With COVID-19 cases on the rise in some areas of the country, already high anxiety levels are inching up even more. That means it’s a good time to remind customers and potential partners in your community about the best practices you’ve put in place to help safeguard health while providing floral products and services that provide needed comfort and joy.
Amy George, owner of By George Communications, recently shared in an Inc.com story that major corporations have been highlighting their new protocols in splashy TV ads and online campaigns — but it doesn’t take a big budget for small-business owners to follow suit.
Among George’s tips:
Head to LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an ideal space to flaunt new services and practices. “Early in the pandemic, a past client of mine who is an executive communication coach reached out asking for help promoting a new service,” George explained. “He was rolling out a virtual service aimed specifically at helping business leaders learn how to pivot — how to lead their teams and organizations through challenging times and from afar. I helped him with his microsite and built a LinkedIn showcase page, also called an affiliate page, exclusively for this new service.” George added that Procter & Gamble has a showcase page for its Gillette brand — and her own small consulting firm has one for her specific social media services. Florists could consider such pages for any new services, including virtual workshops or at-home kits.
To create an affiliate sub-page, go to “Admin Tools” from your business profile and select “Create a Showcase Page.” During the recent Society of American Florists Reignite Your Business webinar series, sponsored by Teleflora, fourth-generation florist Jackie Levine of Central Square Florist in Cambridge, Massachusetts, also offered industry-specific tips on how to better use LinkedIn during the pandemic. Watch her webinar today.
‘Overshare’ Your Key Messages. Consider the suite of new and revised services you offer today that you might not have promoted back in March: curbside pick-up, contact-free delivery, pandemic-themed pick-me-up baskets and crates. Not to mention the diligent cleaning and sanitation efforts you and your team are engaged in, or the health measures you’ve put in place to protect staff and customers. Those efforts need to be shared — and shared again, George wrote.
“Maybe you’ve been meaning to write — or have someone else write for you — a company newsletter, blog, e-mail, social-media posts, or LinkedIn articles,” she explained. “Get on it. You have brand new material and a ready excuse to share your subject matter expertise. Let people —customers and prospective clients — know what’s you’re up to, what’s on your mind, and how you can help them.”
Now is the time to find or make the time to write about what you do, what you know, and how you are helping other businesses or consumers during this tough time.”
Read more of George’s tips.
Find out how some floral industry members are implementing and communicating best practices in Floral Management magazine.
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management magazine.
