Need to strengthen your sympathy and funeral flowers business? There are a few key strategies that florists can use to make sure they are regarded as the #1 choice by local funeral homes, funeral directors, and people sending sympathy flowers. To reach this important niche, use these strategies.

Strengthen Your Relationship With Area Funeral Homes –

First and foremost, develop a relationship with the people at the forefront of the sympathy industry - the funeral directors and their staff. Developing a strong relationship by helping them meet the needs of their customers. To do this, offer a selection guide that includes photos of and explanations of available flower arrangements.

Funeral Flower Selection Guide

Another way to strengthen your relationship with local funeral homes is to let them know that you’re there in a pinch when they need you - yesterday.

Many flower shops, such as McAdams Floral in Victoria Texas, offer sets of high-quality silk boutonnieres for pallbearers. This “just in case” attitude will be a boon to funeral home directors who are responsible for tying up any loose ends with the ceremonies while easing the burden of their customers.

One thing is certain with sympathy business. If you make the funeral home look good, they will do the same for you. This can be something as simple as providing a fresh arrangement for their entrance and/or lobby weekly. Most funeral homes will allow you to place your contact information in or near the arrangement.

Develop A Relationship With Senior Citizens —

Sympathy Flowers Or Entrance Flowers

Many senior citizens now make their own funeral arrangements prior to death. It may not be something they readily discuss or have formally written, but seniors are becoming more prepared for this occasion. The well prepared group usually passes their information on to family and loved ones so that someone knows of the arrangements prior to their death. There are many ways to develop a relationship with this core group.

Your flower shop could provide nursing homes with entrance flowers. Becoming acquainted with the staff can be helpful. When family members and friends call to make arrangements for the delivery, they often ask for a recommended florist. If the staff knows your flower shop and you know their policies on flower delivery, you will receive their recommendation.

Many senior citizen groups have monthly functions or annual events. While you may not choose to donate flowers to these events, donating flowers to the main location of the group will be beneficial. Places such as the Red Hat Society (50 years +) location, AARP offices, and local senior citizen hall are great places to reach senior citizens.

Keep Up With Current Trends

Traditional casket sprays and standing sprays will not fade any time soon, but there are other popular options that are turning heads and showing up in funeral homes and grave sites.

Personalized Funeral Flowers

Remember to incorporate sympathy flower options into your portfolio that reflect personalization. The desire for a unique and personalized sympathy arrangement is growing tremendously.

Epitaphs are not the only place for creativity. Offer unique spray shapes, various types of grave blankets, eco friendly arrangements that reflect an appreciation of nature, as well as seasonal arrangements and wreaths for the graves. Compact bouquets are also popular for headstones with vases or a unique display for the grave site.

Offer advanced planning options. Again, many are planning ahead for their funeral services. This takes the burden off of loved ones. Offering plan-ahead services can range from pre-payment options to flower request sheets.

Cremation is performed often. Offer memorial arrangements that compliment cremation urns, pew flowers for memorial services, et al. Sometimes burial plots are purchased for the deceased who had requested to be cremated. Offering unique arrangements for the grave site after the scattering is helpful.

Promote Your Sympathy Business – To gain business, people must know that your flower shop provides the service that they need. To announce this, offer funeral directors a tasteful marketing piece to give to families. Your flower shop can also target sympathy advertising with ads like FSN Funeral Home banner ads.

Implement these strategies in a respectful, tasteful way to promote your flower shop’s sympathy business. With these strategies, along with class and empathy, you will watch your sympathy business grow.

**** Flower Shop Network has created a funeral flower brochure that you can distributed to your area funeral homes that includes your flower shop name, address and contact information.  All you have to do is log into FSNf2.com and select the direct mail templates option.  From the direct mail templates option page, you can choose the funeral flower brochure to print your own branded funeral flower brochure.****

***Dad Flower Arrangement was created using a floral foam Fram from Oasis Floral Products***

With “budget savvy” consumers on the rise, the floral industry is presented with an opportunity to benefit from the DIY (do it yourself) consumer trend. Did you know that DIY consumers is a growing niche for florists? That’s right! Here are some tips for reaching this growing niche with the same flair and flavor for which you’re known.

