Presenting

Extra Features and Video Online FloristsReview.com R E A D O N L I N E 53 Marketing Magic Creative marketing eff orts are crucial to capturing holiday sales, especially in today's uber-competitive retail marketplace, where consumers are bombarded by more options than they can process! Social media, in particular, provides myriad opportunities for regularly reaching out to consumers in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago, from showcasing newly arrived merchandise and your most creative product displays to off ering DIY design videos and plant and arrangement care tips—and so much more. ese marketing options can be extremely eff ective and aff ordable—so do not miss out on all the social media marketing opportunities during the holiday season, even if you have to hire a part-time high school or college student—or a niece or nephew—to make it happen! Rest assured that all your competitors, fl oral and nonfl oral, will be "talking" to your customers via social media. e following marketing ideas are a bit more traditional, but they're still eff ective in enticing consumers to visit or call your shop. ese tried-and-true—yet updated—ideas are presented to get your creative marketing juices fl owing; fi ne-tune any ideas that could be applicable to your shop. You may be able to implement some of the suggestions this year while others might require a bit more planning and development before being incorporated into your holiday marketing next year. Window Displays Static window displays can be beautiful, but windows that feature motion—animation, blinking or chaser lights, etc.—or even implied motion, are dramatically more likely to attract the attention of people walking and driving by. Also eff ective in attracting attention are large graphic words, such as "Joy," "Love," "Peace," "Hope" and "Charity" for the holiday season. Research reveals that, on average, a window display has 3 seconds or less to capture a passersby's attention. And even then, the average pedestrian spends less than 11 seconds considering a window. While that isn't much time to make a memorable impression, window displays are still an important component of your overall marketing and branding strategies. It is defi nitely worthwhile to spend time and a few dollars to create enticing window displays that appropriately refl ect your brand. Account Building e winter holiday season (Christmas, Hanukkah, etc.) is an unparalleled opportunity to capture sales from corporate accounts. Many fl orists access their corporate clients' gift lists from previous years and then return them to the clients to assist them in placing their orders this year— often, a much-appreciated service. Clients typically add new contacts they made during the current year to the list, resulting in additional orders. (Read more about this topic in "Getting Ready : Court Corporate Clients" on Page 46.) Ordering holiday gifts for their customers is something that corporate entities tend to do early on, so plan your off erings and make your initial contacts in September or October. You don't want to be late to this party! Creative fl orists can off er myriad options for corporate gift giving, ranging from "statement" poinsettias for offi ces to large gift baskets for families or offi ces. Gift baskets can be easily customized to either the client or the recipients, but take a few minutes to think of ways you can tailor your arrangement and plant off erings to your clients' brands, as well. is personalization option will be enticing to many corporate clients and could be the key to sealing the deals for your shop. When visiting these clients about your gift-giving products and services, be sure to provide them with information Designer Regina Gust, Julie Soefer Photography

• Cover