The flower shortage of 2021 is an unprecedented event in our industry. There’s a lot to know about the shortage and we’re sure that you, like many, have questions. We’re here to break it down and explain what’s going on, the contributing factors, and how you can combat this within your own business. Keep reading to learn more!

What Caused this Flower Shortage?

You’re likely wondering how we even got in this position in the first place. There are a few factors at play that led to this unprecedented flower shortage. 

The Wedding Boom – Causing Increased Demand for Flowers

First, there’s a wedding boom going on right now. The U.S. Wedding Report reported that a predicted 1.93 million weddings would occur in 2021 while an astounding 2.47 million would happen in 2022. That’s up from 1.3 weddings in 2020. In part, this is the case because a large number of weddings were rescheduled from 2020. 

Since there are so many weddings happening this year and next, it creates a huge demand for flowers. Demand for flowers is so high that buyers aren’t even able to ask for specific flowers or flowers in colors of their choosing. Instead, florists can request merely a general color palette. White flowers are particularly hard to come by. 

Shipping Issues – Causing Flower Shortages

The trucking issues facing other retail items is a big factor for flowers as well. There is a shortage of truck drivers and competition for these drivers from high margin industries. 

Flying flowers into the country has also been an issue. “Flowers are not a lucrative commodity and therefore the cargo planes normally flying flowers are flying goods from Asia. And there are fewer passenger flights that typically carry flowers [using their extra cargo space],” says Williee Armellini, Editor of Flowers & Cents. 

Global Pandemic Impacted Flower Farms

First, one of the contributing factors to the flower shortage is that fewer plantings occurred in 2020 due to the pandemic. Flower farms destroyed tons of flowers due to the pandemic, since many of them shut down for quarantine. A lot of other farms laid off workers or shut down completely.

As of December 2020, the U.S. floral industry employment number was at 5.64 million, which is its lowest level in the past seven years according to the National Association of Wholesale Distributors. That means that 247,717 jobs in the floral industry were lost between 2019 and December 2020.

Since there were fewer flower farms open and many were operating at a diminished capacity, fewer flowers were planted and harvested for upcoming seasons. That, plus the increased demand, is what’s resulting in this severe shortage.

As demand began to surge once people began planning events again, many flower farms even had trouble finding workers. They struggled to have the appropriate staff to bundle flowers and load them into trucks properly, which meant they were left to die in the heat.

Poor Growing Conditions Globally

Less than ideal weather has hurt the floral industry. Growing conditions in South America, where most U.S. flowers are sourced from, have been difficult. Colder nights and an influx of rain negatively affected the harvest of healthy flowers.

U.S. flower farms also had weather issues that affected supply. For instance, California is responsible for three-quarters of U.S. cut flower sales. This state has struggled with historic droughts, unpredictable rain, and wildfires. This has caused flower farm owners in the area to have to both have diminished crops and have to shift focus in the types of flowers they were growing to accommodate the altered conditions.

This perfect storm of conditions has led to the historic flower shortage that we’re currently experiencing.

Photo via Hunter Ryan Photography/Signature Florals

How Florists Can Work Around the Flower Shortage

As florists, this flower shortage causes quite a challenge. Thankfully, there are a range of different ways to work around this shortage to ensure happy clients and shop success.

Set Customer Expectations Correctly

The first way to work around this challenge is to set customer expectations correctly. When you’re working with clients on their wedding flowers, educate them on the shortage. If they don’t know what’s going on, they don’t have the chance to be understanding about it! 

Let them know that there will need to be flexibility in their flower choices and just be honest from the start so that they are completely clear on what to expect. You may even want to add into your contracts that there is no guarantee that you will be able to provide particular flower types or colors to your client so that they’re one hundred percent clear on this fact.

Encourage Early Bookings

Another way to work around the current flower shortage is to encourage clients to book services with you early, especially for weddings. Even further than that, have a clear idea of what they want their wedding flowers to be early in the process. This will help you to ensure you have adequate time to either source the flowers you need to make their vision come to life or to work with them on changing things out as needed.

