Christmas is always one of the busiest times for florists. As we’re gearing up to adorn our shops with an extra-special festive touch, it’s also the perfect time to merry-up our marketing! We asked our BFA partners Queen Bee for some top tips on how to add some extra marketing magic to our businesses over this festive period. Their advice? Creating Fab-yule-ous floral photography. Here’s what they had to say.
Tis’ the season to make your imagery sparkle! Christmas is crying out for festive inspired floral photography. From showcasing your one-of-a-kind gifts to inspiring your audience to come in-store, getting your imagery right can not only help you boost sales, but it can drive consumer engagement too. Whether you’re investing in professional photography or simply shooting on your phone we’ve got a sleigh-ful of creative ideas to help you make the most of your imagery.Â
Here are our 6 top tips to help you make your visuals oh so merry and bright!
1. Plan How You’re Going to Use Your Images BEFORE You Take ThemÂ
Even Santa has a list (and he checks it twice!). Putting together a plan for what imagery you need for each platform BEFORE you begin snapping is the best way to keep your seasonal spirits high! Start with the platform where you intend to use your photo and consider which dimensions are required. Most mediums have their own specific size requirements so images will need to be customised to work at their best. Web banners on websites require longer and narrower imagery whereas social media sites like Instagram, mainly cater for imagery cropped to a square. Knowing in advance that you need to shoot in portrait (best for stories or reels), or landscape (best for websites) will save you the pain of having to re-shoot in a panic!
2. Make the Most of Your Products When They are Freshly Made
With your perfectly prepped plan, you’re already ahead of the game. Now you’re ready to whip out the camera and take advantage of every freshly made-up bouquet and arrangement you make. Give yourself lots of options for promoting your product in ways that will bring it to life for your audience. Take time to capture all the floral gorgeousness from every angle. Take close ups of all its special little details and maybe even capture it being held by the florist that arranged it so beautifully. Show how it looks in a home setting (think Christmas wreath on a front door or a festive table centre in the dining room). And if you’re feeling brave you could even record a short video talking about why this arrangement is so festively fab! Maximise the opportunities to spruce up your socials!
3. Prepare Your Props
Props are important. They help you tell a story and create extra visual interest! What better way to evoke the idea of a ‘gift’ than displaying your product surrounded by pretty wrapping paper and ribbons. For beautifully scented bouquets, help evoke their wonderful smells on camera by including pinecones or eucalyptus to create the idea of an earthy, winter forest scent or include cinnamon and red berries to create a warm and cosy feeling. If you’re showcasing your product in the home, set the scene with wrapped gifts, baubles and Christmas stockings. Inspire the ‘joy of giving’ by using people as ‘props’ as you capture the feeling (and smiles) when the gift is given! Grab imagery of the process (and care) you take preparing your bouquet or arrangements by photographing skilled hands preparing products to be gifted! From your festive shop floor to your Facebook page, perfectly picked props will 100% help you make your products really sparkle.Â
4. Think About Your Background
Just like props, your background can speak volumes about your business. Where you take your photos is just as important as how you take them. Shooting in your own shop or studio is a great way to showcase your space and give a glimpse behind the scenes. For festive florals in the home, you might want to photograph these in a real house filled with all your seasonal products in-situ for your customers to be inspired by. Another alternative is to invest in a bespoke backdrop for your photos that matches your brand colours or one that evokes your brand style – i.e., contemporary, minimalistic or rustic. A carefully thought-out background can boost your imagery, set the scene and add some brand building brilliance at the same time!                  Â
5. Be Consistent
Don’t get your tinsel in a creative tangle. Whilst it might be tempting to go full-on festive on your imagery, our top tip is to ho, ho, hold on to consistency! Lean towards one style for your photography. This might mean keeping the same background or maintaining a particular colour palette. Or shooting at a particular angle or using the same filters. Think of it like creating a personal style book that’s shorthand for YOUR business; in an ideal world the aim is for all your imagery to look like they belong to the same family. So, whatever you do, be creative but don’t switch up your styles too much!
6. Plan a Strategy
The best gift you can give yourself this Christmas is preparation. We talked about how pre-shot planning can help you get some super visuals (see point 1) but to get images that really sparkle, what you need is a marketing plan! Think of this as planning with (jingle) bells on it. This goes beyond planning individual product imagery and brings a super strategic element to your seasonal line-up.
Knowing what you want to convey from the start means you can carefully craft your imagery to achieve these goals using a clear, consistent message BEFORE you take any photos. Whether it’s a fab festive giveaway (with an awesome prize) or a Christmas countdown showcasing a selection of your seasonal showstoppers, each campaign will require very specific shots or videos to bring it to life.
Having a marketing plan adds a sprinkle of magic to everything you do. You will be more efficient with your time AND your marketing will be more effective as a result. If this all sounds like music to your ears, then why not sign up for our Own Your Marketing course where we help take the pain out of planning? Whether it’s a flash swot up pre-Christmas or investing in some valuable time to get 2024 off to the best start, we’ll give you all the tools, tips and know-how to help you plan like a pro!
Having sparkling imagery this Christmas season is guaranteed to keep your business bright! If you’re keen to raise your photography game, then keep an eye on our socials throughout November as we delve into the subject of marketing and photography in even MORE detail! With lots more tips and tricks to share, it’s going to be absolutely buzzing with brilliant stuff!
