Consumer Education Equals Credibility and Trust!
Consumer education is a concept that often gets neglected at the beginning of the buying process. At a time when the potential customer needs answers and guidance, many retailers hit them over the head with the hard sell. That’s the too-familiar situation Floralife® discusses in a recent article for Florists’ Review entitled “Consumer Education: Establishing Credibility, Earning Trust.”
Of course, consumer education can mean something different for each product and market. Sometimes, figuring out what the consumer wants to know can take thousands of dollars market research! Fortunately, YOU probably have a pretty decent idea of the types of questions your customers ask. And you have certainly listened to their complaints over the years. Too-short vase life, why THIS bunch didn’t bloom as well as the LAST bunch, and so on.
Consumer Education Gets Social
So, you know WHAT they want to know. But how does consumer education work in practice? Floralife® says one BIG avenue is Social Media. Specifically:
“…make use of the different audiences, personalities, and capabilities of the various social media channels. Produce an inexpensive cell phone video explaining how to unwrap flowers at home, and post it on YouTube. Write a short care and handling article about properly mixing flower food solution and post it on your blog. Share interesting floral articles from the web on your Facebook page and Twitter feed. Take photos of your latest floral designs and pin them on your Instagram wall. This means, of course, you will need to start a blog, YouTube channel, Twitter page, and so on!”
Also, while you’re having fun stretching your digital marketing muscles, don’t forget the real world! All those things you did around the shop, LONG before social media, are still effective! Signage, displays, and evening flower arranging classes are tried and true merchandising and educational tools.
There are MANY more consumer education tips at the original article, so be sure to visit the Florists’ Review site, or hit this link!
