It’s beginning to feel a lot like summer!

Let’s celebrate the season with the lei and flower crown, a Hawaiian tradition with thousands of years of history. Flower artist and lei maker Ocean Dreamer (ocean_dreamerr on Instagram) has a feed full of gorgeous lei and flower crown designs for weddings and all occasions we’d like to spotlight today.

View this post on Instagram

Pink Pua Melia lei for this Aloha Friday Pa’ina . #classic #pink #plumeria #bumbucha

A post shared by Floral lei Artist (@ocean_dreamerr) on May 24, 2019 at 9:14pm PDT

The Origins of Leis

Leis have been constructed of various materials including flowers, shells, leaves, nuts, feathers, and bone, but a braid of green Maile vine has been at the center of the lei all along.

The lei was introduced to Hawaii by the ancient Polynesian voyagers who first settled the islands. For centuries leis have been worn as garments to beautify the wearer, exchanged by leaders to seal peace agreements, and served a ceremonial purpose in religious rites and celebrations.

View this post on Instagram

Love… Aloha… & lots and Lots of Plumeria 💛 Bumbucha Pua Melia Lei. #graduationLeis #plumeriaSeason #puaMelia

A post shared by Floral lei Artist (@ocean_dreamerr) on May 11, 2019 at 12:31am PDT

In the colonial era and later on as tourism to the islands expanded, lei vendors sold their wares to British and American visitors, and the lei took on another meaning as a form of greeting. It became tradition to throw one’s lei into the waters if departing Hawaii by ship.

Today there are few hard rules about when and where to don a lei—it is an all-occasion garment, but because of their great beauty and use of fresh flowers, leis are most often worn during celebrations.

View this post on Instagram

Fall in love with Taking care of yourself. Fall in love with the path of deep healing . Fall in love with becoming the best version of yourself, but with patience,with compassion and respect to your own journey. 🌺Happy Aloha Friday🍃 @kimi_swimmy x @keepwildco pic @instaclamfunk 🌱 #fbf #1yrago #kimiswimmy

A post shared by Floral lei Artist (@ocean_dreamerr) on Feb 1, 2019 at 1:39pm PST

Ocean Dreamer’s Leis and Flower Crowns

Ocean Dreamer herself is a designer in Hawaii with a strong social media presence. That alone is something to admire these days, but her designs are all spectacular and if you check out her feed you can find them adorning wedding chuppahs and arches as well as being worn for everyday use and celebrations. She even includes some process pictures as she works to get just the right look.

View this post on Instagram

First Blue Jade Lei Po’o I made, With pohinahina , plumeria, Bombax & orchids 🌱from our garden. 🦋 #nofilter #leigarden #LeiAlohaFriday #allnatural #wahine

A post shared by Floral lei Artist (@ocean_dreamerr) on Mar 29, 2019 at 9:43pm PDT

 

Florists, have you received any requests for leis or Hawaiian style flower crowns? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

____________

Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

Top 8 Social Media Sites For Florists

 

In this blog, we want to narrow it down to the top 8 social media sites for florists and explain the Ins and Outs of their operations and why they are crucial and matter in the floral industry.

Check out our infographic for quick and easy reference to the Top 8 Social Media Sites For Florists!

#8 – LinkedIn

It’s the leading social networking site for professionals, with about 467 million members, it’s a solid venue for connecting with other local businesses.

Why LinkedIn Matters to Florists

• Easy to stay in touch with other local businesses
• Provides a valuable backlink for your SEO
• Customers can recommend your services on Linkedin

How to get started

• Connect with local businesses in your area
• Use the Facebook-like feed to post articles, remind local partners of your brand
• Write a compelling summary of your flower shop business. (be conceded about your beautiful work and experience)
• Have a gravitating cover image.
• Add your products and services.
• Ask for reviews.

#7 – YouTube 

Creating polished YouTube videos is harder than on many other networks.  Upload videos of your floral wedding work or even how-to videos.  Most folks won’t discover you via YouTube, but you can host your video there and embed in your florist website.

Why YouTube Matters to Florists

• Show off wedding videos, link off of your website
• Great way to increase wedding sales, providing ways to promote on other social platforms by posting your video.
• Valuable backlink for SEO.

How to get started

• Make sure to have a Google account when signing up for Youtube.
• Use your business name as your username on YouTube.
• A clear description on what your video is about – “industry-specific”.
• Make video headline compelling.
• Make sure your video is public.

#6 – Twitter

Twitter is less a way to get new customers and more a way to build your brand value overall and catch the attention of search engines. Tweet about newsworthy floral related items during holiday times and you may find yourself re-tweeted by media.

