HOW DIRECT MAILERS WORK FOR YOU

Working in conjunction with other marketing campaigns, direct mailers are a very cost effective way to reach your customers. Direct mailers are great for your customers who do not have Internet access. Direct mail also serves as a holiday gift reminder for existing and potential customers. When you want to keep your shop’s name at the front of their minds, direct mail is a simple and cost effective way to do it.

When To Send Direct Mailers: A general rule of thumb is to send direct mailers 7-10 days before the major floral holiday. Earlier than this makes it easy for the reader to forget or disregard the mailer. 7-10 days prior to the holiday reminds the customer to order, prompts he or she to order early, and keeps your shop in the front of their mind when considering holiday gifts.

What Holidays/Events Are Appropriate To Send Direct Mailers: Sending direct mailers before any major floral holiday is a potential boon for your flower shop. Prom is also a very important occasion. The early part of the wedding season in your area is also a good time for sending direct mailers.

To Whom Should Direct Mailers Be Sent: Direct mailers give you the ability to target existing customers, potential customers, or both. The choice is yours.

Why Should I Send Direct Mailers: Direct Mailers reinforce existing marketing campaigns such as your website, mass email campaigns, promotions and more. A lot of business is generated via direct mailers simply because it keeps customers thinking about your shop for their gift ideas.

Loranne Atwill, owner of Flower Shop Network, remembers customers coming into her flower shop for last-minute gift ideas. They had received her direct mailer but disregarded it for the moment. When it was time to buy the gift, they thought of her flower shop first because of the direct mailer.

How Do I Get A Bulk Mail Permit: Bulk mail permits are available through the United States Postal Service. These permits include an annual bulk mailing fee but sending several mailers throughout the year makes this a cost effective strategy. Contact your branch of the USPS or visit them online for more information about bulk mailing or to apply for your bulk mail permit.

HOW TO CREATE A DIRECT MAILER

Flower Shop Network now takes the guesswork out of creating direct mailers. You may now access direct mailer templates using your FSNf2f.com account. Templates are available for all major floral holidays and other occasions. If you like to create your own direct mailer, follow the instructions below.

A direct mailer can be created in a few easy steps. Keep in mind that you will need the following when creating your mailer:

• a publishing program such as Microsoft Word (Note: This example uses word)
• pictures of your arrangements uploaded to your computer or on  your website
• contact information for your flower shop
• a mailing list of existing/potential customers
• pricing information

The first step to creating your direct mailer is to open a publishing program on your computer such as Microsoft Word, Works, or Publisher. Microsoft Word is the program used in these photo examples. Also open the pictures of your flower arrangements, either by viewing them on your website or in the “my pictures” folder of your computer.

There are two easy ways to upload photos to a Word document:  dragging and inserting. Whether you choose to add text or photos first, you may upload photos by dragging or inserting at any time. You may also rearrange the order and placement of the photos at any time.

This is what you will see when dragging files from a website or “my pictures” folder to a document program. The mirror image automatically appears to let you know that the photo is moving. It will disappear once it reaches the document program until you release the mouse button.

Dragging A Photo

To drag photos into your document from your “my pictures” file or from your website:

• select the photo that you would like to use by clicking on it once
• click and hold the mouse button while dragging the photo to the document program
• note:  you may drag the photo to the document tab at the menu bar on the bottom of the screen OR drag the photo into the open document program

This is what you will see when inserting files from your computer into a Microsoft Word document.

Inserting A Photo Using Microsoft Word

To insert your photo into the document using the document program:

• click “insert” on the menu toolbar of the document program
• hold the mouse over “picture” until a sidebar menu pops up
• click “from file”
• find the file in your documents (usually in “my pictures”)
• double click the file OR single click the file and click insert under the picture preview button

The next step toward completing your direct mailer is to add pricing and contact information. The included information is up to you. Most customers will want to know the regular price and the promotional price. However, the only necessary inclusions are your contact information (name, phone number, address, email address, website URL) and promotional deal information.

Create the backside of the mailer by continuing to a new page inside the document program. Here you will place the information that will be seen before the mailer is opened. This can include just the return address information or promotional information for each “fold” of the mailer. Add this information in the same way as before.

Example Mailer --- Inside

Example Mailer --- Outside

Now your direct mailer is ready for the printer!

Flower Shop Network is continually searching for new and creative ways to further develop a community of florists and flower buyers. Presence on social networking sites such as the Flower Shop Network myspace.com profile, FSN facebook.com page, and others is helping Flower Shop Network and friends build relationships with other fascinating people with a love for beautiful flowers. Many of our Flower Shop Network friends have joined us on the social networking site Myspace.

One of the best things about social networking sites is that these sites enable users to interact with friends, family and acquaintances across the country and even the world. Florists continue to use social networking sites to showcase premium designs, contact other florists, and post contact information for other users. In this way, the florist’s profile becomes a high-tech billboard but with a much greater amount of information. Just look at these Flower Shop Network members that decided to get the word out via Myspace.com.

