2020 Christmas Planning Guide

CHRISTMAS 2020

Planning Guide

Shine Brightâ„¢ Bouquet 20-C8

Season's Greetings!

FTD appreciates everything you do to inspire and delight your customers. This season, hundreds of thousands of orders will be sent through the Mercury Network and our talented FTD Florists will handcraft each one to your customers joy.

HOLIDAY MARKETING TIPS Set your shop up for success this season with the tools & resources on page 5.

To make your holiday as successful as possible, we have packed this planning guide with best practices, tips to help you drive more orders, and tools to market your shop for success.

Because, Together We Grow.

We wish you a successful holiday season and thank you for your partnership.

Executive Vice President Florist Division

CONTENTS

CHRISTMAS 2020 | PLANNING GUIDE

FOLLOW US!

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PROJECTED TOP 15 BEST SELLERS

Get the latest FTD news, events, education and promotions at:

4

CHRISTMAS CHECKLIST

MercuryNetwork

5

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

MercuryNetwork

6

OPTIMIZING YOUR SITE FOR SALES AND SEO

FTDMercuryNetwork

7

LET'S GET SOCIAL

blog.FTDi.com

8

EMAIL MARKETING TIPS

9

CREATE PAID SEARCH ADS

EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

Visit www.FTDi.com/Christmas for additional information, including bouquet-specific design tips, substitution guidance and more.

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TOP 10 TIPS FOR QUALITY FULFILLMENT

CHRISTMAS

2020

COLLECTION

Prices shown reflect delivered prices on FTD.com.

SRPs are subject to change. Updated 10.30.20

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Holiday Classics™ Centerpiece B5358 $60 | $75 | $90

Gift of Joy™ Bouquet 20-C2 $55 | $65 | $80

Christmas Cabin™ Bouquet 20-C6 $60 | $70 | $85

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I'll Be Home for Christmas™ Lantern Centerpiece 20-C3 $70 | $85 | $100

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10

Golden Holiday™ Bouquet* 20-C9 $65 | $80 | $95

Christmas Spirit™ Bouquet B49 $55 | $70 | $90

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Dashing Through the Snow™ Bouquet 20-C4 $60 | $75 | $85

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Happiest Holidays™ Red Poinsettia B52 $65

Shine Bright™ Bouquet 20-C8 $55 | $70 | $80

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Merry Mistletoe™ Bouquet B5427 $55 | $70 | $85

Frosted™ Centerpiece* B5362 $75 | $90 | $110

Make it Merry™ Wreath B5361 $75 | $100

Making Spirits Bright™ Bouquet 20-C5 $58 | $70 | $80

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Good Tidings™ Floral Basket B5360 $55 | $70

Shimmer & Glimmer™ Wreath* B5366 $75 | $100

CHRISTMAS

Checklist THINGS TO DO Review the projected best sellers for Christmas and project how much product you need to fill incoming orders from FTD. The product calculator at www.FTDi.com/Christmas can help you estimate the quantity of units by product Review the ZIP codes where you deliver and same-day delivery cut-off times for FTD. To view the ZIP codes linked to your shop, go to your FTD Florist Scorecard at www.FTDi.com/Quality or call Member Services at 800.788.9000.

Update how many FTD orders you can fill on your Holiday Order Capacity Tool in Florist Link.

Instead of suspending your system, update your order capacity in the Admin tool.

Find more information at FloristWiki.FTDi.com.

Train your staff on the importance of sending delivery confirmations in a timely manner. The deadline to send in a delivery confirmation is 7 p.m. (local time).

Familiarize yourself with the substitution guidance for each arrangement available at www.FTDi.com/Christmas.

Develop a backup plan in case you need more delivery capacity. Learn more about how FTD Delivery Service can assist at www.FTDi.com/DeliveryService.

Check out our free business-building webinars at youtube.com/FTDMercuryNetwork.

TECHNOLOGY Scrub your existing email database and add new customers to prepare for holiday marketing campaigns.

Merchandise your website with Christmas products and promotions. If you have questions, call the FTD Florist Online team at 800.576.6721.

Equip your drivers with mobile phones and the FTD Mercury Delivery app. To learn more, download the app or call the FTD Technology Sales team at 800.767.3222.

For Mercury Cloud users, make sure your staff is trained to review orders frequently and acknowledge all orders as soon as possible.

PRODUCTS Review results from last Christmas to determine which items and price points were most profitable.

Learn about offers and promotions from FTD® MarketplaceTM by calling 800.767.4000 or visiting www.FTDMarketplace.com.

Pre-book your fresh flowers in bulk or order labor saver bouquets from FTD® Flower Exchange by calling 800.767.4000 or visiting www.FTDFlowerExchange.com.

CLICK TO EXPLORE For more tools and resources for a successful Christmas, visit www.FTDi.com/Christmas.

FTDi.COM • Christmas 2020 Planning Guide 4

Tools & Resources As an FTD Member Florist, a wealth of resources are right at your fingertips.

FTD MERCURY MOBILE Access shop information anywhere.

