Brand Yourself!

Once again, in Calgary news today, we here about the vast number of people in Alberta that are out of work. This current economy puts a strain on everyone's pocket, making it harder than ever to vie for the bit of disposable income available. While the old adage "If a man is down to his last two dollars, he'll spend one on bread and the other on flowers" may still ring true, you want to make sure that that dollar is spent at your establishment. One way to encourage this is to brand yourself. Make sure anywhere your creations are seen, the viewer will know where it came from. The obvious method is name branding, done with stickers, printed ribbons, or even printed flower food packets (Available from Chrysal). I would suggest going a step further and seeing that all of your packaging materials are colour coordinated and of materials that suit your style. Make sure to include the costs of these materials in your design price. Then think about your design style. While catering to your client's design preferences, think of what could be added to the design that would differentiate you from all the others in the market. I will discuss other methods of securing and retaining clients in future blogs.