Do You Charge a Re-Delivery Fee?

As retail florists, one of our greatest strengths is our ability to deliver the same day, it’s what sets us apart from the supermarket down the street.

Re-delivery fees are not a new concept, yet as an industry, we seem divided on the subject. Shops are typically either all for them, or completely against them, claiming customers need to know the final cost at the time of purchase.

The average profitability for a retail florist is about 10% and in most cases shops don’t generate a profit on delivery. The average delivery service is typically a loss when we discount it to $10 because average cost is $16.95. These types of numbers don't allow us the luxury of giving away services that cost us money - so then why are we doing it?

Does This Happen In Your Shop?

A customer calls or visits and makes a purchase of a product you decided has a value. They ask for a balloon, so you charge for the balloon. They ask for a teddy bear, so you charge for the teddy bear. All is good and the customer is getting what they want.

Now, they ask for delivery and give you the address. You look it up and charge the appropriate fee depending on where it is to be delivered.

Then it begins…

Your driver goes to the customer's confirmed address and the recipient is either not there, or the address given was wrong, so your driver returns to the shop with flowers still in hand. Your designer then has to re-cut the flowers and change the water as your customer service rep notifies your customer. All of this effort takes time in which we are paying staff and incurring additional expenses which is not our fault.

At this point haven’t you performed the actions requested of you?

Do you now let the customer know the flowers are back at the shop and ask if they would like to pick them up, OR do you ask if they would like to have another delivery made?

Will this second delivery attempt not cost you revenue and continue to chip away at the little margin you have? Maybe you should ask for the proper fee for this additional service they are requesting of you? As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to keep your shop profitable.

How to Ask For The Re-Delivery Fee:

Hello (Mrs. Doe), my name is (Bob) calling from (Your Flower Shop) about the order you requested we deliver to (Jane Doe). After arriving at the address you gave, we found out that she no longer lives there. We had to bring the flowers back and are now calling to make you aware. Would you like to pick up the flowers you ordered or would you like for us to arrange for a new delivery?

Remember, the customer ordered these flowers and the responsibility to pay for them is theirs. We attempted a delivery and the recipient is no longer where we were requested to go - this is not a fault of yours. The customer is responsible for the $50 bouquet and we are trying to help get it delivered.

They paid us to deliver a gift from our shop to a specified location. If this is not possible, who should be responsible? We need to remember we provide services and maybe we gave away this second delivery before, but should we continue to do so? The choice is yours.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

-Art

Understanding the Difference Between Mobile Marketing and Protecting Your Name

The most common question I get when discussing pay per click is "Why would I pay for my own name, they are obviously looking for me, right?"

Although it sounds pretty straightforward, take a look and see for yourself just how confusing it can be even if you know exactly what you're looking for.

I was just looking for Sea Tow and look who slipped in with what is called a Mobile Ad. It looks like an extension of the Sea Tow listing - but it isn’t! I have to admit, it was very well done and almost got me, and I know what I'm looking for.

Now, keep in mind this ad is one you may have trouble duplicating when you get home because it is a Call Only ad and it will only show when the search is on a mobile device. So, you can see how smooth and easy this can happen. In most cases, the person looking doesn’t know what happened and they can never explain it to you if you were lucky enough to speak with someone who saw it happening.

Bidding on your own name is relatively inexpensive. It helps secure the search result between you and your customer and also improves your Quality Score because it has such a high CTR (click-through rate). The lower your click-through rate, the lower your charge per click will be from Google. They truly reward you for this!

Do you notice how the Sea Tow appears below Flagship Towing and seems to look like it is all the same ad? Their ad was for a general listing so the phone number is not paramount.

The more knowledge, the better, and for this I recommend you consider us or another professional to justify your investment and speak to the results you have achieved. I like to cut and paste raw data, explain it to my clients, then compare results to the same period the year before so they can easily see what Google says. I don’t like fancy Excel spreadsheets where you can easily confuse a client.

You see, to build a successful account you must continuously maintain the strategy you build. It will slip and require attention, but this is how you maintain a successful campaign. Attracting clients is one thing, but growing profitable business is another, so you can see why simply selecting keywords is just not even close to the focus.

