Your busy days come on a calendar: Valentine's, Mother's Day, prom, wedding season. Sympathy orders come with no warning at all. The weeks in between can go quiet. My take: market ahead of the calendar, and build the two kinds of work that don't spike: weddings and standing weekly accounts.
You know the big days. The question is whether your customers hear from you early enough. My take: start Valentine's posts in January and Mother's Day posts in April. Run pre-orders with a real deadline (“order by the 10th”) so the planners order early and the rush gets calmer. Only promise a delivery date you can keep. Between holidays, sell the everyday reasons: birthdays, sorry, just because. Post this week's real arrangements, shot simply in natural light, when you make them.
My take: holidays pay the rent, but weddings and standing accounts keep the slow weeks busy. For weddings, have a page with your real work and honest starting prices, get to know local planners and venues, and answer inquiries fast. A couple who waits days for a reply may book someone else. For standing accounts, think restaurants, hotels, offices and churches that want fresh flowers every week. That income doesn't depend on any app showing your posts. A short letter and a sample arrangement dropped off at ten local businesses can beat a month of boosted posts.
Keep your Google Business Profile current: fresh photos and correct hours, including holiday hours. Google says complete, accurate info makes you more likely to show up in local results (Google Business Profile Help), and suggests confirming your hours for holidays even when they don't change (Google: special hours). Then a simple site with your delivery areas, order cutoff times and price ranges written as plain text. Someone ordering sympathy flowers wants answers fast, so put them on the first screen. If it's written down clearly, Google and AI tools have something to read. What to skip, my take: building your shop around wire-service orders. Push direct orders instead (“order from us directly, no middleman”).
My take: show that your flowers are fresh. Post this week's real arrangements on your Google profile and social. Start holiday pre-orders early with a clear deadline. And ask people to order from you directly instead of through a wire service.
Don't fight on price. Fight on the moment. The grocery store sells a bunch. You sell “this will make her cry at her desk.” Your design, your delivery and the card message are the product. Market the moments, not the stems.
My take: often yes. Weddings are bigger orders, booked months ahead, and they build your portfolio. The keys: post honest starting prices so the wrong-budget inquiries filter themselves out, get to know planners and venues, and answer new inquiries the same day when you can.
Carefully. Wire services can bring orders, so check what each order costs you in fees and dues before you sign. My take: market direct ordering in your town and treat wire orders as extra, not your main source.
Not sure if people searching for a florist in your town can find yours? Email alejandro@ojedaworks.com and I'll check for free.
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