Continuing its trend of opening new avenues to market, online florist 1-800-flowers.com has entered into the social media space by being the first business entity  to open shop on Facebook. They were one of the first floral retailers to venture into the Internet space in 1992 and in 1994 they were the first merchant of any kind to transact on AOL. 

Now Facebook!  

Advertising products and services to customers happens all day, everyday on Facebook.  But brands that see this social media space myopically, by focusing on the potential of reaching 250 million facebook users and surreptitiously going for the sale, could be a short sighted marketing strategy.  

If the goal is to sell flowers, how will they do it, without marketing to it’s Fan base. But isn’t this antithetical to what social media networks are and should be used for?

Perhaps this is a bad move on 1-800-Flowers.com part.  Maybe they haven’t studied the social media space in depth enough and are only looking at the potential gain from the most popular social network in the world.

There are social media experts who see brands entering into social media to build relationships with customers, improve customer service, generate leads, and build brand loyalty.  It’s also about listening to what’s being said about your business or brand to better understand your customers.

Judging by the already low ratings 1-800-Flowers has with many consumers on Epinions.com (rated 2 out of a possible 5 with 554 reviews)  they will have to contend and address these type of complaints in the public space. They have to, in order to survive and earn the trust of consumers.  It’s not the satisfied customers that make the most noise but the disappointed ones you are forced to address and respond to. 

With social media networks like Facebook, brands must committ to openness and transparency. They must be willing to not only be receptive to negative feedback, but also be their to respond to negative comments as well. At the time of writing, the negative comments have already started. One “Fan”, Shamit Khemka, has posted his bad experience with using 1-800-Flowers.com. 

If disgruntled consumers suddenly flock to their page and litter their Wall post with negative experiences they risk turning what could be a opportunity to reach millions of consumers with their products to turning their page into a consumer complaint board. Their Facebook flower shop would become a mute point.

With an already recognizable brand 1-800-flowers can continue to build on it’s brand prowess by using Facebook to increase customer satisfaction. If done consistently their exposure on Facebook will only lift their brand if Fans are truly Fans.

It will be interesting to watch how this works for 1-800-flowers.  Somehow this will mark a turning point for brands looking to do business on Facebook or become another case study of what not to do..

I still wonder where this will take Facebook? Will Facebook turn into Amazon.com? Are they getting a cut on the new 1-800-flowers.com revenue stream?

Money doesn’t grow on trees!

That’s an idiom our parents have echoed at one time or another to illustrate a point.

Daddy can we go to Paris? We can’t afford a trip to Paris. Money doesn’t grow on trees you know. End of discussion right.

In the bonsai plant world at least there is one tree that can bring you fortune. So they say. If you know someone who needs a little good fortune or luck then the Braided Money Tree is just the tree.

Money Tree Specifics

The braided bonsai money tree is usually given as a gift, as it is said to bring good luck and fortune.

The braided bonsai money plant tree, also known as Pachira Aquatica, is a miniature tree characterized by multiple intertwining trunks. Each tree is actually four to five separate trees with their trunks braided together.

It’s said that the more leaves the money tree has, the better the fortune. While it is common to find money trees with five to six leaves on each stem, it is quite rare to find one with seven leaves. Just like a four-leaf clover, a money plant tree with a seven-leaf stem is considered to bring incredibly good fortune.

The braided money tree is also popular bonsai tree among Feng Shui enthusiast as it is said to create positive energy for any room that it is placed in.  It’s also believed that you should place your money tree in the “financial” part of your home or office. Each new leaf of the tree will then bring added financial success.

The bonsai braided money tree is supposedly given as gifts for business grand opening, or a new house purchase,  but in this economy they would be perfect to just have a few around the house.

See More Bonsia Plants

How to Grow a Braided Money Tree — powered by eHow.com

Teleflora is one of the leading floral services and products company in the world with a network of florist in the thousands. They have taken this network and spearheded a campaign to bring smiles to the thousands of people young and old who need it the most.

The cause which has been around since 2003 and dubbed the Make Someone Smile(R) Week is the floral industry’s leading benevolent project.

Sponsored by Teleflora thousands of Teleflora member florists and community volunteers will help to deliver bouquets in the company’s keepsake Be Happy(R) Mugs to those most in need of a smile – such as hospital patients, senior citizens living in nursing homes and assisted living homes and recipients of Meals-on-Wheels programs. The program will run from Sunday, July 19 through Saturday, July 25.

The program has had measurable success over the last couple of years. The first year, over 8,000 arrangements were delivered throughout North America. The number rose to 17,000 arrangements in the next year.

They couldn’t accomplish this however without there national network of florist who work with wholesalers and growers to secure flower donations while Teleflora donates all of the keepsake Be Happy® mugs.

For more information on Teleflora’s Make Someone Smile(R) Week, and how you can get involved, please visit http://www.teleflora.com/makesomeonesmile or call 310.966.8328.

As a side note this isn’t the only cause Teleflora supports. They have also partnered with the Breast Canser Research Center to offer a Charity Bouquets doanting 15% of the cost of the bouquet to research and also the Stand Up to Cancer foundation donating 20% when you order the Stand up to Cancer bouquet.

No florist is perfect and often consumers get ticked off when they order flowers and don’t get the flowers when they expected. We expect the florist to correct the problem and even offer a little concession, which is usually in order. Teleflora may even be guilty of this at times yet they are willing to lend there brand name and reputation to social causes for the common good.

Maybe not all florist are purely there just to process your order. What do you think?