Make Substitutions – Get Creative 

Sometimes, the flowers you or your customers want simply won’t be readily available thanks to this shortage. When that occurs, be creative in making substitutions. You know flowers and your craft well, so you’ll have a good idea of what you can do in order to make adjustments without losing the entirety of your client’s vision. Who knows – your creativity may even result in something your customer likes MORE than what they were originally envisioning. 

Finding flowers that are readily available that make great “filler” to account for stems that are unavailable is a good way to substitute well. For example, use uniquely colored carnations that fit into the color palette of an arrangement to make it fuller with a flower that is usually easy to come by.

Use Flowers Strategically 

Finally, using flowers strategically is key in keeping your customers happy throughout this flower shortage. For instance, learn to flex flowers so that they can take on a new life and imitate the flowers your customers are specifically seeking.  A rose, for instance, can be flexed to look almost identical to a peony. Another idea is to flex a tulip to look like a gardenia. This skill might take some practice, but it’s well worth it in order to help ensure clients are receiving the aesthetic they’re looking for.

Have you been affected by the flower shortage? Are there any other questions you have that we can help answer? We’re here to help you navigate these uncharted waters, so let us know how we can help!

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Thank you for reading the Floranext florist blog. We are committed to bringing flower shops the best information and tips to run their floral business. Click here to learn more about our florist software and how you can upgrade your florist website or floral point of sale. 

Photo via The Atlantic

Podcasts are a great tool that are not only fun to listen to, but they could be helpful from a floral business perspective as well. We’ve gathered a list of all the best florist podcasts to listen to. Each of them will either help you be more business-minded, expand your floral knowledge, or give you a much needed break from the day-to-day!

The Best Florist Podcasts 

There are several great floral-centric podcasts that are worth checking out. The first that we want to highlight is The Hotel Florist. This florist podcast focuses on ensuring consistent income and landing partnerships with hotels. The Host, Francessca, shares her experience working with virtually every major hotel in the world. Her focus on the impact of flowers in these spaces and the strategy you can use to work with hotels in a sustainable way is inspiring.

Our favorite episode: Setting Your Sales Goal (aired 7/7/2021)

Next up is Botanical Brouhaha. This florist podcast helps bring guidance and education to florists, and assists in connecting florists with other people in the industry around the world. Founder and Creative Director Amy McGee is a former florist who runs the podcast, sharing her passion for the business and using it as a platform to support good causes.

Our favorite episode: Natalie Gill on Finding Your Mojo (aired 6/24/2020)

We also love Flower Clique. Run by Vonda LaFever and Lori Wilson, the two hosts share advice, insider knowledge, and fun tips on anything and everything floral related. With a focus on sharing industry trends and where the modern floral shop is headed, this florist podcast is full of knowledge that will help take your business to the next level.

Our favorite episode: Hiring and Training Solutions for the Modern Florist (aired 8/3/2021)

Looking for more, here are a couple of other great florist centered podcasts:

• Team Flower
• Slow Flowers

Great Small Business Podcasts for Florists 

It’s also useful to listen to small business focused podcasts to learn how you can better run your floral business and meet your goals. The podcast My Small Business & Me is one that’s sure to pique your interest! Rona Wheeldon hosts this podcast. While she started her career in the corporate sector, she left it and pursued a passion for flowers when she started her own floral-centric blog. As a small business owner, her podcast revolves around her desire to help individuals become successful and happy entrepreneurs. 

Our favorite episode: Creating a Distinctive Brand for Your Small Business (aired 5/18/2021)

A couple of other great florist business podcasts are: 

• Thrive Podcast #ForFlorists
• She Creates Business

Educational Social Media Podcasts for Florists 

Social media is so important for any business, and floral businesses are no exception to that rule. The Savvy Social Podcast is a show dedicated to helping passionate entrepreneurs and business owners learn to use social media as a tool to grow their business. Hosted by Andréa Jones, she conveys her commitment to helping business owners understand the how and the why of social media marketing. From there, you’ll be equipped with the tools to create connections, build community, and make a difference in your industry.

