Tools I Use

Image courtesy Greenfield Flower Shop, Inc.

Since people ask, I thought it would be helpful to create a page that lists the software, tools and resources that I use to run the online side of my floral business. Even though I have been a “brick and mortar” florist for more than 30 years, I have been online more than 13 years as well.

The products and services that I use are sold and supported by companies I trust. Companies whose products, service and support I believe you may benefit from using, too.

However, not everything I use in my business may work for you. Every business is unique, and there are other choices. So before purchasing anything, I recommend that you do your own homework!

Although I personally use each of the resources, products or services found on this page, you should also assume that I have an affiliate or marketing relationship with any company, product or service mentioned or promoted, and that I may be compensated in some way if you purchase. However, I think many of you will find value (at least I hope so) in knowing what I use to run the online side of my business.

If you’ve got specific questions about any of these resources, feel free to contact me.

Here is the short list of tools I use:

Blogging

WordPress: The #1 blog publishing software. Free and easily customized. Wonderful support. This site (as well as most of my others) runs on WordPress.
Thesis Theme: This is the theme and framework that I now use to run most of my WordPress sites on. Developed by Chris Pearson, Thesis promises fast loading times, SEO, and flexible design. This blog uses the Cutline theme, one of Chris’ earlier themes, which (through trial and error) I have tweaked quite a bit to fit my needs.

Hosting

Bluehost: The majority of my websites are hosted here. Easy to use, 1-click automatic WordPress installation, and excellent customer service.

Email Marketing

Mailchimp: Great social features. I use it to manage the email list on this site.
Aweber: One of the best email marketing and newsletter delivery tools around. I use it to manage most of my email lists.

Keyword Research

Market Samurai: The number one keyword research tool available, hands down. You can download a fully-functional 30 day free trial.
Google Adwords Tool: A tool designed to help you find the best keywords to target for your Adwords campaigns. I use it to quickly gauge the popularity and competition of keywords I’m thinking of using.

Photo and Video

Being in the flower business, much of my site content is visual, so it’s important to me to use tools that do the best job, and are a solid investment. Here’s what I’m using now:

Canon SD 790IS Digital Camera: Purchased this camera back in 2008, because I wanted a small point-and-shoot camera for traveling. Been using it ever since for all my product shots, as well as short video clips. More than enough power for my typical needs.
Picasa: A Google tool that helps you organize, edit, and share your photos. It’s free, and easy to use.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 9: The consumer version of Adobe Photoshop, it’s the software I use for all of my image editing and graphics.
Sony Movie Studio 10 HD Platinum Suite:
Although there is a lot of good video editing software, I personally found Movie Studio to be the easiest for me to work with, plus there is plenty of online support available.

Payment Processing

Sam’s Club: Our current payment processor. Competitive rates and lower cost-per-transaction fees than our bank.
Paypal: Another of the payment options we accept. Flat rates and low cost-per-transaction fees.