City Line Florist in Trumbull, Connecticut, hosted reporters in store for interviews about Petal It Forward for the 2016 event and shared the behind the scenes footage of the interview via social media.
The countdown is on for Petal It Forward on Wednesday, Oct. 11, and now is the time to prepare, said Society of American Florists Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Sparks. “Whether this if your first or third Petal It Forward, SAF makes it easy to do.” Sparks offers a logistics checklist — covering enlisting volunteers and product donations to ordering T-shirts and Flower Cards — to guide members prepping to Petal It Forward:
Be Inspired and Steal Ideas. SAF first led the industry in Petal It Forward in 2015. Check out what other members have done with their local Petal It Forward efforts to help you plan yours. SAF’s Floral Management magazine covers them in “Flower Love Fest,” “Good Cheer Made Easy,” “Match Made in Heaven” and “Delighted.” Click here for the latest SAF news coverage on Petal It Forward.
Get Started. Talk to your staff and decide if you would like to hold a Petal It Forward event in your community.
Ask for a Partner. Retailers: Talk to your supplier(s) to see if they would be willing to work with you on product. Wholesalers and growers: Talk to your retail customers about how you would like to help them in their Petal It Forward efforts, and/or consider holding an event of your own in your community.
Decide on Quantity. The premise of Petal It Forward is random consumers on the street receive two flower bouquets or flowers — one to keep and one to share — to demonstrate the Rutgers University research that shows flowers make people happy. How many total bouquets or flower stems will you hand out?
Scout a Location. Choose a busy pedestrian area, such as a bus or train stop, office or community park, in front of your shop or anywhere you’d like to hand out flowers. Check with your city to inquire if permission is needed to hand out flowers in public areas.
Tell SAF about your plans. Fill out the online participation form at safnow.org/pifform. This will help SAF compile a list of Petal It Forward events to show the media it is happening all over the country.
To date, 56 (and counting) retailers, suppliers, growers, and wholesalers and retailers in 30 states and Canada have pledged to Petal It Forward on Oct. 11, 2017. SAF’s goal is to have Petal It Forward events happening on the same day in all 50 states, which could help to capture even more media attention nationwide.
Get Help from Friends. Invite staff, regular customers, family members, nonprofit and civic groups if they’d like to participate. Ask for help behind the scenes processing flowers, wrapping bouquets and attaching Petal It Forward cards to them. Ask for volunteers to serve as “Happiness Ambassadors” to engage consumers during the event. Select a social media savvy staff member to post photos and videos showing consumers’ reactions to receiving and giving flowers with the hashtag #petalitforward.
Order Petal It Forward Flower Cards or Stickers. SAF provides members with a Flower Card template that has instructions for recipients to share their Petal It Forward experience. The template includes space for your print shop or copy center to add your shop’s social media information, including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook platforms. Order enough cards or stickers to attach to each bouquet or stem.
Order Petal It Forward T-shirts. SAF provides members with a Petal It Forward T-Shirt template. Consider getting t-shirts printed in your signature shop color with #PETALITFORWARD on the front and your shop logo. Get enough t-shirts for each Happiness Ambassador to wear. Tip: Order a size up so that long-sleeve shirts can be worn underneath if the weather is chilly on Oct. 11.
Reach Out to the Press. “The goal of Petal It Forward is to generate traditional and social media coverage to highlight the benefits of flower power — the positive impact flowers have on our emotional well being — even beyond the actual recipients of the flowers,” Sparks said. To generate local news coverage, SAF provides advice to members for Contacting the Media as well as a customizable Media Advisory and Press Release.
Know Your Talking Points. When you talk to reporters, have key talking points in mind. SAF provides suggested Talking Points. It’s also important to give your Happiness Ambassadors something easy and impactful to say when they’re handing out flowers to engage consumers. SAF provides Flower Event Messages your team can use.
Prepare Social Media Messages. SAF encourages all social media content to be tagged #PetalItForward. Once a hashtag is used with frequency, momentum can build. It also allows you (and us) to easily measure the success of the campaign after completion. SAF provides suggested Social Media Messages to post on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. h
Follow Up. After the event, thank reporters who attended for their time. For media that didn’t attend the event, consider sending pictures and a post-event press release detailing how many flowers were distributed, people’s reactions or a special newsworthy moment. Thank suppliers, volunteers and staff who supported your effort. Debrief with staff on what worked and what didn’t.
“You can make your Petal It Forward Event as big or small as you want,” Sparks said. “It’s a win-win for your business to participate. For little effort, you give consumers the opportunity to experience the scientifically proven happiness that occurs when you give and receive flowers. At the same time, you position your business as a positive force in your community. That makes consumers feel good about you, which goes a long way in establishing customer loyalty. And, you give a morale boost to employees who play a part.”
To date, 56 (and counting) retailers, suppliers, growers, and wholesalers and retailers in 30 states and Canada have pledged to Petal It Forward on Oct. 11, 2017. SAF’s goal is to have Petal It Forward events happening on the same day in all 50 states, which could help to capture even more media attention nationwide.
Details on program logistics and local media outreach are available exclusively to SAF members at safnow.org/petalitforward.