Get Down And Dirty With Them

DIY brides and consumers are willing to get their hands dirty. Whether it’s to save a few bucks or express creativity, DIY’ers love to be involved in the projects ahead of them. This means learning how to make their own corsages, boutonnieres, bouquets and more. Don’t get down in the dumps about this though. Get down and dirty with them! Show DIY consumers that your flower shop is still the best place to come to find the freshest, most unique flowers around. Plus, where better to go for expert advice? Even the most independent DIY’er will welcome a little of that.

Give Them What They Want

DIY brides want to have a hand in making their wedding flowers but they still need to buy fresh flowers. By offering stems and unique flowers at a reasonable price, you’ve just given them exactly what they want. This provides Do It Yourself brides with a feeling of independence and a chance to express their creativity. The next time they help plan a wedding or need flowers for their home, they’ll remember your flower shop first.

Give Them What They Need

Not many DIY’ers start off with everything they need to know to create their own flower arrangements. That’s where your flower shop comes in. When the DIY crowd comes to your flower shop for fresh flowers, offer them expert advice.

Want to really draw them in by the droves? Try these:

• Host a DIY brides bouquet day and teach them to create beautiful wedding bouquets
• Host DIY workshops for various kinds of arrangements and floral design
• Create a weekly DIY bouquet special such as X number of stems of a popular flower at a special price
• Offer DIY specials, advice, and fresh flowers as an additional service
• Offer weekly specials on unique flowers (ex: sunflower) with design tips for using them (i.e. fall flowers design featuring sunflowers)

Read the rest of Want To Reach DIY Consumers? »

Rosh Hoshanah Flowers - Florist eCommerce Page

Just in time for the holiday, a new ecommerce page for Rosh Hoshanah is now available to users of the Flower Shop Network ecommerce websites.

The new holiday page is available immediately to FSN members using our florist ecommerce websites. FSN members that have purchased Advanced Website Controls can turn on and edit the page by accessing website controls inside FSNF2F.com.

If you have questions or would like to provide feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Click here to view a live sample showcasing Rosh Hoshanah flowers, courtesy of Floral Scentsations, a Flower Shop Network local florist in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Claiming your Bing Local listing is another of the FREE services that you can use to make your shop’s presence known and control the information that search engines see about your flower shop. It’s as simple as that. Flower Shop Network is always looking for new and easy ways to promote your shop so we have created this visual guide and tutorial Read the rest of Have You Claimed YOUR Free Bing Local Listing? »

Modern & Tropical Designs - Florist eCommerce Page

Tropical flowers and exotic flowers are being used more and more in arrangements from your local florist. Whether the customer is going for a modern look in their flower arrangements or consumers simply love the exotic look and fragrance that is present in many modern and tropical floral designs - these types of flowers are well in demand.

To cater to exotic and tropical flowers lovers, a new ecommerce page for Modern & Tropical Designs is now available to users of the Flower Shop Network ecommerce websites.

The new Modern & Tropical Flowers page is available immediately to FSN members using our florist ecommerce websites. FSN members that have purchased Advanced Website Controls can turn on and edit the page by accessing website controls inside FSNF2F.com.

If you have questions or would like to provide feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Much like claiming your Google Local or Bing Local listing, claiming your Yahoo! Local listing is an excellent way to promote your shop. Best of all–it’s free. To help you claim your shop’s listing, Flower Shop Network has created this step-by-step visual guide and tutorial to registering and claiming a Yahoo! Local listing.

**Note: You will need a Yahoo! account to claim your Yahoo! Local listing. If you do not have one, skip to the section titled “Create Your Yahoo! Account” for more information. **

How To Claim Your Yahoo! Local Listing

The first step in claiming your shop’s Yahoo! Local listing is to visit the Yahoo! Local Listings Account Center. You will see three boxes with different listing options. Ignore them. The fastest and easiest way to begin claiming your listing is to click the large yellow “sign up” button in the top right section of the page.

