Issuu

May/June 2018

canadianfloristmag.com

Tech Tools To Simplify

Your Life DODGING

SEO SCAMS

What Does Your Email Address Say About

You?

inside

• Scenes from the Maple Leaf Cup • Social Media Strategies • Expansion Advice

PM42919543

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ALEXANDRA Garden Rose Design Contest Congratulations to the first 100 entries on receiving 48 Garden Rose stems FREE! E X to C Ereceive P T I Oall N the A L rules and info! ENTER NOW

Submit your work anytime before June 30th. Visit http://url.frinfo.net/alexandra E S T.

S HOW

US YOUR BEST

2 0 0 5

GARDEN R OSE

DESIGNS !

2 Categories: Everyday / Wedding Bouquet

THREE

WINNERS IN EACH CATEGORY :

First Place:

A trip to Alexandra Farms - All expenses paid to Bogota, Colombia (airfare / hotel / meals) for 2 people; 4 days, 3 nights or monetary equivalent.

Second Place:

1,000 stems of Garden Roses (includes freight) or $1,000.00

Third Place:

500 stems of Garden Roses (includes freight) or $500.00

Readers’ Choice Award: Prize TBD

JUDGING

WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING :

1 member from Florists’ Review 1 member from Alexandra Farms David Austin Hitomi Gilliam, AIFD

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Winners announced in Florists’ Review’s September issue!

305-528-3657 marketing@alexandrafarms.com • www.alexandrafarms.com 24/04/2018 22:09

Cover Design by Strider

features Enhanced credibility is only one advantage of using a branded email address. Think about how many emails you receive in a given day. In a crowded inbox, an email from an address with a recognized name is more likely to get opened, whereas something like flwrlvr786@ aol.com could easily be dismissed as spam. -Mark Anderson

Stealing Back Time

The Warning Signs of an SEO Scam

In Memoriam

What Does Your Email Address Say About You?

online Network with florists online

Have your say. Join the new Canadian Florist Facebook Group to share thoughts on florist life in Canada. http://cfmag.pub/fbgroup

06 departments 6

Bloominâ€™ Biz/Coast to Coast

Florist Spotlight

By Design

The Social Florist

Jenniferâ€™s Journeys

How to With Heather

Grow with Joe

Ask the SEO

On the Level with Neville

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by Katie Hendrick

FROM THE

EDITOR

I have a love-hate relationship with technology. Since smartphones have come out, I feel like I am on call seven days a week. People assume they can reach me at any time, so a delayed response makes me look rude or lazy. Oh the anxiety this has caused! At the same time, smartphones give me the freedom to leave my desk throughout the day. In fact, I once proofed a handful of files while waiting in line for Splash Mountain at Disney World.

These days, I’ve found fewer friends wish to catch up with a face-to-face visit or a phone call, preferring to communicate via text or comments on Facebook or Instagram. I find this terribly sad, but at the same time, thanks to social media, I have stayed in the loop with a large number of people I surely would have forgotten about otherwise. The Internet has made my weakness for shopping a much bigger challenge to handle, but it’s also made it infinitely easier to conduct research and find sources. (I have no idea how journalists who came before me did it!) And don’t get me started on online dating… I could go on and on, but what’s the point? The world’s not slowing down. Technology is becoming a more and more pervasive part of day-to-day life, so it’s better to accept it— embracing the tools that enrich my life (Google Docs, Overdrive, Apptiv, Words With Friends) and ignoring the ones that do not (Snapchat, Tinder, Pokémon Go). I’ll go out on a limb and assume that every single one of us would like to have a few more hours in a week (or day). Whatever our role at work or at home, we all have a lot to do. If you’re nodding your head, go ahead and flip to pg. 10, where Michelle Brisebois has rounded up some of the best time management and organizational tools available to streamline your life and regain some peace of mind.

Vol 113 No. 3 Editor Katie Hendrick khendrick@CanadianFloristMag.com 800-314-8895 ext 106 Advertising Manager advertising@CanadianFloristMag.com Publisher Ryan Freeman ryan@CanadianFloristMag.com Media Designer Ruby Coles Publication Mail Agreement #42919543 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO Strider Media, 6-6150 Highway 7, Suite 400, Woodbridge, ON L4H 0R6 distribution@CanadianFloristMag.com Printed in Canada ISSN 1700-5043

Circulation

e-mail: distribution@CanadianFloristMag.com Tel: 800-314-8895 ext 2 Fax: 800-755-7032 Mail: 6-6150 Highway 7, Suite 400 Woodbridge, ON L4H 0R6

Subscription Rates Canada - $30/1 Yr, $48/2 Yrs, $65/3 Yrs + HST USA - $69/1 Yr, $111/2 Yrs, $163/3 Yrs International - $99/1 Yr, $160/2 Yrs, $233/3 Yrs Occasionally, Canadian Florist will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above. No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. ©2018 Strider Media. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication.

