Richmond, Virginia florist Strawberry Fields Flowers & Finds is hosting a party next week for the shop’s 13th anniversary.
Who says you need to wait for a milestone — or even a round number — year to hold an anniversary party? With all the challenges facing florists, every year in business is worthy of a celebration.
On June 28, Strawberry Fields Flowers & Finds in Richmond, Virginia is throwing a small fête to commemorate year number 13.
To mark the occasion, the shop will have a “flower happy hour,” in which guests can choose 13 locally grown stems to build their own signature bouquet for — you guessed it — $13. The party will also include refreshments and door prizes.
Strawberry Fields advertised the upcoming festivities on Facebook and Instagram, following several social media best practices:
- An eye-catching image (in this case, a water color portrait of the shop created by a local artist)
- Positive, on-point hashtags (#thankyou, #blessedwithbusiness, #grateful, #ourcustomersarethebest)
- Tagging members of the local media and prominent bloggers
Whatever the year, an anniversary is an opportunity to boost employee morale (recognizing their hard work helped you succeed), strengthen customer relationships (acknowledging the major role they have played in your longevity) and raising awareness about your business.
Hosting your own party? Follow Strawberry Fields’ cue by alerting journalists. In addition to tagging them on social media, email them a pitch. You can find instructions for writing a press release here. (Hint: brevity is your friend — as is the promise for gorgeous flower-filled photo ops.) Once you’ve scored an interview, be sure to study these pointers for speaking with reporters.
Here are some more anniversary party suggestions, care of Icon Visual Marketing:
- Personally invite your VIPS: Consider the customers whose favorite flowers you can name in an instant because they’ve patronized you for years. These people deserve a personal phone call or email to know about your celebration and how much you value their loyalty over the years.
- Show, don’t tell. Business longevity is a testament to good management, good products and good service. But just telling your customers you are “doing well” doesn’t convey your success as well as showing them. Never underestimate the power of a good “where we’ve come from” slideshow presentation.
- Celebrate with your team. Before your party officially begins, have a small celebration with your staff by taking them out for lunch (or something similar). Anniversaries are ideal times to reminisce and reflect. They are perfect for remembering the fun times, sharing some laughs and reflecting not just upon achievements but also the goals that failed, as they demonstrate an ability to learn from mistakes and adapt.
