All Ships Rise Together When the Tide is UP

I genuinely enjoy nearly every aspect of my job, but without a doubt, the most satisfying part is helping fellow business owners reach their goals and live their dreams. Not only does it take a lot of hard work to get there but it helps tremendously to have good support.

One thing that almost every successful small business owner I’ve ever met has in common is a tremendously strong work ethic. It goes with the territory because running a business isn’t an easy endeavor. We all work hard, but what are our actual efforts producing? If your website sales are not up, I would like to hear from you!

Many agencies like to talk about how much everyone is gaining traffic and sales on their website but the truth is that everyone’s website traffic and sales are increasing every month. The question is, how much of that growth is from your efforts and how much of it is from Google Pay Per Click?

As long as you have standard SEO maintenance, you should expect to be up strong. Google PPC should be analyzed separately so you can actually see what you spend and convert. This will help direct your attention to what your actual efforts are producing in 2019 and it will also show where you could use some help.

In today’s digital marketplace, if you’re not advertising on Google, then you’re likely suffering from a lack of exposure in your local market. Word of mouth is fantastic, but its offline reach is limited and even one bad experience could turn a longtime loyal customer into one that says, “they’ve gone downhill, they’re not as good as they used to be.”

Today’s consumers aren’t as loyal as the ones from a generation ago. They have less tolerance for errors and a world of alternative options ready at their fingertips the moment you lose their trust. They also tend to favor recent online ratings and reviews when choosing a business over how long it has been open or how entrenched it is in the community.

You are doing yourself a big disservice if you choose to ignore those customers, but the good news is that you can reach them instantly when you start advertising with Google. Not only will your shop be one of the first things they see when they search but they’ll be able to learn a lot about you in an instant including directions to your front door.

2019 is off to a great start, but it can end much better if we all work together! If you don’t have a presence on Google, now is the time to join us on the most visible advertising platform in the world.

-Art

If you would like to get started with Google Pay Per Click marketing, we're here to help! Our team of experienced agents will work with you - at any budget - to make sure you achieve the results you desire! If you're brand new to Google AdWords, or any other online marketing platforms, I'll be happy to talk with you at any time to explain how they work successfully. Please drop me a line here or call me anytime at (941) 806-1911.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Customers!

Now that summer vacations are wrapping up, kids are heading back to school, and our lean summer sales months are almost behind us, we can finally focus on the upcoming holidays and ending 2019 with a bang!

Several clients have asked for the Bloomerang Solutions Customer Retention Program to keep staff occupied and cleaning up your database, you can learn more about that here. It's a terrific way to recognize and revitalize accounts that were once active but have not had recent activity.

The Customer Retention Program also helps obtain valuable feedback regarding whether or not we exceeded our customer's expectations. It really is an excellent way to clean up your account database so you can start from a clean list when you start marketing for the holidays.

Also, be sure to keep in mind that now is the perfect time to review your offerings on your website to make sure everything is up-to-date and accurate. It’s also a great time of year to explore other opportunities that are readily available to help improve your business - like your rewards program and Helping Hands.

Helping Hands

With back-to-school activities heating up, now is the time to talk to local elementary schools about your Helping Hands program which gives money back to their school with every designated order. It’s simple to set up and it offers a fair alternative for supporting local schools and charities.

Helping Hands is free for you to join and easy to implement. Best of all, it does not require much attention once you get it set up. Orders are tracked, and donation checks are sent directly to the treasurer at the beginning of every quarter. The organization then has full control of these funds for charities, equipment, education or any specific goal decided upon by its members.

Most of you are already using this fantastic service, but if not, I highly encourage you to take a closer look and consider implementing it in your shop. Please let us know if you are interested and we will get you set up right away.

Some additional thoughts…

Now is the time of year when many of you will be seeing your Yellow Page reps appearing again. If you’re still advertising in the Yellow Pages and are still having success there, then by all means, keep at it! However, if you’re not seeing the results you expect with print advertising or are simply ready to take your advertising to the next level, I urge you to take a look at advertising online with Google.

The benefits of Google Pay-Per-Click advertising over traditional print advertising are so obvious that I can’t think of a single reason not to give it a try if you half not already. You set your own budget and target your own audience by specifying your own demographics. The biggest difference is that instead of paying for an ad in a book that less and less people are using every year, you’re now targeting likely leads through their own phones and computers – and you only pay when they click on your ad!