Our favorite episode: How to Grow & Manage Your Social Media Community (aired 7/6/2021)

Some other great Social Media Podcasts

• Social Media Marketing Talk Show
• The Shine Online Podcast – Hosted by Natasha Samuel

There is a whole wide world of florist podcasts out there, and each one serves a different purpose. Whether you’re just looking to casually listen or if you want to really learn about your industry, there’s a podcast for that! Do you have any podcasts you’d recommend? Share them with us below – we’d love to tune in!

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Thank you for reading the Floranext florist blog. We are committed to bringing flower shops the best information and tips to run their floral business. Click here to learn more about our florist software and how you can upgrade your florist website or floral point of sale. 

Dia De Los Muertos for Florists

Photo via Bespoke Bride

Dia De Los Muertos – also known as Day of the Dead – begins on November first. While this holiday may not strike florists as the most marketable day for business, there is much opportunity to be had in making sales surrounding this holiday.

This is because it’s a day where those celebrating traditionally place flowers on the graves of loved ones. This ritual is believed to lure souls back from the dead to the land of the living using the vibrant colors of the flowers and their powerful scents.

We’re exploring what different floral meanings are significant for this holiday and how you can allow it to make an impact on your business this fall.

Meaningful Dia De Los Muertos Flowers

There are a range of flowers that are meaningful to Dia De Los Muertos that you’ll want to use in arrangements to celebrate this holiday.

Marigolds

A popular choice in symbolizing the Day of the Dead. The fragrance of these flowers is claimed to attract souls to the altar. Plus, their cheery color is supposed to celebrate life.

Cockscomb

Commonly used to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos, especially when combined with marigolds. The Mexican Folk Art Guide denotes that cockscomb flowers symbolize the blood of Christ with their deep red hue. 

Chrysanthemums

Their white color is said to symbolize peace, beauty, and sympathy. These flowers are said to originate from Spain, making them an even better choice for this holiday.

Gladiolas

Representing remembrance and faithfulness. These can be used on their own or as part of a bouquet or arrangement, commonly paired with baby’s breath. The long stalks of this flower make it a perfect choice as the focal point of an arrangement.

White hoary stock 

They’re particularly used for remembering deceased children. This is fitting, as they symbolize beauty and simplicity. Although these flowers come in several colors, white is the best choice here as they’re meant to symbolize innocence. 

Dia De Los Muertos Inspiration for Florists 

Arrangements for Dia De Los Muertos should incorporate certain symbols and components to harness the essence of the holiday.

For instance skulls are a huge part of representing the day. There is a long history of art in Mexico depicting skulls, and these symbols are particularly special on Dia De Los Muertos. On this special day, Mexicans paint their faces to depict beautiful skulls in celebration of the holiday. These skull faces are meant to represent their ancestors who have passed and they’re known to celebrate the beauty and necessity of death.

There are other aspects to incorporate into your Dia De Los Muertos arrangements.

First, vibrant colors are best known to represent this holiday, as you can tell by some of the flowers mentioned above that hold special meaning to Dia De Los Muertos. Additionally, flower headpieces are commonly worn by La Catrinas who are celebrating this special day. The term La Catrinas refers to the women who paint skulls on their faces to mark the holiday and to honor their late ancestors.

Finally, altar arrangements are very popular for this holiday, frequently set up to honor loved ones who have passed on. Crosses are a popular symbol to make out of flowers in meaningful flowers to memorialize the day. 

Photo via Magias de Mexico

Dia De Los Muertos Marketing Tips for Florists 

This is a holiday with a lot of opportunities to attract new business for florists.

To do so, consider sending out an email campaign to your contact list to let your customers know you’re making arrangements for the occasion or to encourage orders. You can also use tools like Canva to create fliers or social media imagery to let people know that you’re taking orders for the holiday. The more you can get word out about the arrangements, the better!

Do you take special measures to market for Dia De Los Muertos? What tactics have brought you the most success in making floral sales for this holiday? We’re interested to know what’s worked for you, so please share your experience below!

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Thank you for reading the Floranext florist blog. We are committed to bringing flower shops the best information and tips to run their floral business. Click here to learn more about our florist software and how you can upgrade your florist website or floral point of sale. 

