Promote Flowers & Stress Relief:
Tips to Capitalize on Stress Awareness Month (April)
April is Stress Awareness Month! While SAF’s new research on flowers & stress relief is of great interest to consumers and the media at any time (everyone can relate to stress!), this month that is set aside to focus on personal health is the perfect opportunity to show your customers the wellness benefits of flowers and also to capture local media attention.
SAF provides seven strategies you can implement in April to capitalize on this timely opportunity. Try one, two, or all of them!
1. Use social media
Social media is the easiest way to bring attention to the health benefits of flowers, and tie into Stress Awareness Month. See below for a week-by-week content calendar of suggested posts to get you started. Click here for social media advice.
2. Establish a “Wellness Wednesday” promotion
For one Wednesday during the month, or all Wednesdays, offer a free flower to the first 25 or 50 people to stop by, or a 2-for-1 special. Whatever your offer, the point is to encourage them to stop by your shop and experience the stress-reducing benefits of flowers. Suggested language for your social media promotion:
Today is Wellness Wednesday! In honor of Stress Awareness Month, we invite you to stop by the shop to experience the stress-reducing power of flowers. (Your offer goes here).
Another option is to create a hands-on experience where customers come into the shop (or you go to a home or organization) for a workshop: Wellness Wednesday: Creating Zen. An event like this can be a great Girls’ Night Out, an activity during a bridal or baby shower, for a neighborhood moms’ group, or a mini workplace retreat. During this workshop, you educate participants on the stress-reducing science of flowers, and let them create their own arrangements (choose flowers and colors that exude calm and tranquil feelings). Just the art of working with the flowers will help them relax, and then encourage them to take them home to experiment to see if they felt less stressed during the week. Give tips on where to place their flowers for best effect, such as their nightstand or bathroom (where they can see them right when they wake up or right before bed), on the kitchen counter (to see right before and after work, or throughout the day), or on their work desk (to provide a moment of calm while they tackle their to-do list).
3. Ask your customers to be your spokespeople
As people order flowers over the phone or come into your shop, let them know about the research and stress-relieving benefits of flowers. Ask them to do an experiment and be your ambassadors. If they feel less stressed with flowers in their home or office, ask them to post their feelings on social media and tag your shop. When in the shop, ask if they would be willing to talk about whether being around flowers creates a ‘moment of calm’. If so, with their permission, videotape a brief reaction from them and post it on your social media!
4. Generate news: Reach out to local media outlets
The press likes timely tie ins and may be very receptive to covering the research results during Stress Awareness Month. At the beginning of the month, send this suggested press release to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV outlets with flowers. Click here for tips on contacting the media.
- Interviews: Offer to be interviewed about the study findings, either in your shop or at the station (you bring the flowers!). In addition to talking about the research findings, you can offer anecdotes of what you and your delivery drivers see on a daily basis on the well-being effects of flowers.
- Reporter Ride Alongs: Go even a step further, and offer an exclusive opportunity to your favorite TV station to ride along in your van while you pull up and let the reporter surprise someone (or two, or five, or ten people) on the street with flowers to help them “stress less.” This may make a great human interest story in the random-acts-of-kindness category. The best part is that the reporter gets to experience it first hand, which makes for a better story. Give the news desk or producer at your favorite TV station a call and pitch the idea! Be flexible and let them set a time that would be most convenient for them.
5. Enlighten your corporate clients
In early April, send an email (or deliver a personal letter with flowers!) to let them know about Stress Awareness Month, and link to the research that shows flowers reduce stress (www.aboutflowers.com/stressless) AND the research that shows flowers and plants in the workplace increase productivity and enhance problem-solving skills (https://aboutflowers.com/quick-links/health-benefits-research/workplace-productivity-study/). Suggest that to help staff morale and well being, they try a nice arrangement in their lobby, or provide a small plant or bud vase for each employee’s desk. Point out that such “work perks” can go a long way towards building loyalty. (And you never know, they may see the benefits right away and decide to implement the idea on a weekly or monthly basis!)