Live large with flower arrangements from Apple Blossoms Floral Design.

Scott Darhower of Apple Blossoms Floral Design is one of the premier Tampa, Florida florists. Having worked with flowers and floral design for more than 25 years, Scott is ahead of the game with creative flower arrangements, gift baskets, and even interior decorating skills that set apart every customer’s special event. Just as the website boasts, look to Apple Blossoms Floral Design for “designs for a lifetime…one seed at a time.”

PJs Flowers turns life’s lemons into…flower arrangements!

PJ’s Flowers and Events sets the bar for great flower arrangements and an eco-friendly mindset in Phoenix, Arizona. Florists are easy to find in Phoenix but PJ’s Flowers and Events goes above and beyond to ensure a quality customer experience. The team at PJ’s deliver unique and beautiful flowers to Phoenix and Maricopa County. Don’t believe me? Sneak a peek at the citrus collection, western styled gift baskets and more. Better still, if your conscience has you going green this year, trust the team at PJ’s Flowers and Events to go the extra mile for you and for our planet.

Life is beautiful with flowers from The Plant Bazaar!

The Plant Bazaar applies creativity to more than just their name. A full-service florist in Westborough, Massachusetts, you can’t go wrong with the 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. Although, with more than 24 years experience in the floral industry it’s unlikely that such a guarantee would ever be tested. The premium quality floral designs offered at The Plant Bazaar have customers walking out of the flower shop grinning. Delivering flowers with a smile, the great people at The Plant Bazaar take customer service to a new high.

Everyone loves pretty pink and purple flowers from Floratique.

Mountain View, California florists are well aware of the colorful designs and quality fresh flowers delivered from Floratique. Serving a vast local area that spans four counties, Floratique is a well-known fixture in the Mountain View area. Enthusiasm and creativity are written all over the faces of the team at Floratique who works—though this much fun is almost playing—to make each experience as much about their customers as possible.

It’s time for Vibrant Violets from Piccadilly’s Flower Shoppe.

When searching for Burnsville, West Virginia florists, look no further than Piccadilly’s Flower Shoppe. One of my personal favorites, it is hard to find a sweeter disposition on any florist in the quaint Southern town. Don’t let the size of the town fool you. This flower shop boasts “small town personal touches with the floral experience of major cities.” For great gifts and masterful flower arrangements, call on Piccadilly’s!

It’s hardly news to anyone that prom remains one of the biggest events in a teenager’s life. These young adults, with their mass of disposable income, spend months planning the perfect evening for themselves and their prom dates. To them, prom would be incomplete without the perfect dress or tuxedo, shoes, hair, ride, and matching corsages and boutonnières. This is where the florist can make the difference between fancy trimming and shabby accessories.

Florists often pass on prom business while many realize this sudden inward cash flow to be a profitable staple from year-to-year. The March 2008 issue of Floral Management includes an article that showcases some of the reasons florists may want to reconsider this youthful venture. Teenagers still have extreme purchasing power and choose to spend a hefty chunk of it on prom and homecoming. Being the chosen local florist is not only a profitable honor in that year but for the remainder of that teenager’s life. Taking the time to nurture the desires of your young customer will bring him or her back for their wedding, birthday, anniversary, and other floral needs.

Now that you are assuredly on the prom flowers bandwagon, here are some tips for making this prom season a big hit.

• Be prepared! Phone a contact inside the local schools for the event dates, colors and themes, and other things that may make preparing easier.
• Get a head start! Take advantage of a spring event by ordering accessories and gift ideas in the summer or early winter.
• Make the most of the Internet! This generation’s prom goers are increasingly tech-savvy. Most are more comfortable shopping online initially. This is a convenient trend as it reduces many costs to the florist including manpower and sales tracking.
• Spice it up! Proms and prom attendants are now decorated to the hilt with lavish colors, sequins, glitter, boas, anklets, jewelry, and other accessories to make every vision of the evening a creative statement about themselves.
• Show off your ideas! Let your customers see a line of possibilities first then sell a more personalized version if necessary. Be creative! Make it fun!
• Get your customer involved! A popular practice among florists is to let the females bring in their dresses to get a better match or to test different ideas.
• Get to know formal wear and dress shop owners! An alliance with local dress shop owners is a fabulous way to get your name known. The customers are already in prom shopping mode and reminding them about their need for prom flowers while in the store can’t be beaten as the way to stand out.

When attracting prom customers be sure to capitalize on word of mouth. Parents, siblings, neighbors, and friends have a huge impact on who the teenager is likely to choose. You’re likely already the best around so let them know! Also, great tips for targeting young people in your area may come from the same people that give you the color scheme, themes, and dates of the proms. These people are sure to know where these young people hang out and where they’re going for their prom needs. Now you’re ready to take center stage as the go-to florist for prom and homecoming needs!