Yoohoo — SAF members in Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Wyoming — it’s time to sign up to participate in Petal It Forward.
Is your state taking part in Petal It Forward? Yoohoo — SAF members in Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Wyoming — it’s time to sign up to participate in Petal It Forward.
More than 270 floral teams in 43 states, Canada and Puerto Rico have notified the Society of American Florists of plans to Petal It Forward in their local communities on Oct. 23. That leaves seven states to go for industry participation in all 50 states.
“The more florists participating on October 23, the better chance of news coverage and social media posts promoting flower power,” said SAF Director of Marketing and Communications Jenny Scala. “We need to know where local events are happening.”
Are you planning a Petal It Forward event in your community on Oct. 23? Is your event listed at safnow.org/petalitforward/2019-events? If not, get your Petal It Forward event listed by completing the Participation Form at https://safnow.org/petal-forward-2019-participation-form/.
“You can make your Petal It Forward event as big or small as you want,” Scala said. “It’s a win-win 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.”
SAF is leading the industry in the Petal It Forward concept for the fifth year in a row. During this “random acts of kindness” flower giveaway, consumers 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 and are encouraged to post on social media about their experience using the hashtag #petalitforward.
SAF provides resources to help members Petal It Forward, including tips on where and when to stage an event, talking points, T-shirt and flower card templates and more at safnow.org/petalitforward.
Top 6 Ways Prepare Your Petal It Forward Happiness Ambassadors
Handing out free flowers to unsuspecting passersby sounds easy, and those who’ve participated in Petal It Forward before say some people can be skeptical. Prepare your “happiness ambassadors” with these tips to for handing out Petal It Forward bouquets:
- Provide a script for them. “Give your happiness ambassadors something simple and impactful to say when they hand out the flowers,” Scala said. “This will make it easier for them when they approach someone who is skeptical. It can help break the ice.” Here are some messages your team can use.
- Teach them how to handle skeptics by encouraging them to smile and reach out with flowers anyway.
- Advise them to pace the event so your flowers can make a bigger impact.
- Encourage them to take candid photos and post live and later on social media.
- Remember to tell them to relax and have fun – it will probably be a day they will remember forever.
- Watch this video to get a feel of how the Petal It Forward day will go.
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management. Renee Houston Zemanski is a contributing writer to the Society of American Florists.
