The flower market has steadily evolved over the years into a billion-dollar industry. From weddings to birthdays and funerals to graduations, flowers have become one of the most popular celebration staples. Brick-and-mortar florists and budding entrepreneurs are joining the millions of people moving online to diversify stock and reach a wider audience. And it couldn’t be easier, with Epic Flowers’ fast and easy ecommerce solution, tailored specifically for florists to succeed online. Moving online will not immediately ensure success: with a lot of careful planning and focus on PR and good SEO practices, it will enable your store to grow and pick up momentum online. Find out how you can build great public relations and good SEO, using bloggers to boost sales and grow your ecommerce store.
Why are bloggers beneficial for your florist store?
Bloggers hold a lot of influence in the online world. Those that have a large following online can reach a whole bunch of people that may be interested in your products (which means potential sales). Bloggers can be a great marketing and PR tool for your store because they’re advocating a brand that people will trust.
The power of bloggers doesn’t just stop there. They can actually boost your SEO and online presence, doing what they do best – writing. Bloggers can build backlinks to your site and increase your site metrics, like domain authority and trust flow, making your website rank higher on search engine results.
Tip: SEO is very important for any business operating online, so take full advantage of these free SEO tools specifically for florists.
Spreading the word: guest posting
Guest posting is a very powerful tool in your SEO and PR arsenal. If neglected, you’ll be missing out on lots of promotions and power for your site, which could be stunting your store’s online growth.
Approach bloggers that offer guest posts on their site. You will need to flex your creative writing muscles to craft an engaging and exciting post yourself that reflects your brand. Note that they don’t have to be long winded and challenging to write, the best posts are simple and straight to the point. Make sure that you are approaching sites relevant to your niche, and always include a link back to your site.
Build links: sponsored posts
Like guest posting, sponsored posts can be beneficial for your online florist. Posts like this could cost you a little money, and may not be suitable for florists that are just starting out. Using sponsored posts means bloggers are more inclined to write the post for you. You could send them some flowers to review and post pictures of on their site, or simply write about the products yourself. Sponsored posts mean you will be able to write more promotional posts with links back to your site or social profiles, and get your name out there.
For those who want to go down the sponsored post path, it’s a good idea to come up with some terms and conditions to cover your back if anything goes wrong. This free terms and conditions generator will be able to outline your specific intentions and requirements to bloggers to ensure you don’t lose any money. Cover your back.
Advertising: competitions and giveaways
Bloggers are notorious for being the online world’s PR and marketing geniuses, because they tend to build very trustworthy relationships with their audience. You can harness this to grow your online store with minimal effort. Competitions and giveaways are a good way to spark interest in your brand and products — just make sure that you have a steady social following to help improve organic reach. (Here are some tips on how to launch and run a social-friendly online store).
You could get a blogger with a big following to run a giveaway or competition for your flowers. Whoever wins the competition could be sent a free order below $50 (or a price range of your choosing). Be creative when thinking of prizes or competitions for your audience for higher engagement. This is a good way for customers to experience your petaled products and spread the word.
Ultimately, investing in a quality website for your florist store will help maintain good SEO and will allow your store to grow. But doing what you can to boost your store’s SEO and PR is always going to be a positive for your store. Spend time and money on these areas to reap the rewards. What SEO or PR strategy will you use for your florist ecommerce store?
Patrick Foster is an ecommerce coach and freelance writer for his own personal blog, Ecommerce Tips. He loves sharing advice with startups and budding entrepreneurs to make their business a success.