Creative Florist Marketing Ideas
Every florist has ideas for marketing around Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. What about Best Friends' Day? Dog Mom Day? Not sure what to do with some of those more unmentioned or obscure holidays? Here are some ideas.
In October every year falls both ER Nurse's Day and Operating Room Nurse's day. These people work hard to keep us healthy. Contact your local hospital and see if they want to team up to celebrate. Deliver a vase of stems to their department with a "Thank you for your efforts" message and your shop name on each stem for the nurses to take home. It puts your florist's name in their hands several days beyond the actual holiday. Advertise on your site and/or create a mailer campaign.
October is also National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. Shelter's are always in need of help! Many of our clients work year-round with shelters and this a great opportunity to bring their plight to the forefront. Donations in conjunction with a purchase (e.g. buy The Doggone Good Bouquet, we donate $5 to the shelter), or host an "adopt a pet" day at your store. As a bonus for you, volunteering for causes is always good PR for your business. Shelter dogs would much rather have a place where they are appreciated than be cooped up in a kennel around tons of other barking dogs, many times only being taken outdoors once or twice a day. If your shop doesn't have a pet, consider adopting one this month.
November also hosts America Recycles Day. What do your customers do with old vases and baskets? Put up flyers and advertise a discount, offer a wrapped bouquet, or some other benefit in exchange for their vases & baskets. You could consider tieing this in with your holiday marketing, offering a special discount on holiday purchases or promote it during a Holiday Open House. You can clean and reuse them, reducing your COGS, eliminating waste from landfills and create a positive, lasting impression with your customers.
November, obviously a popular month, is Child Safety Protection Month. Would your local police department be willing to present a program on how to keep children safe? Hosted at your shop, it can be for just a few hours and will draw foot traffic to your storefront. Consider giving the kids a single stem with a "Be safe" tag and your shop's name. Again it's a great way to get your name out there and send a positive image of your florist to the customer beyond the time they're in your shop. Events such as these also show an interest in the betterment of your community and cooperation with law enforcement in educating others on what they can do to help.
If you're hosting a Holiday Open House event, consider one or two of these more often unobserved holidays as a way to make your shop stand out from the crowd. You may even be tapping into a new market with your customers!
There are always creative ways for the florist to spice up an often overlooked holiday. Get your team involved and you may be surprised at what kinds of ideas surface. Repeat customers are cultivated by creating those lasting impressions. Don't be afraid to do things differently.