If your online marketing efforts need some help, Bloomerang Solutions may be just the answer you're looking for. We specialize in promoting small business and giving them the digital advantage they need to thrive in today's competitive marketplace. Give us a call today at (941) 806-1911 or drop us a line here. Together we can make your business bloom!

Google AdWords: Should You Outsource or Keep It In-House?

When it comes to advertising with Google AdWords, the first decision you need to make is deciding on a budget. One of the best things about Google AdWords is that it can be effective for nearly every business, big or small. You can set the ad spend where you’re comfortable and rest assured that you will never go over your budget.

Sounds, simple, right? Well, at first glance it may look simple and Google does a terrific job of walking you through things. You can also find a lot of online resources and YouTube videos explaining the process. The problem that most people encounter at this point, however, it information overload.

That brings us to the second big decision you’ll need to make - whether to do it yourself, or hire someone with some experience to do it for you. This may sound like a difficult decision, but when you consider that your business - and your money - is on the line, the answer becomes very clear.

Consider this: if your total spends in a month is $10,000 and the cost of keeping a full time-team to take care of it is $2,000 and the outsourcing company only takes a fee plus 10% of the total spends ($1000), it will save you time as well as money to outsource.

But, if the costs are nearly equal, it might be advantageous for you to do it in-house because you will have more control and the experiments will run faster if you have a qualified individual or team to manage it and keep up with all the updates and strategies.

Experience is key

We recommend outsourcing for most small business-owners. This is especially true if they don't have any prior online advertising experience. While Google does make it simple to get started with AdWords, the complexity increases rather quickly.

They say ‘practice makes perfect,’ but if you have little or no experience with pay-per-click, you’re simply learning with your own money - and the end result is usually a poorly-optimized campaign that isn’t producing results.

Setting up your account is the most critical aspect, and this is the area where many mistakes occur that can derail your campaign and cause a lot of frustration. When we hear anyone say that pay-per-click doesn’t work, the first thing we ask is how they went about incorporating it into their marketing strategy. Chances are, some errors were made in the setup process and things deteriorated from there.

When looking for a consultant to outsource to, always try for industry specific specialists. For example, at Bloomerang, we specialize in retailing. However, we have found great success for other professionals.

Pay-per-click is simply instant gratification and return on investment. Once it is live, it’s working. I have so many people tell me they have a Google AdWords account and hardly feel the impact, but I also see people like myself who could not imaging a day without Google. I once had a client that wasn’t sure if AdWords were worth it, so just for kicks I asked if we could just turn it off for 20 minutes. He yelled, “turn it on - let’s never do that again!”

There is a lot more to Google AdWords than just making a bid and closing a sale. There are hundreds of different strategies you can combine to secure a transaction, or a reservation, or even an appointment. The more time you put in, the better your results will be from your efforts.

If you decide to outsourcing your marketing efforts, the single most important question you need to ask the person handling your Google AdWords is: What is your plan of action and when can I see it? This will guarantee their professionalism, put a schedule that can be monitored, and give you a written contract of sorts so if something goes wrong you can claim explanation or refund if needed.

Oh, and here is one more important piece of advice - use a local agency. Sure, there are many international online advertising agencies with impressive portfolios, but there is nothing better than to sit down and talk with the people directly responsible for your online success. You need to feel comfortable with someone you can trust who knows your local market. At Bloomerang, we make sure you speak to an account strategist who’s directly responsible for your results. We believe that our experience - along with our one-on-one direct relationships with our clients - is what gives you the ultimate advantage when it comes to online advertising.

If you would like to get started with Google AdWords, 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, We'll be happy to talk with you at any time to explain how it works successfully. Just drop us a line below or call anytime at (941) 806-1911.

What’s Wrong with This Picture? A Missed Opportunity!

Last Sunday I was invited to watch the New York Giants play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from a suite at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The suite level of this stadium is an area that few fans ever get to see because it is exclusive and largely caters to corporate sponsors and big money donors.