Why Twitter Matters to Florists

• Participating with this social media real-time giant and show your customers you’re “With The Times”.
• Keep in touch with customers – instantly alert your shoppers of specials, news, and events.
• Engage with your shoppers, Twitter allows you to find out their likes and dislikes and have them give you feedback on your business.
• Twitter can boost your Google ranking back to good old SEO.

How to get started

• Use your business username.
• Profile image is a must.
• Descriptive industry-specific About Us.
• Keep an important Tweet at the top of your timeline by pinning it there. Use this feature to make sure visitors to your profile can’t miss your latest news, products, offerings, or events.
• Don’t forget your hashtags, like florist, flowers, flower design, etc (a word or phrase preceded by a hash or pound sign (#) and used to identify messages on a specific topic)

#5 – Instagram

More than any other social platform, Instagram is a great way to keep in touch with your existing customers through beautiful, artful photographs. Buyers of wedding/event work will often check out Instagram to see examples of your work.

Why Instagram  Matters to Florists

• Keep in touch with existing customers
• Easy to maintain
• Adds credibility for wedding/event purchases
• Great for SEO

How to get started

• Determine your goals for signing up for Instagram, increasing customer traffic, selling more products, creating awareness of your flower business
• Link your eCommerce website to your bio in order to direct shoppers to your page

#4 – Pinterest 

Pinterest is a great way to showcase image galleries of your wedding/event work – collections of images at local event halls, churches, and other venues will rank highly on Google – and new brides and event managers can find you that way.

Why Pinterest Matters to Florists

• Pinterest readers use Pinterest to decide to buy and most of all book wedding floral services
• Collections rank highly on Google – local content can help floral event/wedding buyers find your business
• Pins last a lifetime – creating high quality, relevant pins that don’t disappear overnight
• Great way to provide a catalog of your work – you can even embed Pinterest boards on your florist website
• Great backlink for images and organic searches on search engines

How to get started

• Complete your business profile (not personal account) and take your time with adding beautiful images of your work
• Add content to your bio and include keywords for the floral industry
• Add your location and your business website to your Pinterest profile

#3 – Yelp

Yelp’s business ratings are some of the most used by consumers to evaluate your business. Bing and Google use Yelp ratings in their search results, so it can drive lots of business if you have great ratings and reviews.

Why Yelp Matters to Florists

• The website used most often by consumers who are looking to purchase floral products and services.
• Provides spectacular SEO for your floral business! (We cannot express enough, this is vital for your ranking on search engines)
• Leading customer review social platform which is proven to drive traffic to your business resulting in increased sales.
• Integrated with Apple Maps so users could locate businesses. Making it most valuable in bringing customers to you.
• Bing local pages showcase Yelp reviews, they have formed a relationship, these reviews are super important for your SEO.
• Google shows Yelp reviews as organic search results.

How to get started

• Fill out your business profile completely
• Confirm your business through a phone call to get listed immediately (may not be necessary for all shops)
• Respond to reviews
• Offer (nominal) discount to customers to post reviews while they are in your store

#2 – Google My Business

Formally known as Google Places, Google My Business will increase traffic to both your eCommerce online store and your physical location. This is a close #1 for Top Social media platforms – Google My Business is a must for any business owner.

Why Google My Business Matters to Florists

• Google My Business offers a variety of benefits to a business, especially if people are searching in your specific location for your flower shop.
• Allowing shoppers quick and easy access to your phone number, address or hours of operation.
• Google My Business integrates directly with Google Maps.
• Google My Business showcases your customer reviews in Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and Google map. High star reviews help you stand apart from your competitors.
• One of the best backlinks for maximizing your SEO.

How to get started

• First thing is to claim your page, if you have no page,  sign up with your google account at google.com/business . Your account must be verified before it will start to show on google local pages.

#1 – Facebook 

With 2.23 billion users worldwide, no surprise why Facebook wins the number one spot in our blog. Facebook is vital in helping business owners manage their communications and retain their customers.

Why Facebook Matters to Florists

• Increased exposure to your business.
• Shows off your business portfolio and personality.
• You can reach your targeted audience.
• Search Engines love, love, love – did we say, love? Facebook Business pages URL’s are public, making these instantly rank on search engines.
• Get likes to increase your ranking on search engines. The more likes you receive, the higher you can rank. It’s all about popularity Florists!
• Allows for customer reviews.
• Increases website traffic with link posts.

How to get started

• Haven’t you signed up with Facebook? What are you waiting for? We suggest you read this while you are signing up for Facebook!
• You must have a personal Facebook page in order to start a Facebook business page.
• Your Facebook personal page and the business page will share the same login. (Top right corner of your personal page  select to Create Page)

 

There you have it our fellow florists, Top 8 Social Media Sites that matter to florists. Whether you agree or not, we highly recommend signing up with these social media sites today! Please use our infographic for quick and easy reference. Please feel free to post any questions or comments on these Top 8 Social Media Sites below.

