Being a "newbie" in the field of floral design is exciting and terrifying all at the same time. I remember soaking in new information like a sponge — quickly learning design strategies, varieties of flowers, pricing ideas, and more! However, the most difficult task for me and I would assume for most other newer floral designers is marketing your business to your ideal clients. The exciting thing about floral design is that it involves such creativity that each design we create is never quite the same. Each designer who creates floral arrangements has their own style and therefore their own ideal client that would be the best fit for their business. As a new floral designer, being able to market yourself can help you find your "tribe"!

Instagram is such a powerful tool for marketing, especially for such a visually appealing product like flowers. Each picture you post could potentially reach thousands of people who could be looking for a florist just like you! It's important to intentionally post pictures of your work that reflect weddings and events you want to keep booking. For example, if ballroom weddings are your niche, and you feel you do your best work there, post a LOT of ballroom wedding flower designs. Clients will find you based on what you typically post — so being consistent is key! I've had clients find me on Instagram and tell me the content I posted prompted them to reach out to me, which turned into a booking with an ideal client who loves my style! You're not going to be everyone's cup of tea, and that's ok! When starting out, you will design for events that aren't your ideal style, so I encourage to post to Instagram strategically!

With Instagram, you can also use targeted hashtags to focus on your ideal client. For example, if you are a wedding florist that loves designing for beach weddings, you can use hashtags like #beachweddingflowers #beachflowers #beachwedding and more! When your beach brides are searching for some Instagram inspiration (they will), they are likely to run into your post, which hopefully leads them to your website, which could become an inquiry.

Styled shoots are an awesome way to work with other vendors and gain some additional experience while creating gorgeous designs that will be professional photographed and possibly published. When doing styled shoots, each vendor typically donates time/materials or supplies them at cost. If you have several styled shoots planned, it can get pricey. Fresh flowers aren't cheap! Strategically select which shoots most closely align with your brand and ideal client, and go from there! It's great to connect with others, practice new designs or techniques and try out new flower varieties. I look at it as an educational investment as well as marketing your business.

Networking with others in your industry is another way to market your growing floral design business while making some friends in the process. Group gatherings like the Tuesdays Together with the Rising Tide Society are a good way to branch out and meet other vendors that you may want to collaborate with or assist with upcoming projects! When I first started I wanted to meet with lots of local vendors I admired, so I emailed and asked them to grab coffee with me. I have met some people in my area that have ended up becoming close friends, all from setting up a coffee date together or going to a group gathering!

Using a website is another way to market yourself to potential clients. I built my website myself through Squarespace, which I highly recommend to a beginning business that can't yet afford a professional website designer. Squarespace is extremely user-friendly and has a clean interface, allowing you to easily customize your pages. Some of the features that specifically helped me market my business were the built-in blog, the contact page so potential clients could easily connect with me (mine is synced to Honeybook), and the different options for galleries. Once you have a website set up, you can start to identify your ideal client through posting blogs, photos and the customization of each website page! By the time your ideal client is through perusing your site, the goal should be for them to hit the contact button!

Marketing yourself as a new floral designer can be daunting, but I believe with these tips you will be well on your way to beginning a successful business!