Christine Brown, FSMD, is partnering with a local photographer to host stylized shoots in her shop.
Credit Jerry, Christina Brown’s 7-month-old son, with inspiring her latest promotional idea.
Brown, FSMD, the owner of Roses are Red Florist in Indiatlantic, Florida, knows firsthand parents’ desire to capture cute moments with their little bundles of joy. That understanding drove her to contact a photographer friend about the possibility of hosting shoots in her flower shop.
“I saw on Facebook that she’d been very busy taking photos of kids in the local pumpkin patch,” Brown said. “I asked if she thought people would be interested in having professional photos taken in front of our flowers. She was super enthusiastic and said that was something unique and different.”
Throughout the month, Brown will extend shop hours an hour or two for the photo shoots. She’s created a simple display with burlap, ivory lace and chrysanthemums in tin buckets and will have flower halos available for kids to wear.
“Everything will be reusable, so my costs are negligible,” Brown said.
She’s splitting profits with the photographer 50/50. The price of a shoot is $40.
Additionally, Brown will send moms home with goodie bags that include coupons to a local bakery and baby store, as well as a punch card good for a free flower each month.
“My goal is solely to get feet in the door,” Brown said, adding that her profit from the shoot should just about cover the cost of the punch card. “That’s totally fine with me though, because the lifetime value of a new customer far exceeds the price of 12 flowers! I suspect there will be a good payoff down the road, though it will be hard to quantify.”
In early November, Brown created a Facebook event using a sample photo starring Jerry and the photographer’s daughter. “I also paid for my first Facebook ad,” she said. “It was great—I could target mothers with kids age 5 or younger.”
So far, about a third of the spots are filled.
“If it turns out to be a success, we plan to do this again for Easter,” Brown said. “We’ll pose the kids in front of lilies and tulips.”