Drivers can confirm deliveries while on routes, capture signatures, access real time maps and turn-by-turn directions with the free FTD Mercury Mobile App.

CLICK TO EXPLORE For more about Mercury Technology.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ONLINE LEARNING Take advantage of our free business webinars, design shows and how-to videos on our YouTube channel.

Subscribe so you never miss a video at youtube.com/FTDMercuryNetwork.

EXCEPTIONAL SUPPLY & QUALITY FTD FLOWER EXCHANGE Enjoy the best blooms at competitive prices shipped to you directly from premium growers. Utilize the Stem Count Calculator to help you determine how many flowers you need to purchase for FTD arrangements, or purchase time-saver bouquets to reduce labor costs. Order early to secure the best prices and availability by calling your FTD Flower Exchange Representative at 800.767.4000 or on FTDFlowerExchange.com.

FTD MARKETPLACE A key driver to receive FTD orders is purchasing codified containers, which are promoted on both FTD.com and ProFlowers.com. Contact your FTD Marketplace Representative at 800.767.400 or visit www.FTDMarketplace.com.

FTDi.COM • Christmas 2020 Planning Guide 5

BEST PRACTICES TO DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE

Free

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of increasing both the quality and quantity of website traffic, as well as exposure to your flower shop, through non-paid, or organic, search engine results.

Here are some tips from one of FTD’s digital marketing experts about how to improve your site’s SEO: 1

Ensure you have a Google My Business account set-up and verified for your business location(s).

BONUS TIP: Ask for Google Reviews on your website – more high quality, and positive reviews will help from your visibility on Google

2

Ensure your site’s homepage has content about flowers, your shop's city and your delivery area. You should also reference the types of events, occasions and services your shop provides.

• Pages that have unique and well-written content (e.g. About Us) will have higher rankings and will help position your flower shop against competitors.

3 Check that your pages are easy to navigate and easy to find a product, flower type, etc. Always make

sure to remove and redirect broken pages.

• L ink important pages in your navigation. Deeper pages of your site should be linked to category pages so Google and users can find information.

4 Add content to a page that is empty or create a new page for topics like Small Business Saturday.

Leverage your local area for keyword specific content for the holidays, local events and holiday pages.

• N ew pages that target holiday-related information will expand your traffic opportunities, will be less competitive and should be easier to rank for on a local level.

5

Ask for backlinks to your location, events and offerings from local businesses, organizations you belong to, local news sources, and partners, such as a funeral home. Backlinks, also known as inbound links, are links from one website to a page on another website.

• B acklinks to your website are a ranking factor that Google reviews. Sites with a lot of credible backlinks tend to have higher organic search engine rankings because the links are treated as “votes.” The more votes you have the better (as long as they are not spam or from untrusted sources.)

MERCHANDISE YOUR WEBSITE FOR

Success

COMPREHENSIVE MARKETING TOOLS

Increase holiday orders with these optimization strategies:

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Feature your best-sellers on homepage for quick accessibility.

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Make sure delivery areas and fees are accurate and up-to-date.

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Post custom products on your website to showcase your artistry.

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Update online prices for your Christmas products.

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dd new content to your site and update SEO keywords to improve your shop’s performance in A organic (non-paid) search results.

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onsider a pay-per-click online advertising campaign to promote your website to consumers C searching for flowers.

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se an online listing management tool, like FTD eBiz Marketing, to ensure your directory listings are U accurate and your shop doesn’t miss out on being at the top of the list in search results.

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Stay connected to your customers and drive traffic to your site with FTD Email Marketing.

FTDi.COM • Christmas 2020 Planning Guide 6

LET’S GET

Social

Social media is incredibly effective and a low-cost way to promote your business.

Keep customers engaged by consistently updating your accounts with beautiful images of your bouquets, wedding, event décor and more!

CLICK TO EXPLORE Check out our collection of sample social media posts and images at www.FTDi.com/Christmas.

TIPS TO CREATE A PAID FACEBOOK AD The difference between a Facebook paid ad and boosting a post is the range of analytics offered to track engagement and analyze the campaign’s results. A paid ad also has more formatting options to present your products like carousel ads, slideshows and call to action buttons, like “Shop Now.”

FACEBOOK Post photos of your Christmas preparations and promotions throughout the holiday. For a small fee to Facebook, you can boost your posts to reach a larger audience.

INSTAGRAM While designing, stop for a moment and post photos of your creations. Instagram has unique editing features so you can enhance photos before uploading them. You can instantly share your post on other social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Instagram Stories are another way you can reach your audience with quick glimpses of your business.

CONNECT WITH US MercuryNetwork MercuryNetwork FTDMercuryNetwork blog.ftdi.com

1 Take your top performing organic post and turn it into a paid ad.

Click here to watch a short video to learn how to create an ad through your Facebook Page.

2 Always include your flower shop’s name and/or logo on ad

images to help increase brand awareness and recognition.

3 Stretch your marketing dollars by applying audience filters on

your ads to reach more qualified users and eliminate waste. Start with targeting users only within your delivery zone, then you can get even more specific to target age ranges, interests, etc.

