Is your flower shop marketing to the newest, biggest group around? The Millennials? Well, you should be because they are your future!
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Who Are Millennials and Why are They Relevant for Florists?
Millennials, depending on who you talk to, are born between the late 1970’s to the middle of 1990’s (1995) and they comprise the largest demographics, surpassing the Baby Boomers in numbers and by 2018 in spending power! They are also on track to become the most educated generation in American history.
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Is there a different way of marketing to them then the Baby Boomers? Absolutely and here are five tips to help get you started…..
5 Florist Millennial Marketing Tips
1. You flower shop need more than just a presence on social media; you need to make a connection! Millennials are spending an average of 25 hours per week online and they love to share, like, pin, tweet, comment and snap on what they find on their discoveries. Therefore, take an active role in your social media and give your shop a voice.
Snap pictures of your newest designs, an unusual flower or floral material. Everyone likes to “discover” the newest treasure and let that be your shop. Having fun behind the scenes? Add those pictures to your social media to build a connection with your customers. Only on Facebook? Check out where your millennials hang out; is it Pinterest, Instagram or Snapchat? If it is, your flower shop needs to be there too.
2. Cause and Socially Responsible – since they have been in kindergarten, Millennials have been told they need to save the planet, be socially responsible and make a difference. Do you purchase products that are “organic”, “locally grown”, “fair-trade certified” or eco-friendly? If so, promote.
Shop Locally is also an important attribute to the Millennials. Add a sign to your florist website, social media and in your shop that you are a local business and you are part of the community. Connect with local causes and become a part of the solution.
3. Your website is your life blood. Millennials are used to purchasing everything online, heck, they prefer it. So to get the sale, your site has to be as easy as possible to purchase from or else they will move quickly to another site. They also are not thrilled with putting in all their billing information and it can be a sales stopper so utilize a service like PayPal, it can help with the sale.
4. Lots of researching before buying. Millennials don’t remember a time without the internet. Consequently, before they make a purchase, they research websites, read reviews and ask their social media friends a lot. They seek pre-purchase validation online to avoid buyer’s remorse. Your site needs to be professional, informative and able to capture their short attention span. Reviews can make you or break you so always check your online reviews and make sure you have corrected the ones that need assistance. Also, always ask for a satisfied shopper to give you a review. For more information, check out the Floranext blog post on Fixing a Bad Review for your Flower shop.
5. Mobile all the time. Millennials grew up with mobile phones where everything is accessible all the time. Is your florist website responsive to the changes from a desk top to a tablet to a mobile phone? If not, fix it! Millennials preferred method of communication is texting over calls. Experiment with texting and your shop. Send a text with a photo when the arrangement is sent or communicate with brides through texts. Look for ways to utilize their form of communication.
Using these five tips to market to Millennials can help your flower shop break into this increasingly lucrative generation. How do you market to this new generation?
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Thank you, interesting info for starting florist !