_______________________

Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

Check out this season’s hottest floral trends!

Ah, September is almost here. For some florists, September is welcomed busier season than the long summer days. Long-sleeved shirts and beautiful rustic blooms, right? Hold on tight, because some of this year’s autumn flower trends on social media are quite surprising.

From unique flower combinations to exquisite new blooms, autumn is a season that encompasses all that is wondrous.

Floral Wreaths

Composed of dried or silk, these are a fall must-have for shoppers. High-end home decor stores are offering these at a premium price and cashing in. How about whipping up some beautiful floral wreaths for sale at your shop and ecommerce website?

Ribbon + Wrappings = Sales

If you are not high-styling your wrapped bouquets, you are missing out some social media buzz. Complete the look with beautiful silk ribbon.

Cotton Floral Arrangements

I know what you’re thinking: amazing. Just remember this—cotton with the stems are available from supply wholesalers at a great price. Cotton is super hot for fall and just exquisite for the holidays. Incorporate some cotton in all arrangements. This cotton trend will not be going away anytime soon.

Sweet Ranunculus

Oh, ranunculus, how I love thee! And so does everyone else, this is a highly sought-after bloom and among the top five favored on social media. Get your ranunculus on!

Chocolate Cosmos 

With a name like chocolate cosmos, we knew they would be tempting. This isn’t a new flower stem for florists, but it’s being used so frequently and the number 1 wildflower choice for social media followers. Chocolate cosmos bloom mid-to-late summer, so they’re a perfect addition to your high-style garden-picked arrangements.

Check out this close-up of a chocolate cosmo flower. Aren’t they just beautifully perfect in every way?

Florists, what are your thoughts on these trends for Autumn? Have you incorporated any of these trends in your flower shop? Please share your feedback or questions below in the comment section.

____________

Floranext makes great florist software. Florist websites, floral POS, florist wedding/event proposal software, and florist technology. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

Promoting on Instagram is a great way to gain new customers and grow your floral brand!

So why aren’t more floral professionals taking advantage of the Instagram community to market their flower business? Perhaps because some floral professionals don’t know how to utilize Instagram to its fullest advantage.

With Instagram reaching 1 billion active monthly users this past month, it’s important to understand this audience. Instagram is a trendy social media platform with a lot of influence. Read on for some easy ways to get started promoting your floral business on Instagram.

Create an Instagram Floral Business Account

If you haven’t already done so, create a business Instagram account. Having a business account allows you to link to your floral website, connect your business Facebook page, and display shop contact phone numbers and email addresses.

Make sure to include your website link to direct users to your floral website. There is only one option for a link, but this “backlink” does help build your SEO visibility as well.

Be Clear On Image Quality

Creating a post on Instagram does require a little bit of time and effort. Make sure your images are clear, composed properly, and look professional. On Instagram your marketing is primarily visual. Appealing images will gather you more followers, so invest some time in taking quality images of your floral products.

Engage Other Users

In order to build your brand and credibility, you must be an active participant on Instagram. Be sure to follow your followers back as well as other businesses, mentors, and other floral professionals to engage in conversation and gain more visibility to those users’ followers.

Get #Hashtaging

Hashtagging has never been more important to the Instagram platform than it is today. makes sure to use relevant hashtags on each post, don’t just copy and paste the same hashtags to all of them—Instagram’s algorithms demote successive posts with repeated hashtags as a measure to cut down on spam.

Instagram users can now also mark hashtag they don’t want to see, which helps Instagram’s algorithms show them other new content. This is yet another reason to use a variety of hashtags, in case a user is filtering out one that you use.

Remember, hashtags are a way of organizing content, and many users do search through a given hashtag, they’re not just for decoration.

Facebook and Instagram: Two Peas in a Pod

Facebook owns Instagram, so it helps to think of them as closely related. Connect your Facebook business page (not your personal Facebook account!) with your business Instagram to enable double-posting. This will boost your visibility to reach a wider amount of users between the two platforms.

Start a Contest Trend

Contests are direct marketing with a twist, and have broad appeal to many Instagram users. Invite users to interact with your page with posts like “Share your favorite flower” or “Your pet with flowers” and so on. The possibilities are endless, and sharing on both Instagram and Facebook is a sure way to gain as many participating users as possible.

Showcase Your Floral Operations

Posting your floral arrangements is great, however it is helpful to mix it up with other image posts that are personal to your floral business. This gives your followers a sense of knowing who you are, and a more personal connection to you and your floral business. Create postings for your employees, shop pets, floral designs in progress, and silly fun images to allow followers a glimpse of daily life around the shop.

 

Florists, do you have any important advice for florists on Instagram? Please share your feedback any related questions in the comment section below!

____________

Floranext offers great florist software, florist POS, florist websites and florist wedding proposal software. Our florist technology products are built by florists, for florists. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

You’ve adjusted your branding to attract Millennials, but is your flower shop ready for the rising Generation Z?