On the subject of unease, perhaps you’ve received an email (or twenty) from digital “experts” who’ve seen your site and thinks it’s lacking. They throw out bits of criticism and promises of what they can do, all of which uses a bunch of jargon. You don’t understand them, at least not beyond the message, “You need help.” Take a deep breath and hit delete. It’s a malicious scam. Learn the warning signs and how to find a reputable SEO company on p. 12.

Dedicated to the memory of Bill Martin, and all those who gave of their time and resources to build up our industry.

This issue also dives into topics such as the importance of a professional email address, tricks for really connecting with social media followers (hint: it’s about giving them something of a value—not simple acts of self promotion), and what voice-activated commands and searches could mean for your business. We hope it enlightens you and makes you excited for digital advancements.

www.canadianfloristmag.com

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What Will the Future Hold?

the unexpected

Vibrant, fresh, on-trend and a bit unexpected is what I strive for when creating the perfect wedding centerpiece arrangement. Lush foliage, touches of OASIS™ decorative wire, and the OASIS™ natural bark log container, combine to create a natural-looking, unique and long-lasting alternative to fresh-cut centerpieces, and provides a distinctive favor for guests to take home after the celebration. Let our featured designers inspire you at oasisfloralproducts.com/inspire

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MATT BLIND ALEX WALDBART FLORIST St. Louis, MO MOST INSPIRATIONAL FLORAL DESIGN: Spring Wedding

You too can be featured in the Inspire Design Showcase! Follow us on Facebook for the upcoming themes. May/June 2018 CANADIAN Florist 5

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The Warning Signs of an

SEO Scam

By Robin Hartill

There’s a joke in the world of search engine optimization that the best place to hide a body is the second page of the Google search results. More than 90 percent of search traffic goes to sites that rank on the first page; the top ranking alone gets around 32.5 percent of search traffic. So when you get an email from an “SEO expert” who promises to get your website a top ranking or improve your ranking in the next 48 hours, you may be tempted to accept the offer.

“No one can guarantee you a position in Google search results,” Wu said. “The people at Google can’t even promise you a position.”

In the best-case scenario, these companies will take your money and won’t deliver on their promises.

Your SEO can present a strategy for making your website more search-engine friendly. But SEO specialists can’t control the search engines themselves. They also can’t control the content of other websites, which of course, affects your rankings. That’s why anyone who says they can guarantee you a specific rank isn’t being honest.

In the worst-case scenario, they’ll not only take your money but they could also hurt your ranking in the long term. That’s because many SEOs practice “black-hat” tactics designed to manipulate search engines. But search engine algorithms have become increasingly sophisticated at recognizing these practices.

• They claim they have a special relationship with Google. Google itself warns against any SEO service that claims it has a special relationship with Google or advertises a “priority submit” service. (Google itself says “priority submit” does not exist.)

Search engines penalize websites that engage in these tactics by dinging their rankings or removing them from their indexes altogether.

Google also stresses that paid advertising will never influence organic search results. According to its webmaster guidelines: “Google never accepts money to include or rank sites in our search results, and it costs nothing to appear in our organic search results.

A good search engine optimizer can make your floral business website a magnet for customers. But unfortunately, there are a lot of sketchy operators in the world of SEO.

HOW TO SPOT AN SEO SCAM SEO is filled with misconceptions because search engine companies are secretive about their algorithms. Plus, algorithms change constantly. Google, for example, reportedly changes its algorithm 500 to 600 times per year. The confusion surrounding the industry makes it easy for scammers to pounce. Here are some major red flags every small-business owner should look out for: • They guarantee you a top ranking. Be wary of anyone who says they can guarantee you a spot at the top of Google’s rankings, said Eric Wu, an SEO veteran who has worked with TripAdvisor, Pinterest, and Conde Nast and is now vice president of product for BloomNation.

• They say you’ll see results overnight. Many SEO scammers promise results in as little as 48 or 72 hours. But the work that will improve your ranking