Clicking “sign up” will take you to the login screen of Yahoo! Accounts if you are not currently signed into your account. Log-in as normal. This will take you to the first of four screens. (A progress bar at the top of the screen will report your position through the four screens.)

Once you are on the first information page, you will be asked to list your shop’s information in the following sections:  account contact information, location information, hours of operation, payment methods you accept, and additional information. You will have the opportunity to view and edit this information before the final submission is complete.

If any similar listings are in the Yahoo! Local system, you will be asked to specify whether you would like to edit an existing listing or add your own. If the existing listing is very similar (same or old physical address) choose to edit the existing listing. Click the photo at left to see what this notification will look like.

Account Contact Information — this section asks for your first name, last name, email and phone number. These four items are required to proceed. However, this information will NOT appear in your listing. This information is not sold to third party companies. This information is used to personalize your account. For example, you will see “welcome *your name*” when you enter your account.

Listing Information — this section asks for your business name, local phone number, address (physical not P.O. Box), city, state, 5 digit zip code, your primary website address, toll-free phone number if applicable, fax, company email, and additional phone numbers. There is a box at the bottom of this section that allows you to opt out of displaying this information on your listing. However, business name, local phone, address, city, state and zip are required to proceed.

Hours of Operation — this section asks for your shop’s operating hours. If your shop is open 24 hours, click the round button that says “Open 24 hours.” You may also choose the “use operating hours below” and tailor the hours listed to your shop. If you do not wish to display your operating hours, click the round button that says “Do not display operating hours.” There is a box at the right of this section that allows you to put any additional information regarding your hours. For example, “available by appointment” or “closed all major holidays.”

Payment Methods You Accept — here you will list the forms of payment that you accept. There are several credit card options, a debit card option, a box for personal checks as well as a “cash only” option. You are allowed to check as many of these boxes as needed.

Additional Information — Here you will be able to enter information such as the year your company was established, any additional services that you offer (e.g. funeral flowers, wedding flowers, specialities), languages spoken, brand names carried (great for your unique gift selection), professional associations (such as Flower Shop Network or your local state Florists’ Association), and any specials that you are currently running.

Click “continue” at the bottom of the screen to proceed to screen number two. Screen number two asks you to categorize your business. This is where you would select the closest match from the drop down menu. Need suggestions? Click the “need suggestions” link beside the subcategory box. Subcategories are not required but are helpful.

Click “continue” at the bottom of the screen to proceed to screen number three. Screen number three asks you to preview your listing and verify that the information show is accurate. You may edit the information if anything is inaccurate by clicking the highlighted word “edits” from the sentence reading “Please review your listing and make any final edits to your business information before clicking the Submit button.” If the information is correct, click “submit” at the bottom of the page.

The final screen will ask you to confirm your listing. This will ask you to fill out a captcha. Captchas are a series of stylized letters and/or numbers that you must enter into a box. This tells Yahoo! that you are a real person and not a computer spamming this information as computers cannot read the letters the way a human can.

You will also be asked to read and agree to the Terms of Service. This is a requirement before submitting your listing. Once you have done this, simply click “submit”. You will be taken to a confirmation screen that lets you know that Yahoo! Local has received and will review your listing in 3-5 business days. That’s it! You’re done!

Creating A Yahoo! Account

The first step in creating a Yahoo! Local account is to visit the Yahoo Accounts log in screen. There is a large log-in box on the right side of the screen.

At the bottom of this box is the option to sign up for a Yahoo! account. Click the highlighted “sign up” link.You will be taken to a new screen where you will enter the information for your

You may also access the Yahoo! accounts log-in screen from the Yahoo! home page. Simply visit the home page and click the “sign up” link under the search bar. Click on the picture at the left to see the exact position of the link circled in red. You will be taken to a new screen where you will enter the information for your Yahoo! Local account.

The next screen asks you to enter information about yourself or your shop into three sections. The first section asks for personal information such as name, birthday, gender, country of residence and your postal code. All of this information is required.

Your birthday is required only to make sure that you are above a certain age (13 years or over is the minimum legal limit). Your gender will not affect your listing or your account. It is for records only. Your postal code affects your personal Yahoo! Local results as the Yahoo! Local system will associate that zip code with any personalized results it sends to you.

