Happy Valentine's Day from iBuyFlowers!

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at iBuyflowers.com! 

Congratulations - you did it - you survived, without a doubt, one of the busiest times of the year for florists and event planners around the world.

We’ve LOVED seeing what you’ve been up to this season - please continue to tag us at @iBuyFlowers on instagram!

Courtesy of @velvetmesquitedesigns

Courtesy of Garden Girl Flowers

Courtesy of @fleurs_d_or_boutique

Courtesy of @eclectic.blooms 

After taking a much-needed breath of fresh air, it’s time to ramp up for Spring and make the season more profitable than ever for your business!

We’ve put together some actionable advice you can use as you wind down from Valentine’s Day and pivot into Spring.

Courtesy of @eclectic.blooms 

1-Practice some self-care. Although it may not be realistic to take a long vacation, there are still ways you can decompress and prepare yourself for the next phase of your year. Take a “staycation” - even if it’s just for a day! Do what makes you happy - spend time outdoors, pick up a new book, enjoy a meal at your favorite restaurant and hang out with the people in your life that make you happy. Before you can prepare yourself and your business for the next phase of your year, it’s important to relax and recharge!

2-Thank your team. Don’t forget the team members who helped make Valentine’s Day a success! Sing their praises and express your appreciation and gratitude - it’s also a great idea to take your team out to a meal and/or give small perks or gifts. A little bit goes a long way, and your team members will truly appreciate the gestures!

3-Review and recap. Before launching head-first into Spring and Mother’s Day, make sure you take the time to take note of how Valentine’s Day went. Ask yourself - and your team - for insights. What went well? What went wrong? What takeaways can be used to make the rest of the year a success? Take detailed notes and consult data to build your game plan for Springtime, Mother’s Day, and beyond.

4-Get ready for Spring. With Mother’s Day, Easter, Passover, Administrative Appreciation Week and all the other floral holidays that are right around the corner, it’s a good idea to use this time wisely to plan and pivot wisely. Consult historical sales data, floral trends, product popularity and lessons learned from other holidays - and, most importantly, what your customers like and demand - to make sure you are prepared for what’s next. Use this important information to plan accordingly for timelines, inventory, staffing, promotions, budget and more. What does your business do well? What needs to be improved? Also, consider new opportunities that you may not have thought about before.

5-Communicate with your customers. Do you have any regular customers who you consider to be your VIPs? Have you gathered new customers’ contact info, but are not sure what to do with that info? When it comes to lifetime value, it’s important to express your appreciation and gratitude to your most valuable customers. Offer a small discount, along with a nice thank you note. On the flip-side, use customers’ email info to create simple marketing plans. You don’t need to spend money on a marketing professional to put an effective email marketing strategy in place.  It’s a very cost-effective tool to nurture your existing customer base. Many email marketing platforms, like Mailchimp, make it easy to create effective email campaigns. Take a look at the service’s knowledge base, FAQs, and take advantage of any complimentary consultation that many of these services offer.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Give yourself a much-deserved pat on the back. We hope we’ve given you helpful tips on how to use this time wisely to get yourself ready for Spring!