I’ve been advertising on Google for over 20 years and have not discovered a better or more efficient way reach customers who are trying to find you. I will be happy to get you set up and I guarantee that you’ll be pleased with the results.

I hope you all had a wonderful summer and are ready to get back to work! This is one of the most exciting times of the year to be a florist, and the choices you make now can set you up for success the rest of the year. As always, I’m here to help with advice and expertise to help guide you the rest of the way. Give me a call today or drop me a line here and let me know how I can help! I can’t wait to talk shop with you and help you make this year your best yet!

Art

Make the Choice to Stop Holding Yourself Back

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to not have any competition? You could just open your doors every morning and wait for customers to start rolling through. Unfortunately, you do have competition – and lots of it. Yet many shops are still just sitting back and waiting!

The way I see it, we as business owners have two choices:

1. You can either wait for customers, hoping they find you or:

2. You can figure out where your customers are going and BE THERE with a reason to buy from you!

You see, today 1-800-Flowers has set the bar for retailing in the floral industry. In my opinion, they do it best because they partner with name brands while building and using cutting-edge technology to connect with their customers.

Let’s face it, if there is a way to reach out and touch a customer or potential customer, 1-800-Flowers are doing it. Like them or not, you can’t overlook the experience – it’s all there.

So many consumers are let down and we as retail florists know that. When you fill their order and do it as well as you are capable of (which you should), you make their brand better. So the question is this…

WHY AREN’T YOU DOING IT FOR YOURSELF TOO?

There are no more excuses. Boomerang Solutions has EVERYTHING you need and can put you in touch with everything necessary to go out and get the business for yourself.

Here is a recent testimonial we received from Don Hotton of Jory’s in California:

“I fill a lot of orders and am happy to do so, but when I look around and see everywhere the big senders are, I realized I was not. I reached out to Art and the Boomerang team and next thing I know is my credit card and online transactions are growing along with profitability.”

We have many of those stories and I am personally glad to hear this. Just like you, I was getting frustrated over 10 years ago and realized, ‘if they could do it, so could I.’ I created a company called Beneva Solutions which has evolved into Boomerang Solutions.

Why the name change? The simple answer is retention. We focus so much on keeping customers coming back that we needed a better identity than one that was primarily known for just growing and getting orders. Our renewed focus is to keep your customers coming back, and we feel this new identity better reflects our service to our clients. From Pay-Per-Click to Surveys; you must measure all that you do especially when you invest in systems like we offer.

I’ll share a funny story with you before cutting this short…

A florist once came up to me and said they would like to try my services. They told me they only spend $20 a day on Pay-Per-Click advertising. The also said the person they currently used to help them ensured that they won’t let them spend more by turning them off when they reach their limit. I can’t help but laugh, though at the same time I feel sad.

I’ll explain. PPC is not like a traditional newspaper ad where you see it while reading the paper. You see, people searching to make a purchase are looking for YOU. It’s my job to get you front and center affordably. So if someone is looking to make a purchase, wouldn’t you want to be there, and if you are, shouldn’t you expect sales?

Think about it like this…

If your ad is costing you $20 and it gets turned off, why would you ever even turn it on? On the other hand, if your $20 ads brought you $80-100 worth of sales, why would you ever turn it off?

There is a very good reason why our slogan is “The Digital Advantage.” Call us anytime, we love sharing with others how we can help you take this industry back one order at a time. Boomerang Solutions helps you make it easy for your customers to shop LOCAL and shop with YOU!

-Art

Don't Say No. Say Yes We Can!

In today’s crowded retail market, consumers expect more than ever before. They’re smarter, they have more choices, and they demand better experiences than they may have tolerated in the past. With so many options available at the touch of a button, consumers aren’t shy about searching for something new if their satisfaction isn’t met.

This isn’t necessarily bad news for retailers, but it does require some work and a renewed focus on customer service. Reputation alone isn’t enough anymore, and low prices are great for getting customers in the door, but it won’t bring them back if the service and experience fail to meet expectations.

One thing we can control is customer service

There are obviously some areas where we can’t compete with the companies who ship flowers in boxes, but we can certainly refocus on areas where we do excel, starting with outstanding customer service.

