If you’ve ever sat staring at Instagram wondering what on earth to post, spent longer writing a caption than creating the bouquet, or wondered why all those beautiful flower photos aren’t attracting the enquiries you’d hoped for, Queen Bee suggest there’s a good chance the problem isn’t your social media.
It might simply be where you’re starting.
Over to Queen Bee…
Let’s make social media feel a little easier.
When florists sit down to write a social media post, most begin with what they want to say; you’ve launched something, you’ve got a new product in the shop or your latest workshop is ready to book. So naturally, that’s what you write about.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with sharing those things, but if your caption begins and ends with “Our Summer Flower Crown Workshop is now live. Book your place!”, you’ve essentially just made an announcement. It’s accurate and tells people what’s happening, but it doesn’t give your customer much of a reason to care.
You’re just missing one important ingredient…your customer.
Start with their world, not yours.
Let’s stick with the flower crown workshop. Imagine you’ve spent some time thinking about the person you’re hoping will book. Perhaps she’s spent the last week listening to everyone talk about the Reading Festival line-up, despite not having tickets herself. Maybe she’s overdue a catch-up with her friends and would quite like an excuse to get everyone together, or she’s simply looking for something a bit different to do on a summer evening.
Knowing that changes the way you might talk about exactly the same workshop:
Serious Festival FOMO? Get into the festival spirit without the muddy wellies. Grab your favourite people, spend an evening surrounded by flowers and head home wearing a flower crown you’ve made yourself.
Nothing about the workshop has changed. The difference is that, instead of starting with what you want to announce, the caption starts with something happening in the customer’s world. It gives the right person a reason to stop because there’s a chance they recognise themselves in what you’re saying.
The flowers aren’t always the story.
We see the same thing happen with flower photos. As florists, it’s completely understandable that your attention goes straight to the flowers themselves: the rose varieties you’ve chosen, the colour palette you’ve created or the seasonal ingredients you’ve managed to source.
Your customer could look at that same photograph very differently.
They could imagine the broad smile on someone’s face when they open the door, wonder whether the flowers will say what they can’t quite find the words for, or be looking for reassurance that the florist they choose will care about the little details as much as they do.
This doesn’t mean you should never talk about the flowers, of course you should. Your knowledge, skill and creativity are a huge part of what makes your business special. The point is that the finished bouquet isn’t always the most interesting place to start your caption.
Sometimes the story behind the photograph, the reason the flowers were ordered or the feeling your customer is hoping to create gives you a much more compelling way in. The flowers might catch their eye, but it’s often the meaning around them that creates the connection and gives someone a reason to buy.
One question that can make things much easier
So, before you write your next social media post, try asking yourself one very simple question:
So what?
Your flowers are beautiful and your workshop may be genuinely exciting, but why should the person reading your post care? What changes for them? What are they hoping for, worrying about or looking forward to that makes what you’re offering relevant to their life?
This is where understanding your customers starts to make social media much easier. The more clearly you can picture the person you’re talking to, the less likely you are to find yourself staring at a blank caption box wondering where to start. You stop trying to find something clever to say and start having a conversation with someone you understand.
And, more often than not, that’s when the words come much more easily.
Ready to dig a little deeper?
If this blog has left you wondering how to get closer to the customers you really want to attract, that’s exactly what we explore inside Own Your Marketing, our signature marketing course for florists. As a British Florist Association member, you’ll receive an exclusive 15% discount via the Members Area.
Or, if you’d prefer a shorter introduction, our latest Worker Wing workshop, Attract More Customers Like Your Best Customers, is now available as a replay. It’s a practical 50-minute session designed to help you better understand your customers and use those insights to make your marketing easier to write and much more effective.
