 Chances are you may not read this newsletter until Monday—and probably late Monday as you work to tie up loose ends that may have come undone as you juggled your many Mother’s Day responsibilities.
By that time, we should have a pretty good idea of how consumers feel about their Mother’s Day deliveries—or lack thereof. We obviously don’t want to see customers disappointed—no matter who is at fault—so consider taking a few minutes to go on Facebook or other social networking sites to review customers’ comments. Then, offer some words of encouragement to those with frustrating experiences.
Consumers don’t understand why ordering from the OGs is a problem, so use the opportunity to educate them via a friendly explanation. They already will be lambasting the OGs, so no need to add your own criticism (no matter how justified you feel). Instead, try to show consumers how helpful and supportive the floral industry is to their needs—and make sure they realize that these negative experiences shouldn’t reflect on the industry as a whole.
Use Facebook to Benefit Your Business
If you’re like many florists, you have a Facebook page with the intent of attracting and interacting with customers. But there is a right way and a wrong way to pursue those goals.
In a recent article on Ad Age Digital, author Matt Creamer gives insight as to what those ways are based on new data directly from Facebook. Click on the link to read the full article, but following are the highlights:
- Talk about your shop. The biggest predictors of engagement with fans were posts on topic to the brand. Take away: Tie your posts into your shop’s activities in some relevant way.
- Post non-brand messages, but don’t expect them to impact your engagement with customers in any measurable way. Take away: Limit all those status updates on your Angry Birds high score.
- Ask people to like a post, and they will. Take away: People follow suggestions. But be judicious in how often you use this tactic. Don’t ask them to like every post.
- Work to get more shares. They are more important than likes because shares send your post into your fans’ Timelines for all of their friends to see. Take away: Focus on posting messages that will truly get fans’ interest and appreciation, and the shares will come naturally.
- Upload videos and photos. They get the most shares of any message you post. Take away: Add photos of your show-stopping, breathtaking arrangements, bridal bouquets and centerpieces. Fans love to share images of beauty.
- Ask questions and you’ll increase comments, but you won’t increase likes or shares. Take away: Comments are key indicator you are connecting with fans, but don’t expect that interaction to result in the same engagement that other posts might.
- Pay attention to the questions you ask. Fans are more willing to comment when asked a question that begins with “where,” when,” “would” and “should.” But avoid asking “why” questions. They have the lowest like and comment rates and may be seen as intrusive or challenging. Take away: Ask questions that let fans know you are truly interested in their opinions without making a prejudgment of their responses.
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