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— like making technical fixes and creating quality content — takes time. Typically, it takes between three to six months to see results, according to Wu. • They promise to get you backlinks. A common black-hat SEO tactic is to buy hundreds of spammy links to increase your ranking. But Google’s algorithm is designed to recognize when a page has lots of low-quality or irrelevant links. “It can increase your traffic in the short term, but Google’s going to catch on,” Wu said. A good SEO specialist will focus on building quality links, rather than an enormous quantity, which is what will improve your ranking in the long term. Also be wary of any agencies that say they’re providing you link-building services, but won’t show you the source of the links. They may simply not be building anything at all, Wu said. •The service is significantly cheaper than other SEO services. An SEO agency that offers its services at a significantly lower pricepoint than the competition may simply be taking your money and not doing anything, Wu said. While prices vary widely by the specific services provided, Wu estimates a small business can expect to pay around $1,000 a month for effective service. • The service offers a money-back guarantee. Many SEO services will offer you a money-back guarantee if your website doesn’t achieve a certain ranking. But read the fine print: These agencies will typically charge an upfront fee, plus a monthly fee. The company will often refund the monthly fee each month if you don’t see results, but the upfront fee is usually nonrefundable. • They offer outdated services, like updating your meta-keyword tags. Google hasn’t considered metakeyword tags in its rankings since the early 2000s, Wu said, while Yahoo and Bing penalize sites that use meta-keyword tags. Anyone who offers this service is taking your money without providing anything of value. • They want to take ownership of your website.

Any SEO specialist who wants ownership of your website or social media should sound major alarm bells. You’re putting your web presence at risk should you end the relationship by allowing them to hold your website hostage or even sell it to a competitor.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR FROM AN SEO PROVIDER The good news about SEO for florists is that the keywords they need to target aren’t that complicated, Wu said. The top searches for florists are “florist,” “flower shop” and “flower delivery services,” coupled with the name of the user’s city. Still, finding an SEO provider can be intimidating, especially if you’re not tech-savvy. Wu suggests florists take some time to learn what SEO is about before hiring someone. Two good resources are Moz.com and SearchEngineLand.com. Strider SEO, founded by Canadian Florist publisher Ryan Freeman, has been specializing in helping floral businesses for more than two decades. The nuances of SEO change from month to month, and the best agencies stay on top of what’s happening. If you’re considering hiring an agency, Wu suggests asking them about the latest changes in SEO. You can then do a little research to confirm that the provider is on top of things. Ultimately, you’re looking for someone who’s willing to get to know your business and its needs. An SEO specialist should consider factors like the size of your staff, your style, and whether you specialize in high-end events vs. everyday creations, for example. “You’re looking for someone who wants to partner with the florist and understand what they want to get out of it,” Wu said. If you’re looking at analytics, remember that Google focuses on user experience. That means you should focus on the amount of time users are staying on your website and the conversion rate. “Even if you’re not ranking now, that will continue to improve,” Wu said. While SEO specialists will sell florists on the potential to improve their ranking, the numbers that truly matter are how much additional revenue, traffic, and conversion the services result in. “Really, the end result that matters is, are they making more money than they were previously in the same time over last year?” Wu said.

Robin Hartill is senior editor at The Penny Hoarder and a freelance writer.

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design By Mackenzie Nichols

THE MAPLE

LEAF CUP

At the start of the Maple Leaf Cup, March 23, host Heather de Kok, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, announced to the 19 contestants some very big news. The winner of this year’s contest would have the opportunity to represent Canada in “the Olympics of floral design.” In March 2019, FTD’s Interfloral-Fleurop World Cup Design Competition returns to North America for the first time in 34 years, occurring in conjunction with the Philadelphia Flower Show. Paul Jaras, AIFD, a floral designer in Kamloops, British Columbia, won the third annual Maple Leaf Cup and will represent Canada in this historic competition. “Canada is going to be very well represented,” de Kok said. “Jaras is very architectural, very linear, and his grand opening piece was mind-blowing.” Previously, Maple Leaf Cup winners had the opportunity to compete in the Florida State Florists’

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Association’s Gateway to Americas Cup and the Society of American Florists’ Sylvia Cup, two other distinguished design competitions. De Kok said that she was “blown away” when FTD approached her with the offer to co-host the competition, with the intention of sponsoring the winner in next year’s World Cup. De Kok has seen the number of interested competitors rise steadily over the Maple Leaf Cup’s history. This year, she actually had to turn designers away. Roughly one-third of this year’s contestants were newcomers. De Kok hosted the event during the 50th anniversary of the Edmonton Home and Garden Show. The contestants occupied 1,500 square feet of the venue, and assembled their designs in front of 50,000 attendees. Many spectators told de Kok that they came to the show primarily to see the contestants’ designs at The Maple Leaf Cup. “Consumers could see what the florists can actually do,” de Kok said. “The Cup really showcases floral design at its best.” Spectators watched the floral experts design three different pieces throughout the competition: a Tropical Nouveau design perfect for a grand opening, a floral necklace, and a hand-tied bouquet. De Kok and floral industry sponsors distributed all of the necessary materials, including blooms and greens, to each competitor. Although all designers received identical supplies, each creation was unique and inventive.

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A Website As Unique as Your Shop Part of the Essential Marketing bundle by Strider StriderSEO.com/ďŹ‚orists hello@striderseo.com 800-314-8895

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