DOs AND DON’Ts FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

• Use content-driven posts to gain followers and potential customers.

• Don’t just ask to “like” or “follow” your page, give them a reason (sneak peeks, giveaways, etc.).

• Engage your audience with posts that encourage discussion.

• Don’t post photos without a caption.

• Focus on sharing your brand story across all social channels.

• Don’t post personal information.

• Plan your posts with a social media calendar.

• Don’t share content that isn’t about your business or a related product.

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EMAIL MARKETING TIPS FROM OUR EXPERTS AT FTD 1 Send marketing emails only to customers or leads that have opted-in.

2 Make the “From” line your store name or one that is identifiable.

3 Subject lines should be short and concise, enough to peak interest, drive subscribers to open the email and learn more.

4 Entice users to open your emails by including a pre-header – a preview section that appears in inboxes.

5 A clear and compelling call-to-action button (e.g. Shop Now) should be above the fold (350 pixels high and 650 pixels wide). This is the area subscribers first see after opening the message.

6 Test sending your emails in early morning or late evening to find the optimal time to drive opens and clicks.

7 Remind past customers of an annual occasion when they purchased flowers from you to drive a repeat purchase for other occasions.

8 Send your recipients to landing pages that make sense based on your email copy and/or promotion that provides a seamless transition to make a purchase.

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EMAIL

Marketing

COMPREHENSIVE MARKETING TOOLS

Email marketing is a very efficient way to directly impact your bottom line and grow your business. It is essential to drive traffic to your website around Christmas, as well as sending emails year-round to stay connected with your customers for everyday orders.

With 99% of consumers checking email at least once a day, there is simply no competition to email.* Plus, it is an extremely cost effective way to market your business. (*Source: HubSpot, 2020)

TOP 5 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR EMAIL SUBSCRIBER LIST

Ask for an email when taking a phone order to send an order 1 confirmation and then a delivery confirmation.

Always include a one-click “unsubscribe” link in every email you send.

2

Collect an email address for all orders taken on your website.

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3

Add an email marketing sign-up on your Facebook Business Page.

Use a professional email marketing service, such as FTD Email Marketing, to save time and drive traffic to your site.

4 Run a contest (online or in-store) for a free bouquet. Require participants to sign up with their email address, and give additional entries if they share the content on social media.

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Offer a coupon/promotion in exchange for an email address.

FTDi.COM • Christmas 2020 Planning Guide 8

RISE TO THE TOP WITH

paid search

Appearing at the top of a page in search results can be very challenging with so much competition in the market for flowers. One way to jump to the top of the page is paid search advertising in Google and other search engines, like Bing and Yahoo. We’re going to share some tips on creating an ad in Google that will help boost your shop’s ranking in paid results.

To get started with Google ads, set-up an account at ads.google.com. You will need: your website 1 URL/address, a credit card for billing, and basic business information, like your address and phone number.

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Include the name of your business in Google Ads to help build brand recognition among potential customers.

If you want suggestions for the copy to put into the Google ad description, you can do a search and see what 3 other florists are using in their ads. It’s an easy way to get new ideas.

• B ONUS TIP: Every time you search, the ads will be different. Feel free to search using the same keywords several different times to see a large variety of ads.

Always create a few different ads. Google will show the one that is most likely to work for the person 4 searching based on keywords. By giving Google a few options, you will increase your chances of being served up to a potential customer.

FTDi.COM • Christmas 2020 Planning Guide 9

TOP 10 TIPS FOR QUALITY FULFILLMENT Planning and prepping is crucial to a successful Christmas. Increase productivity and customer satisfaction levels for every day operations with these tips: 1 PURCHASE SMART When possible, purchase your flowers in the correct stem lengths to maximize profit margins.

2 ORDER EARLY

Order product to match the timing of your production schedule and the proper stem counts to match your recipes.

3 KEEP HYDRATED Keep flowers properly hydrated (including floral preservatives) to create a better customer experience and provide for the proper fullness in each design.

4 CARE AND HANDLING To prevent ethylene buildup, remove any dead or dying petals and leaves, and do not submerge foliage below the water line.

5 SOAK FLORAL FOAM Properly soak your floral foam. When soaking your foam, you should gently place it in a large enough water reservoir to allow room for the foam to fill with water at its own pace. The foam should never be forced underwater. This will cause air pockets to become trapped in the foam.

6 SCALE FOR SUCCESS Keep scale and dimensions in mind when building each design. This is key to your customers’ perception and satisfaction.

7 USE RIBBON CAREFULLY Ribbon should only be used when called for in the recipe and only in the manner in which it is described.

8 PACKAGING Determine packaging per item prior to holiday to ensure safe delivery.

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CHECK WATER Check water daily on all of your premade arrangements prior to delivery.

10 DESIGN ONE BY ONE When a SKU is offered in Standard, Deluxe and Premium sizes, concentrate on one recipe at a time to help ensure proper stem counts in each design.

Bouquet‑specific design tips for each projected best seller can be found on the Product Recipe Catalog on www.FTDi.com/Quality.

FTDi.COM • Christmas 2020 Planning Guide 10