Fall is known as one of the most beautiful times of year. Mild temperatures, changing leaves, and festivities really set it apart. With fall comes a whole world of color, inspired by the beautiful landscape of the season. To make the most of the fall, explore different color palettes that you can use in your floral arrangements to really harness the magic of the season!

Floral Ideas for These Fall Palettes

The below palettes are perfect for the season, and there are so many things you can do with them to create something beautiful. Mini and large bouquets are great options to start. Vase arrangements are always a hit, too. Finally, wreaths and table centerpieces can round out your offerings to provide something for everyone that visits your shop or site.

Photo via ColorPalettes.net

Floral Spiced Pear

This palette is filled with beautiful fall colors. The bold yellow color makes it really stand out, whereas it’s nicely complemented by moody earth tones to bring it all together. If you’re looking to create an arrangement in this palette, consider using elements like cinnamon sticks for delicious fragrance and an added touch of fall. For flowers, consider using mums, viola, and bearded iris.

Photo via ColorPalettes.net

Flowery Fall Sundae

This fall palette is unique and versatile. The deep maroon is well balanced with the soft tones of gray, with tan shades in the middle. To create an arrangement in this palette, combine silver brunia and snapdragon. Use velvet ribbon and berries as special elements for added intrigue and to complete the color scheme.

Photo via ColorPalettes.net

Floral Cappuccino 

Bright and bold with shades of deep maroon and yellow, this palette is reminiscent of the smell of a freshly brewed cup of java! You can really bring this color scheme to life in your floral pieces with gyp, feverfew, burgundy dahlia, and yarrow. Another fun addition to pieces in this palette are dried or silk leaves to really make it have that fall feel.

Photo via ColorPalettes.net

Ladybug’s Budding Adventure

The cool tones of blue in this palette are a fun twist that will make these arrangements stand out from the crowd while maintaining the feel of fall. Flowers like blue hydrangea, red upright amaranthus, and chrysanthemum can really bring this palette to life. Add succulents in various hues for a more earthy feel.

Photo via ColorPalettes.net

Flowering Pumpkin Patch

It wouldn’t be a complete list of fall floral palettes without one that calls on the color of fall’s most recognizable symbol: pumpkins. Use small pumpkins or gourds in arrangements to catch everyone’s eyes. Primrose, red roses, and sunflowers are all great options for completing this festive palette. 

What are your favorite ways to harness the colors of fall in your floral work? Which fall flowers do you gravitate towards most? We’d love to know what your favorite hues of the season are, so make sure to comment below!

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Thank you for reading the Floranext florist blog. We are committed to bringing flower shops the best information and tips to run their floral business. Click here to learn more about our florist software and how you can upgrade your florist website or floral point of sale. 

Wreaths are a classic front door decor piece that has far extended themselves beyond the holiday season. Nowadays, they come in all different forms! Today, we’re exploring some of the different kinds of wreaths. Having a handle on what type of wreaths you can offer will give you a better idea of which types you may want to sell. Corner the market on these pieces in your area by learning all about them below! 

Image via Hydrangea Treehouse

Dried Flower Wreaths

Dried flower wreaths are a popular choice and a great offering to have in your arsenal. That’s because they are a sustainable choice that allows buyers to use this wreath for a long time to come. They also provide a popular boho look that fits the style of many, making them the perfect “evergreen” wreath for customers to display in their home no matter what the season.

Some of the best flowers to use for dried wreaths are baby’s breath, hydrangeas, eucalyptus, lavender, dahlias, poppies, and strawflowers. Really, when it comes to using dried flowers, try mixing and matching to find different combinations that are aesthetically pleasing. 

Image via Sublime Succulents

Succulent Wreaths

Another wonderful type of wreath to offer customers is those made out of succulents. These wreaths are another sustainable option. They also last a long time and are low maintenance. They only need to be misted once a week, making them attractive to people who want something long-lasting that they don’t need to pay much attention to. These wreaths have an earthy look that is great all year round. 