You’re probably more likely to see people dressed in suits and ties than football jerseys in the suite area because many of the people are there to network and talk business – not necessarily watch the game. Resourceful salespeople are always looking for opportunities that often go unnoticed and the smart ones make the most of every advantage they can find - places like this are where they thrive.

When I was walking through the lobby of one of the suites, I turned around and saw this fantastic floral design that was prominently showcased for everyone to see. Of course, I immediately started searching for a tag because I wanted to see if I knew which shop delivered those beautiful flowers.

My jaw dropped open when I discovered that there was no tag at all - I simply couldn’t believe it! Some local shop was fortunate enough to be able to prominently display their gorgeous flowers in one of the most prestigious locations in the entire city – a place crawling with VIPs and influential business executives – and they didn’t even bother attaching a tag to let all these people know where they can get their own flowers from the same florist the Buccaneers chose when they wanted to impress people.

Advertising isn’t cheap and there are no shortages of advertisers willing to spend crazy amounts of money to secure a product placement like that, but this florist failed to take advantage of this FREE opportunity to brand their product and promote their business.

As small business owners, most of us simply don’t have the resources (or the budget) to spend a ton of money on advertising, so we have to look for other ways to promote ourselves besides simply writing a check to a marketing company. Your logo should be EVERYWHERE! Nothing should ever leave your shop without your logo on it somewhere, and when it does, your logo should be all over the delivery van and all over the driver. If you are proud of the products you produce, then why keep it a secret? Let everyone know where they can get some of those beautiful flowers!

Do you need help with your branding or marketing campaigns? Bloomerang Solutions is here to help! From custom-built websites to location management to Google advertising and everything in between, we’re ready to make your business bloom! Give us a call today at (941) 809-5000 or drop us a line below.

Preparing Emails for Success

Email marketing is stronger than ever. In fact, the return on investment for email marketing generates $38 for every dollar spent. For the past 10 years, no other tool has consistently generated a higher ROI for marketers, yet many business owners underutilize this incredible marketing tool and some even ignore it altogether.

It’s easy to get seduced by social media advertising because many people perceive it to be more effective and less outdated than email marketing, but the numbers suggest otherwise. The average open rate for email is around 22 percent, while Facebook organic reach has steadily decreased to just over 6 percent.

Not all emails are created equal

Email marketing still achieves higher conversion rates at a lower cost than paid social ads, so it has the potential to provide a better ROI than social media - but it has to be done right. Email marketing today is much different than it was a decade ago. Technology has changed the way businesses interact with customers as marketers continue to discover new ways of growing their businesses and generating new leads by engaging electronically. People no longer have the patience to read a lengthy email. In fact, most people don’t read them at all – they scan. And if your content appears too comprehensive, they won’t even bother. Email marketing is a whole new ball game, and here’s how you should approach it.

• Make your content easy to scan

• Put the most important information up front

• Use numbers or bullet points so it’s easy to scan

• Present content in a quick, condensed, and scannable way 

Make sure it works on any platform

Nearly 70 percent of consumers use their smartphones as their primary method for checking email so if your email content isn’t mobile-friendly, you could be missing out on reaching a huge portion of your target market. People don’t have the time nor energy to take extra steps to try and consume your content if it’s not convenient. It’s worth the extra time it takes to make sure your content is optimized for mobile devices. 

Visual content is extremely important

A wall of text may provide a lot of detailed information, but you can get your message across instantly by using powerful images in your email messages. Communicating your message with a compelling image that’s complemented by short copy can help you get your message across much faster than if you’re relying on text alone. 

Mind the (curiosity) gap

The space between what a person knows and what they want to know is called the curiosity gap, and it utilizes some knowledge a person already has. This could be previous insight, or even enough knowledge of the subject to make predictions. The thought of what could be waiting on the other side of that link is sometimes too enticing to move past. This is important to keep in mind when constructing your email; your goal is to pique their curiosity and make them search for more.

Email marketing is an extremely effective way to reach customers, but you need to give them what they want, when they want it, and in a format they can consume quickly and on the go. If you need help with your email marketing campaigns, then Bloomerang Solutions is here to help. Give us a call today at (941) 806-1911 or drop us a line below. Together we can help your business bloom!