According to Forbes, by 2020 Generation Z—people aged 22 or younger—will account for 40% of all consumers. If you start planning your Gen Z marketing strategy now, you’ll be ready when this generation starts entering the workforce and expanding their consuming habits.

Engaging Gen Z

Gen Zers are known for their ability to multitask with their devices. It is important to take this into account when doing your floral marketing—a simple social media ad or promotional Youtube video may not be impactful enough to grab their attention. Ironically, this means Gen Zers have a higher tolerance for social media ads than previous generations.

Getting To Know Gen Z

Knowing your consumers is the most important part of marketing to them.

As a generation, Gen Zers are diverse and culturally open-minded. They downplay traditional gender roles and want to make a difference. They also have goals—some call them “dreamers,” but often in a positive way—they will not let anyone stop them from following their passions.

So what can the floral industry do to grab their attention? You can start by brushing up on their preferred social media. Gen Z uses different social media platforms for different kinds of activity.

• Facebook: Used mostly for information
• Instagram: Displaying their ambitions—Instagram is the most popular platform for building a personal brand and for brand discovery
• Snapchat:  Sharing snapshots of daily life
• Twitter: News source
• Youtube: Entertainment and instructional/tutorial videos
• Pinterest: Inspiration

Instagram and Snapchat are sometimes called “intimacy builders,” making these platforms the best way to showcase your floral ads, with Facebook close behind.

Knowing the ways in which these social media platforms work for the Gen Zers is a way of tailoring your marketing to work for them. Remember to always be authentic as well!

An Open-Minded Generation

Gen Z is one of the most open-minded and diverse generations, with a famously nonjudgmental mindset and a spirit of tolerance. Floral professionals should take note and create captivating social media ads that are socially diverse.

Mobile-Friendly Floral Websites  

If your floral website is not responsive or otherwise mobile friendly, get it optimized as soon as possible. Gen Zers spend lots of time on their mobile devices, and other devices (including computers!) are secondary. Make sure your floral website is mobile responsive.

Gen Z Do-Gooders

Gen Z is all about making a difference, from helping the environment or buying for a cause. Gen Z likes doing good for the economy, the environment, and their community.

Let’s face it, branding flowers is not always easy. However, with social media sites like Instagram and Pinterest the floral industry is making huge waves, and in the last few years the growth has been tremendous.

Gen Zers are taking notice of the beautiful floral designs on tablescapes, events, and birthdays.  Gen Zers appreciate flowers and inspiring designs, it’s up to the floral professionals to update their marketing and flower shop for this tech-savvy generation. Lacking social media will certainly affect your floral business in years to come. Online floral branding is key for the survival of your flower business.

 

Floranext offers great florist software, florist POS, florist websites and florist wedding proposal software. Our florist technology products are built by florists, for florists. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.

 

With beautiful imagination and bountiful skills, these designers create hypnotizing works of art.

Today we’d like to pay homage to all the amazing floral artists on Instagram for bringing recognition to the floristry industry. It was difficult selecting just a few florists of Instagram to plug, but we encourage you to start following these influential floral designers.

Meta Flora (@metafloranyc)

Marisa Competello’s floral designs are more like floral sculptures. Her creations ooze with inspiration and innovation. We love showcasing her designs, and highly recommend you find her on Instagram.

Moonflower Design (@moonflower_design)

Mandy O’Shea and her husband have made headlines with 3 Porch Farm, their floral design studio in Athens, Georgia, using only the flowers and botanicals they grow. Their designs play with symmetry and texture, creating a forward focus. With over 26.7k followers on Instagram its no wonder @moonflower_design is creating a buzz.

Lewis Miller Designs (@lewismillerdesign)

We raved about floral designer Lewis Miller in our write-up The Art of Flowers. We appreciate florists who continually step outside the box and show the world how to appreciate flowers. Lewis Miller wins for his exceptional floral works of art and allowing us all to see floral arrangements in a whole new way.

Lucy the Flower Hunter (@lucytheflowerhunter)

Viewing Lucy the Flower Hunter’s designs is like stepping back in time and traveling into the future. Her modern-vintage floral designs are so magnificent and enchanting.

Kiana Underwood (@tulipinadesign)

Kiana Underwood is encouraging many newcomers to join the floral design world on Instagram with her bespoke event floral designs. With over 274K followers she is not one to miss, her beautifully feminine floral masterpieces are sure to inspire.

 

 

Florists, do you have a florist or flower shop that are a must-follow on Instagram? Please share your feedback in the comment section below.

____________

Floranext offers great florist software, florist POS, florist websites and florist wedding proposal software. Our florist technology products are built by florists, for florists. Let us know if you want a free demo or try our software for free here.