Photo via Balsam Hill Blog

Silk Wreaths

Silk wreaths are made to look like they’re made of real flowers, but they’re actually made of faux silk blooms. These wreaths are everlasting and can be a staple decor piece. Silk wreaths are fit for all seasons, making them a great item to sell to your customers. 

Since they’re meant to last much longer than wreaths with natural flowers, quality silk wreaths can typically sell at a higher price point. These wreaths also leave a lot of room for creativity. Other materials besides silk flowers can be included in these decor pieces, too. This can be something festive like a pinecone or other adornments, such as ribbon. Silk wreaths are definitely a versatile decor piece that will always be attractive to customers, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Image via Debbie-Doos.com

Crescent Moon Wreaths

Crescent moon wreaths are a recent trend that is worth considering in your own shop. These can be made with a base material of wicker, wire, and moss, or even foam. They can also be created in so many different styles, making them versatile. Crescent moon wreaths definitely follow a boho trend, and you can play on this by adding elements like crystals or seashells, allowing them to hang artfully off the wreath. 

Crescent moon wreaths can further be customized for different holidays or seasons. They’re particularly perfect for fall, playing on the whole “moon” trend that fits nicely with the autumn season. This variety of wreaths provides another great chance for creativity and to offer something fresh and new to your customers.

Evergreen Wreaths

These classic holiday wreaths are a must for any floral shop. Evergreen wreaths can be as simple or as intricate as you like. Keep in mind that customers have different tastes, so you may want to have a variety of styles and shapes for the holidays. Adorning wreaths with elements like pinecones, holiday garland, wire ribbon, and other festive pieces is a great way to make these attractive to customers. 

Juniper, white pine, and Douglas fir are all great choices to make evergreen wreaths with. This is because these varieties of evergreens hold their needles for a long time without shattering. 

Photo via Sarasota Magazine

Cemetery Wreaths

Cemetery wreaths are an important offering to have in order to help customers commemorate the loss of a loved one.  These are made-to-order items that are usually a more large-scale arrangement. Featuring their own stand, ribbon, and an abundance of fresh flowers, these are typically ordered for funeral services. Cemetery wreaths can also be ordered in different shapes – such as a heart. Wreaths of this variety typically sit on a stand.

Many individuals like to purchase cemetery wreaths around the holidays to leave at the graves of their deceased loved ones. Having evergreen wreaths on small stands for this time of year is a smart offering for this reason. 

Image via A Daily Something

Minimalist Wreaths

Minimalist style has become more and more popular in recent years. With that being said, it makes sense that wreaths would follow suit in this trend. These wreaths are typically a hoop that features an adornment only on one side rather than all the way around. 

These wreaths can feature faux or real greenery, dried flowers, or fresh flowers. Eucalyptus is a great touch on minimalist wreaths. Faux berries or fruit paired with this greenery is also a great way to do something different. An interesting element of these decor pieces is that the adornments can be more cascading or overflowing off the hoop, giving it a more interesting look overall.

Wreaths are a great item to include in your floral business! Have you had success selling wreaths? Let us know which kinds have been your top sellers or any questions we can answer about these decor pieces below!

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Thank you for reading the Floranext florist blog. We are committed to bringing flower shops the best information and tips to run their floral business. Click here to learn more about our florist software and how you can upgrade your florist website or floral point of sale. 

We’re always on the lookout for resources for florists that can be used to elevate their business. Back To Biz is a program that is not only free to users, but that can really help florists get their business on track and set them up for success.

Small businesses need all the help they can get now more than ever, and this program can assist in accelerating success and can assist in meeting goals. Learn more about this floral business tool and how it can benefit your business below.

A Free Florist Resource

You’re probably wondering what Back To Biz is. Posed to help small business owners like yourself get on track to meet your goals, this program is hosted by Creative Live. The best part? It’s completely free!

While Back To Biz is specifically curated and developed to help small business owners recover from the pandemic, it’s also the perfect resource for florists to enhance their day-to-day business. Back To Biz offers a host of classes on useful topics, which we delve further into below. 

Video Classes for Florists 

This free resource consists of many different class options, which span different topics from:

• Business Basics
• Marketing & Sales
• Money & Finance
• Online Business
• Wellness

These classes cover subjects as simple as effective shipping practices to larger-scale topics, like how to reinvigorate your sales.

