Main Street Florist & Gifts in Carlinville, Illinois., posted on Instagram: “It’s one of our favorite days of the year! Today Main Street Florist will be out around Carlinville passing out FREE bouquets for national Petal it Forward day. Each person will receive 2 bouquets. One for themselves and one to share. We encourage you to share your flowers with a stranger or someone that needs a smile. Happy Petal it Forward Day!”
Following up after your Petal It Forward event is one of the most important things you can do to keep the goodwill momentum going. Here are six ideas to get you started:
- Post. Post. Share your Petal It Forward photos and videos on social media. These photos will also help in publicizing your event next year.
- Send thank-you notes. Remember to thank everyone who participated. Sending thank you notes goes a long way in making people feel they are appreciated. Send them to wholesalers, growers, happiness ambassadors, suppliers, volunteers, employees, partnering businesses and reporters.
- Share media coverage on social media to increase reach. If reporters didn’t cover your event, send them a follow-up email with photos, videos and a description of the event. You can customize the sample press release. You may just get coverage after the event, which will give your shop the publicity and community reach you want.
- Engage with anyone who tags your shop’s social media handles in their posts. Comment and use #petalitforward.
- Share your Petal It Forward event with SAF. Send us your 3-5 best candid photos along with anecdotes from your event. You can email your photos to pif@safnow.org.
- Get feedback from employees and happiness ambassadors. Debriefing at lunch or a breakfast meeting is a fun way to get feedback. Discuss what worked well, and what needs to be improved. This feedback can help you plan next year’s event more successfully.
