’d suggest checking whether the marketing approach you’ve planned is doing these five jobs properly.
1. Do customers immediately understand what you’re selling?
“Christmas collection now live” tells people something exists. It doesn’t necessarily help them decide whether it’s for them.
Take a look at your Christmas range through your customer’s eyes. Is it immediately obvious who each product is for, when they might want it and how it fits into their Christmas?
A bouquet could be for the person who has everything. A centrepiece could be for the host who wants the table to look brilliant without spending Christmas Eve arranging it. A wreath workshop could be a festive night out with friends rather than simply “a workshop where you make a wreath”.
The flowers matter, of course. But so does the reason to buy them. The clearer you make that reason, the less work your customer has to do for themselves.
2. Have you made the decisions easy?
Christmas customers are already making hundreds of decisions. Don’t make buying flowers a difficult one.
Check that your marketing clearly answers the practical questions, such as:
- What does it cost?
- What size is it?
- When can I get it?
- Is it delivery or collection?
- How do I book?
And think about whether the language you use actually helps someone picture what they’re choosing.
“Small, medium or large” makes perfect sense to you because you know what each looks like. Your customer may not.
Could “small” become perfect for a bedside table or little thank-you gift? Could “large” become the one to choose when you really want to make an entrance?
This might feel like an odd way of describing it, but giving your customer something they can easily relate it to is really helpful.
3. Are you talking to the people you already know?
When Christmas gets busy, it’s tempting to focus your attention on finding new customers. But press hold on those Trial Reels for a moment! Because your hottest opportunities are probably already sitting in your database.
Think about:
- past Christmas customers,
- previous workshop attendees,
- corporate clients,
- wedding and event customers,
- regular gift buyers,
- email subscribers.
They already know your business, some have already trusted you with their money, and many may simply need the right reminder at the right time.
Rather than sending everybody exactly the same message, think about what each group might actually care about.
A past wreath-workshop attendee might be interested in this year’s dates. A corporate customer might need employee gifting sorted in time for the Christmas do. Someone who ordered a Christmas bouquet last year may appreciate a timely reminder that they can do the same again.
Where you can personalise your marketing, do it. But whatever platform you’re using to sell your products and services – from Instagram to email – put the customer first in everything you write.
4. Are you giving people enough reminders?
Customers miss things. They’re busy. They mean to come back later. The algorithm certainly doesn’t show every post to every follower, so it’s good to talk about the same product or service multiple times.
Not the exact same message every time; you could show the product, show it being made and talk about who it’s for. Or you could answer a question, share a customer reaction and show the problem it solves.
And, if you’re using email marketing, remember most platforms allow you to resend an email to people who didn’t open the first time. A slightly different subject line and another chance to see the message can be all it takes to capture their attention second time round.
5. Does your marketing sound like you?
This one matters even more now that AI makes it incredibly easy to create more content, faster. The likes of ChatGPT and Claude can be brilliant for helping you brainstorm, organise thoughts, challenge an idea or get started. Most of us are using it!
But if every florist is asking AI to “write me a Christmas caption”, there’s a real risk that everyone starts sounding rather similar.
AI can speed things up, but it still needs human judgement, customer understanding and a clear sense of what makes your business different.
So before you publish something, ask:
- Could this caption belong to any florist?
- Does it sound like something I would actually say?
- Does it reflect the experience of buying from us?
- Have I given AI enough of my thinking, rather than asking it to do the thinking for me?
Your expertise, humour, opinions, customer knowledge and personality are all part of your marketing. Don’t edit them out in the name of efficiency.
Want to explore this further (but maybe after Christmas!)
If you’d like a little more structure around your marketing generally, our Own Your Marketing course is designed specifically to help florists get clearer on who they’re talking to, what to say and where to focus their time.
BFA members receive 15% off too (Code available in the Members’ Area) but for now, start with the checklist above and make your Christmas marketing efforts pay off!
Good luck!