Here is a list of videos we recommend:

Reinvigorating Your Sales

4 Steps to Creating A Social Media Marketing Plan: Turn Followers Into Customers

Optimism, Leadership and the Future of Small Business

FAST CLASS: Driving Traffic to your Online Business

FAST CLASS: Turn Your Service Into A Product

Learning Paths for Florists

The program also features what they call “learning paths.” These are curated collections of resources that follow one overarching theme.

For instance, there is a learning path surrounding how to reach new customers. The content in this path features video classes on how to build your brand, social media marketing tactics, and more. Furthermore, the path has a collection of articles that serve to teach on this topic.

Finally, the path shares inspirational stories from real business owners that fit with the theme. These custom collections are a great starting point within the wealth of information that Back To Biz has to offer.

Instructors That Know Small Business

Another great feature of this platform is its different instructors. Creative Live takes pride in featuring instructors that don’t just love to teach but have also been in the shoes of a small business owner.

This diverse group of teachers includes many successful entrepreneurs. Most of them have helped other businesses to grow and learn. 

Florists Learning On The Go!

The ability to learn on the go is something that makes Back To Biz useful. It’s no secret that life as a floral shop owner leaves little time for learning, but this resource makes it easy to squeeze it in.

Take classes on your own time and schedule with Back To Biz. No matter how much or little time you have, there’s an asset on this site that can fit your schedule. This is certainly a nice aspect to consider.

What Makes Back To Biz Worth It for Florists 

Back To Biz has a few things that are special about it. First off, it’s always a plus when a useful tool doesn’t have any cost associated with it. This makes using Back To Biz completely risk-free for you and your business, allowing you to learn on your own schedule without the pressure of a monthly membership fee. 

Another thing that sets it apart from other tools is that it is specifically designed to help business owners succeed in any environment. No matter what the economic climate or what’s going on in the world, this platform has advice that helps get your business where you want it to be. The behavior of consumers is constantly changing, and this resource not only takes that into account but also helps business owners understand how they need to adjust accordingly to these alterations.

The proof is in the pudding – a wide range of world-known companies have benefited from the programs hosted by Creative Live. Just to name a few – Starbucks, Shopify, Microsoft, and Chase have all learned from the platform. If these big-name businesses were able to learn from this resource, chances are that your floral business can grow from it, too!

This free tool is definitely one to consider in aiding your floral business. Are you considering trying Back To Biz? Share your thoughts on the resource below or let us know any other useful tools you’ve found similar to this one!

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Thank you for reading the Floranext florist blog. We are committed to bringing flower shops the best information and tips to run their floral business. Click here to learn more about our florist software and how you can upgrade your florist website or floral point of sale. 

Creating beautifully designed pieces for your business doesn’t have to be costly. In fact, it doesn’t have to cost anything at all thanks to Canva. This platform is an innovative graphic design platform that is packed with templates that florists can use in a variety of ways to enhance their business. 

Making professional quality, beautiful collateral for your business has never been so easy, and we’re here with all the different ways you can put Canva to work. Keep reading to find inspiration surrounding how to best use this free platform.

Beautiful and Effortless Marketing

One of the great things about Canva is that it allows you to create beautiful marketing materials with a few simple clicks. It’s that easy! The software is loaded with free templates that you can search to help you create things like:

•  Logos
•  Promotional fliers
• Posters
• Business cards
• Stickers
• So much more! 

The use of these convenient templates also makes it easy to ensure one cohesive look for all of your marketing materials. Plus, once you’re ready to print these materials, Canva easily integrates with printing platforms to create all kinds of physical collateral – canvases, infographics, posters, t-shirts – the list goes on and on!

Easily Stay Organized

Owning a business is tough work, and staying organized makes life much easier. Canva can assist you in keeping all of your ducks in a row. From creating company calendars to weekly schedules and to-do lists, Canva’s pre-loaded templates make it easy to design and utilize these items for supreme organization. 

