How will you make the most of your down time?
We’re all breathing a collective sigh of relief that can be heard right across the entire industry. The pandemic really shook shit up – for lack of a better word.
There really hasn’t been time to do anything other than focus on the weddings and events we have each week and essentially white knuckle it to the end of season. Things have fallen by the wayside. There’s been frozen dinners, too many hours of lost sleep to count, inboxes that could make your eyes water and logistic manoeuvring to deal with flower shortages that none of us thought would become a daily task added to the very top of our to-do lists.
So. As our beloved weddings and events wind down for a few months, how will you make the most of this down time to get back on top and feel like your working ON your business and not IN your business, as the saying goes?
A few areas to focus on that will make next wedding season less frazzle more dazzle – yep, we said that!
Clean out that inbox.
This one is a no-brainer for us and may seem very simple but a well organised inbox makes responding to enquiries and quotes a million times easier. We’re a big fan of segmenting our emails to stay on top of who’s responded, who hasn’t, who needs a little nudge etc. Of course, use any configuration that makes most sense to you and your biz but if we can reinforce anything from this post it would be to have a clean and tidy inbox. It’s a bit like when your house is clean it’s that much easier to start a new project. Your mental health will thank you!
Chase up outstanding quotes.
You’ve written the quote, chatted to your couple, gotten all excited about the ceremony arbour full of chunky hydrangeas – but you haven’t received the holding deposit and confirmation. During wedding season it’s so easy for outstanding quotes to get forgotten once we hit send and turn back to the wedding at hand – but the chase up email can be very effective. It’s no secret that couples often receive multiple quotes so maybe they just need that little reminder that hey, you’re keen beans and would absolutely love to flower their day. Don’t be shy – it’s not being pushy and if they want you – amazing! If not – well then you can free up that date for the next lovely couple that will no doubt send an email to your (spotless) inbox. Knowing where you stand for upcoming dates = organisation stations for how your whole season will roll.
Focus on your marketing.
Now is the time to drum up those marketing funnels. Hopefully you’ve received beautiful images from your couples from last season that can be front and centre for marketing your blooms to next seasons lucky couples. Let’s focus on social media for a minute, when we’re busy it’s so easy to just throw up photos on to the grid with not too much thought or planning. We’re all for an organic feed but what value are you providing for your couples? Are you educating them on why you’re the best fit for them? The off season is the perfect time to plan out your social media strategy for the coming months. Using a scheduling platform is incredibly useful – what’s better than set and forget? This allows you to sit down and really think about what you want to communicate with your audience. Intention is everything (as we find ourselves repeating all the time).
Another addition to your marketing arsenal is to create a listing on The FQ, you enjoy all the benefits of a directory listing and we shout your names from the rooftops. The more places you turn up online and on social media the more chance to get booked. Head here to find our different plans and which one suits you and your biz the best.
Streamline your processes.
Streamlining your operational processes can make a world of difference when you’re in the thick of wedding season. From automated enquiry contact forms, automated accounting and social media scheduling, ingredient breakdown spreadsheets, logistic run sheets etc. If you think back to March of this year – what were the areas that you wished were not taking up so much of your time? Understand and analyse those pain points and begin to implement processes that will keep you on top of your game.
Clean your workspace.
This is a given. And incredibly boring. But cleanliness = top tier mental health. And when was the last time that tower of buckets got a deep clean? For us, we can confidently say it was 2021.
Rest and recharge.
After the whirlwind we have had, please do not feel guilty if you don’t do any of the above for a while. We need rest, and we need sleep. Be kind to your self. Sit down for longer than 10 minutes and eat your lunch at a real life table – not a work bench!
If you need any assistance with any points we’ve mentioned above, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We love chatting to you all and our community is honestly the best!
Happy flowering!
The FQ xx
