Jordan Hall of Palm Spring Florist in California shares his playbook for better marketing.
Only 13 percent of family-owned businesses make it to the third generation, according to the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University — and Palm Springs Florist in California falls into that category. Jordan Hall, third generation owner/operator of the 76 year-old business, rejoined the family business in 2008. He’s featured in the May/June issue of Floral Management.
Jordan Hall of Palm Spring Florists
“My dad said bringing me back into the family business is the greatest decision he ever made as a business owner,” Hall says. But it wasn’t easy for him. “It was really hard for me to get back into the business side and understand how it worked. There are so many moving pieces.”
Hall’s persistence paid off, with the shop’s profits trending upward after he embraced a leadership role. His strategies haven’t been without failures. “Failure is okay, as long as you fail fast, pivot and try something else.” His tips for success include ideas any florist could adopt.
Invest in Your Website
“Taking control of the website unlocked so many potential possibilities and moved us away from the cookie cutter set up that so many florists use,” Hall says.
One area of the website Hall targeted was taking photos of designs the team created, instead of relying on stock photos of arrangements. “One of the hardest things for a florist to do is to get their unique style and brand in front of customers,” Hall shares. “A website is one of the best ways to do that.”
An iPhone and a 48-inch light box bought online for about $200 makes photography easy. “We put the arrangement in the box, take the photo and adjust the colors if needed,” Hall says. “But you don’t want to adjust too heavily — you want the photo to be what people receive.”
Practice makes perfect, and professional looking images are the result. The florist now promotes its own designs and products. “We’ll sell 20 of what we make for every one or two that is a stock photo from other vendors. The sell-through is fantastic,” Hall says. “There’s no money coming off the top of every order anymore — it all goes to us.”
Pursue Marketing
“Google builds a beautiful highway — they have 98% of the market in terms of search,” Hall says. “If you want to drive on that highway, you need to pay the toll. Online marketing through Google can be immensely beneficial if done correctly.” Doing so relies on knowing how to leverage what Google has built.
Hall found the guidance he needed during his annual trip to the Wedding Merchants Business Academy in Las Vegas. “The last place I’d expect to find advertising help is at a wedding convention,” he says. “But now I couldn’t imagine spending marketing money without having this individual involved. He’s been instrumental in ramping up our website sales. It’s been a great return on investment for us.”
Court Reviews
Palm Springs Florist spends a lot of time and effort on customer reviews. “Focusing on collecting and curating good reviews on a daily basis can be immensely beneficial, especially in competitive markets,” Hall says. “In our area, if you Google florists, three or four pop up. We have over 600 reviews compared to the next business, which has 50. Potential customers can be influenced by who has the most and best reviews.”
To gather reviews, the shop includes an ask on everything customers receive — delivery confirmation, invoice, thank you emails, etc. “Reviews are very hard to come by, but they’re extremely valuable financially and are an absolute labor of love,” Hall says. “For any florist looking to increase their bottom line, it should be a focus.”
To learn more about Jordan Hall, read the Talent column in the May/June issue of Floral Management.
Julie Martens Forney is a contributing writer for Floral Management.