Canva also has a range of templates for items that can be used with clients, such as simple-to-use schedules. Use a schedule template to spell out staff schedules for the week or day by simply typing in names, hitting save, and distributing. Having tools like these that assist in keeping your floral business organized on the back end can make a big difference in your day-to-day operations.

Create Engaging Social Media Content

Creating and posting relevant and engaging social media content is a big part of building a business and increasing your reach within the community. Canva has plenty of templates to create things like:

• Instagram stories
• Instagram posts
• Facebook cover photos
• Pinterest content
• Tik Tok videos
• and much more. 

The platform has cutting-edge features within social media designs, allowing users to create content with animation and posts that feature videos. Having attention-grabbing social media content is important in increasing post engagement and creating a larger reach, so this is a highly beneficial feature of Canva. In a matter of a few clicks, you’ll have eye-catching, beautiful social media content that will have all of your followers enjoying your content and looking for more.

Have you dabbled in all that Canva has to offer to benefit your floral business? If so, let us know your favorite features of the platform below! If you haven’t tried it yet, share any questions you have about it so we can help you navigate all that it has to offer!

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Thank you for reading the Floranext florist blog. We are committed to bringing flower shops the best information and tips to run their floral business. Click here to learn more about our florist software and how you can upgrade your florist website or floral point of sale. 

With roughly one billion monthly active users (source), Instagram is one of the most effective ways to reach customers and build a brand following.  Florists on Instagram can make a large mark on their followers when they use the tool correctly. But that may leave you wondering, what constitutes a strong Instagram post for florists?

There are several factors that can enhance floral Instagram posts to get the most bang for your buck out of the platform.  We delve into those factors below and take a look at real posts by fellow florists to showcase what they’re doing right. 

Planning the Picture Itself

When posting a floral photo on Instagram, you should first choose what picture you’re going to use. Believe it or not, there’s an art to choosing the right photo.

You’ll want to look at your Instagram grid overall to ensure that you’re creating variety on your page with your newest post. For instance, you don’t want to post five photos in a row of all hydrangeas. Mix it up a bit! You’ll also need to ensure that the photo you’re picking is aesthetically pleasing (which is not hard to do with flowers, of course!) and interesting to look at. Ensure you’re using a high-quality, clear image that works with the square layout of an Instagram post. 

As an example of a real-life Instagram that did this well, check out the below post by Sag Harbor Florist:

Image via Instagram @sagharborflorist

Creating Intrigue

Another way to create a winning floral Instagram post is to create intrigue. This entices followers to continue following your page and to continue checking back to see what’s new. This can be done by sharing exciting news or teasing something new on the horizon in the caption that accompanies the photo. 

Fellow florist The Flora Club did a great job enticing followers in her below post:

Image via Instagram @thefloraclub

Use the Tools

One of the great things about Instagram for florists is that it’s always evolving and the platform is constantly adding more tools to enhance the user experience. It’s important to take advantage of those tools when creating your Instagram posts in order to enhance your visibility and reach.

Some of these tools include using the shopping link to direct followers to products, tagging people and other vendors, adding a location tag (geotag) to help reach more people in your area, creating a video reel that lives on your grid, and using hashtags to help increase reach for florists on Instagram. 

Central Square Florist did a great job using some of these tools to enhance their post, as you can see below:

Image via Instagram @centralsquareflorist

Spark Engagement

The more engaged your followers are on your floral Instagram posts, the better visibility you’ll have on the platform and the more you’ll reach new potential clients. To create the chance for more engagement on your page, ask a question to your followers in the caption so they’re motivated to leave a comment. When they do comment, make sure you respond to and like their comments to encourage further interaction.

Another way to drive engagement is to ensure you’re tagging applicable individuals or vendors in your posts so that they may reshare your post. Finally, make sure that you are following others in the industry and adjacent industries, liking their posts, and commenting on their posts to drive traffic back to your own page.

Your London Florist does a great job sparking engagement and interacting with followers on her page, as showcased below:

Image via Instagram @yourlondonflorist

Florists, what are your best tips for a successful floral Instagram post? Share your best tips and tricks for driving engagement and enhancing your grid in the comment section below and include your Instagram handle so we can follow you!

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