Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center touted the “stress-reducing and mood-boosting benefits of giving and receiving flower” on its Instagram feed after receiving flowers from Margit Holakoui Florist in Arcadia and Flores Deos Co. from the Los Angeles Flower Market.
Hundreds of floral industry members from all segments and all around the country (plus Canada and Colombia!) generated positive buzz for their businesses Oct. 21 through the Society of American Florists’ Petal It Forward event. For savvy business owners, the feel-good initiative —where participants receive 2 bouquets or flowers, one to keep, one to pass on — also represented an opportunity to boost engagement on their social media platforms.
Here are just some of the standout tactics that caught our attention, not only because the approaches worked magic for spreading the Petal It Forward love, but because the approaches have application year-round, and especially as florists move into a busy holiday season.
Let Others Do the Talking. We know it and you know it: FLOWERS ARE AWESOME. SAF-backed university research has proven the flowers and plants can reduce anxiety and stress, create moments of calm, increase productivity, increase feelings of connection and so much more. All of these messages are deeply resonant in high-stress times, but they’re even more meaningful when shared by a third party. A tweet from the Blue Springs School District in Kansas helped underscore those positive messages with cheerful photos of overjoyed staff receiving flowers from A’Bloom Flowers in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. In California, the team at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center touted the “stress-reducing and mood-boosting benefits of giving and receiving flower” on its Instagram feed after receiving flowers from Margit Holakoui Florist in Arcadia and Flores Deos Co. from the Los Angeles Flower Market.
Blue Springs School District in Kansas shared cheerful photos of overjoyed staff receiving flowers from A’Bloom Flowers in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
Lessons Learned: Both the school district and hospital used hashtags such as #PetalItForward in their posts and tagged the florists who delivered the surprise flowers. Be sure you are working with other local businesses this holiday season to promote each other by having those timely hashtags ready (saving them in a draft document can allow for easy access!) — and that you are making it easy for customers and other partners to give your business shout-outs and kudos on social media by having your social handles clearly included on your branded materials.
Play Around and Experiment. In Kokomo, Indiana, the team at Banner Flower House used one of the best approaches on social media — dynamic montages and videos — to get customers’ attention. The shop cross-posted a lighthearted video to TikTok and Facebook set to upbeat music and alongside a cheerful directive – “SOUND ON! This is how we Petal It Forward.” The post generated comments of praise and thank and showed off the team’s personality and hometown roots.
In Kokomo, Indiana, the team at Banner Flower House used one of the best approaches on social media — dynamic montages and videos — to get customers’ attention.
Lessons Learned. Authenticity is everything lately on social media so don’t get too hung up on how you look or sound on videos; just do it! And, with so many Americans homebound for the holidays, if you’ve ever wondered about playing around with your social media approach or trying new platforms, now may well be the time to do it. (Still feeling a little timid? SAF has hosted a number of focused webinars on how to get more engagement online, including video tips. Check out one from our popular Reignite Your Business series.)
Find more inspiration for how floral pros leveraged Petal It Forward on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and look for additional ideas in the November/December issue of Floral Management.
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management magazine.