6. Utilize local social influencers
Search for local bloggers or social media influencers who you could partner with. Tell them about the new research and offer to provide them with flowers to live with for a few days as an experiment, in exchange for writing a blog post and/or posting on their social media channels about the stress-reducing benefits of flowers. An additional small fee paid to an influencer may be worth it if they have a large following.
7. Follow SAF’s consumer channels and share the posts
In early April, SAF is embarking on a fun StressLess Tour, relieving people’s stress on the street with flowers. Follow the fun on Facebook and Instagram, and share the visual posts on your channels to promote flower power at its finest, noting how you can help your followers relax and unwind.
Want to promote the stress relieving benefits beyond Stress Awareness Month? Click here for more timely tips.
STRESS AWARENESS MONTH
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT CALENDAR
Consider posting weekly (or more) throughout April to bring attention to the stress relieving benefits of flowers. Lots of options for suggested post language are below. Be sure to tag every post with these hashtags: #stressawarenessmonth #stressless #flowerpower
While we suggest you use photographs of your own spectacular flowers as visuals, click here for additional photography options, as well as graphics, emojis, and video to enhance your posts.
Week of March 29
Did you know that April is Stress Awareness Month? New research finds a simple solution to help reduce stress. Let us know how we can help.
LINK TO VIDEO, based on the channel you are posting to:
For Facebook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1Wlht-41Rs
For Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xugdfH9qvc
We all know flowers make us happy, but did you know they are now scientifically proven to reduce stress? Yep! Read more here: www.aboutflowers.com/stressless
Nature’s Stress Reliever.
Ahhhhhh, did this make you feel relaxed? The real thing is even better. Come by and see us, or give us a call. We deliver stress relief!
Week of April 5:
Relax, and experience the stress-reducing power of flowers.
As Tax Day approaches, we can all feel the stress. Flowers are scientifically proven to help us relax. Let us help provide a moment of calm for you or someone you love.
www.aboutflowers.com/stressless
Do you have a college student getting ready for final exams? Send flowers or a plant to help them stress less. www.aboutflowers.com/stressless
We all feel stress. In fact, 68% of people report experiencing stress on a weekly basis, and 32% feel stress daily. Science provides a simple solution to stress less.
www.aboutflowers.com/stressless
Week of April 12:
Stress less. Smile more.
Does your endless to-do list leave you feeling overwhelmed? See how flowers are scientifically proven to alleviate feelings of stress.
www.aboutflowers.com/stressless
Turn someone’s ordinary day, extraordinary. Flowers are scientifically proven to reduce stress!
www.aboutflowers.com/stressless
How did this make you feel? We have lots more to delight your senses. Come on by, to stop and smell the flowers and experience a moment of calm.
Week of April 19:
Experience a moment of calm.
Have a friend or loved one who could use a mood boost? Have flowers delivered unexpectedly to their door, and watch their ordinary day become extraordinary. It will make you smile, too. www.aboutflowers.com/stressless
Pick up some flowers for yourself and turn your to-do list into a TA-DAH list! Flowers are scientifically proven to reduce stress and increase productivity.
www.aboutflowers.com/research
Dr. Erin Largo-Wight of UNF’s Department of Public Health discusses research on flowers and stress relief.
LINK TO VIDEO, based on the channel you are posting to:
For Facebook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1Wlht-41Rs
For Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xugdfH9qvc
Week of April 26:
Feeling stressed? Stop in and pick up some stress relievers!
Send a breath of fresh air. Ahhhhhhh.
April and Stress Awareness Month may be coming to a close, but our stress doesn’t go away. Find little ways to experience that ‘moment of calm’ during a busy day. We can help!
Want to find ways to create zen in your interior spaces? Take this advice from interior design experts, Kelli Ellis and Mark Woodman!
LINK TO VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnwMBux6ZmU