In order to achieve outstanding service, we need to take a “YES WE CAN” approach to every transaction. We need a change in our industry. We need some fresh air. We need to understand people chose to buy flowers – they don’t have to buy flowers.

The goal of exceptional customer service is to answer every question with a positive option. The word “NO” must be removed from the conversation and instead replaced with options. Let the consumer decide where to draw the line by choosing how far they’re willing to go to get their need fulfilled instead of being told it is impossible under any circumstances.

Flowers at midnight?

Beneva Flowers delivered 24 hours a day. If you ordered after 4 p.m., it was an additional $10 on top of the regular delivery fee. If you ordered after 6 p.m., it was an additional $20. If you order after 8 p.m., it was an additional $50. If you ordered after midnight, an additional $100. Obviously at those rates you weren’t going to be making a lot of midnight deliveries, but you we’re still giving customers the option.

Why would you tell your customer “no” if they’re willing to pay the price? Ask a driver if they would deliver for those rates during those hours – you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Attitude is everything

Today’s savvy customers don’t want a rubber stamp one-size-fits-all fix to their problem, they want someone to see it their way and work with them to find a solution. No one expects this service for free. Name your price, but take a moment to improve your menu of offerings.

Great customer service takes understanding and awareness of their thoughts and feelings. In order to empathize with customers, we need to understand their emotions.

Take the time to listen with the mindset of making it right with a “YES WE CAN” attitude. If the customer takes the time to voice an opinion, we should take the time to listen and do everything we can to exceed their expectations. That’s what great customer service is all about.

–Art

Why Your Online Reputation Is More Important Than You Realize

Years ago (okay, over 15 years ago…yikes!), I was singing the praises of pay-per-click marketing. By the time the industry got a grasp on it, we had already evolved into social media marketing. What does that mean? Is it simply putting up a Facebook or Yelp page and getting “likes” or reviews? It may seem like everything you do online is nothing more just an extra expense, but in reality, that’s the farthest thing from the truth.

Tech marketing is not about “wait and see” – it’s about acting NOW and acting FASTER. People know how valuable their time is today. If you’re going to capture their time and attention, you need to give them a reason to want to be captured. It wasn’t too long ago when people didn’t mind giving out an email address – now they have junk email accounts set up just for marketers. Consumers have gotten smarter, the question is: “what are we doing to improve?”

The Evolution of Social Media

We’ve reached a point where social media is no longer just a toy for businesses to experiment with, but rather an essential element of day-to-day operations. No matter how large or small the company, I recommend that everyone have a dedicated team handle your social channels. Technology evolves so fast that every single day we’re sitting on the cusp of something new.

There is no such thing as waiting for it to all be figured out before you get started. If you don’t already at least have a solid social media presence, you’re way behind and have some work to do to catch up. The longer you put it off, the harder it is to catch up to your competition.

Consumers want to know everything they can about you these days, prior to making their purchasing decisions. They’re valuable and they know it, so just answering the phone isn’t enough. They want to be treated like gold, and if not, the rest of the world will hear about it.

A Partner You Can Trust

I’ve spent my entire career as a small business owner. I understand the struggles firsthand and I know that financial restraints often limit growth potential – especially when technology is involved. In most cases it just isn’t practical to pull your floral designers away from designing to work on marketing. Even if that were possible, you’re asking them to do a job that is probably well out of their scope of expertise.

That’s where Bloomerang Solutions fits in. Our dedicated team of online marketing professionals combine decades of experience with my 30 plus years of floral retailing knowledge to provide you with a unique resource that simply does not exist anywhere else in our industry. What sets us apart from everyone else is that we know the industry inside and out, and our marketing strategies have proven to be successful for florists across the country.

Partnering with companies that understand your business and work hard to not only get you where you want to be – but more importantly, ahead of where you think you need to be – are the partners you want to be in business with.

PLEASE take a minute to read this very informative article about online reputation and the damage you may be causing your business by neglecting your social media platforms. It paints a very real picture of the importance of social media to today’s business owners.

How ignoring online reputation can destroy your PPC campaign

Please let me know what you think of the article. I’ll be happy to discuss it with you and I would love to hear your thoughts and goals for your online reputation. Together we can form some custom strategies to help you achieve success. We’re here to help!

-Art