The second section on this screen asks you to select a Yahoo! ID that will become the first part of your new email address. You will also be asked to select a password and re-enter it to make sure that everything is typed correctly. Click “check” next to the email section to make sure that your email address will be available. If not, choose a new selection and recheck it until you find an available email address. You do not have to put “@yahoo.com” into the first field because Yahoo! automatically makes this selection for you.

The third screen asks for an alternate email, security question and an answer to that question. This information is used in the event that you forget your password or log-in. You will also be asked to solve a captcha.  A captcha is a series of stylized letters and/or numbers that you must enter into the box provided. This confirms to Yahoo! that you are a real person as computers are unable to read the captcha and automatically fill out the form.

Also, make sure that you click “I agree” to the terms and services of the agreement. This is a small box beneath the captcha section.

Click “create my account” and you’re ready to go!

Passover Flowers

The new Passover holiday page is available immediately to FSN members using our florist ecommerce websites. FSN members that have purchased Advanced Website Controls can turn on and edit the Passover page by accessing website controls inside FSNF2F.com.

If you have questions or would like to provide feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Hanukkah Flowers - Florist eCommerce Page

A new holiday page is now available to users of the Flower Shop Network ecommerce websites. A screenshot of the new page is listed below.

The new Hanukkah holiday page is available immediately to FSN members using our florist ecommerce websites. FSN members that have purchased Advanced Website Controls can turn on and edit the Hanukkah page by accessing website controls inside FSNF2F.com.

If you have questions or would like to provide feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

What Is Google Local?

Ever type something into the Google search box for a particular city? When the results came up, there were a few listings right beside a map at the top of the page - those are Google Local listings.

Many florists are unaware that registering & claiming your Google Local Listing is free and controlling your information is beneficial. Since Google pulls information from many different sources, you may find that Google has “holes” in their data about your shop. It is important that Google has your updated information and that it comes from YOU. Unclaimed listings can be claimed by others who might not put your best foot forward. Your Google Local listing is also another platform for marketing.

Controlling local information is a free way to get the word out about your flower shop which is why Flower Shop Network wants you to know how to claim your shop’s Google Local listing.

How To Claim Your Google Local Listing

Read the rest of Don’t Miss Out! Claim Your FREE Google Local Listing! »

Ask the Expert: hydrangea in foam arrangement
Hydrangea does better in water but there is a time when you need to use foam for a design, I have been  putting them in tubes and then in foam should i be putting them directly into the foam, the few times that we used them in my design school they were put in tubes. Did a wedding shower very pretty hat box design nice brown and blue grogain ribbon on a inverted clear cylinder bride loved them look great for the  occassion but I am worried about them when the guest took them home please advise me
thank you jeanne

Expert Reply:

On the whole it is best not to use hydrangeas in floral foam.  However if you have no other choice, initial preparation of the hydrangea is essential.

Since hydrangeas are susceptible to water deprivation, you want to make sure you prep them carefully when they arrive.  Most commercial growers will send hydrangeas with a water source.  Carefully remove the water source.  Submerge the hydrangea heads under tepid water for 2 minutes and gently shake before you cut them.  Cut them about 2″ from the tip at a 45degree angle - because of the thickness of the stem you may need to make two cut on opposite sides.  You will now have a end that looks like an arrow.  Take your knife and gently make a cut up the center of this arrow -  this will create more area for hydration.  Now dip the stem in quick dip and then place in a vase with warm water and flower food.  You can also spray the heads with crown and glory. This will give the hydrangeas the best start for any type of design use.

For foam go through the same process of dipping the head in water, dipping the stem in quick dip and then you can place them in the floral foam.  FYI: you can soak your floral foam in a water and flower food solution - this will help extend the life of the flowers.  Try not to move the hydrangea stem once you have placed it in the foam.  If the hydrangea is not properly placed, take it out of the foam and repeat the process before you reinsert the stem into the foam.

Be sure to you send packets of flower food with the arrangements and encourage the recipients to use it when adding water to the arrangements.

Please keep me posted and let me know how these suggestion work for you.