SAF is providing you with strategic advice and ideas to promote your shop in advance of and on the day of Women’s Day:

Employ Social Media

Graphics: To help you more easily get the word out via social media, we’ve created a series of graphics that can be used on all of your social media channels. Download and post them along with messages that encourage consumers to encourage, thank or show support for the inspirational women in their lives on Women’s Day.

In your accompanying copy, be sure to include information about any special offer or arrangement ideas to inspire floral gifts. Begin to share these two weeks in advance, and continue through Women’s Day. A variety of images are offered so that you have different graphics to keep readers’ attention.

Posting advice: In addition to sharing the graphics SAF has designed for you, be creative with other posts!  Have your floral designers create a variety of Women’s Day arrangements that you can share via social media.  Get the conversation going across all your channels!

Here are some ideas:

• Conduct contests to win a free arrangement. For example, on Facebook, you could pose the question, “Which woman in your life deserves flowers for Women’s Day and why?” or simply ask people to ReTweet or share your post for a chance to win.
• Read your local newspaper and Post/ReTweet articles that feature hometown women who have achieved something important. Congratulate them via social media in the days leading up to Women’s Day. Be sure to tag the women in your posts!

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Generate News Coverage

Reach out to your local newspapers at least a week in advance (two weeks is better) to let them know that March 8 is International Women’s Day and how your shop is celebrating.

• Customize SAF’s Women’s Day press release and send it to your local media. Consider addressing it to a high-profile woman at the outlet, such as a TV news anchor and producer or editor. Consider delivering the press release with a small floral gift and/or a voucher for them to place an order from you to send a Women’s Day gift to their hero. For your local TV morning show, offer to come in to the studio for a segment on suggested Women’s Day arrangements. Prepare the interview with SAF’s Women’s Day talking points.
• Invite local reporters to your shop to create an arrangement of their own for a woman in their lives, or you can invite them to cover an event you have in your shop where others will be creating arrangements.
• The day before (or a few days before) Women’s Day, deliver floral arrangements to your female TV and radio broadcasters with a note that sends the message that “March 8 is International Women’s Day.”
  • On a piece of your letterhead, include the results of a recent U.S. poll that revealed that over the past year, 40 percent of women have achieved a major milestone – from overcoming a health issue and changing careers to moving into a new home and learning a new skill.
  • Be sure to let them know that flowers are a time-tested way to show your appreciation and support of the women in your lives — and, of course, just to make them smile.
  • Ask reporters to share a photo with their flowers via their social media channels and use the #Womens Day and tag your shop’s social media handles.
• Send corsages to local women TV news anchors for them to wear on Women’s Day. They might thank your shop on air.
• Do you know a local mom or lifestyle blogger?  Invite them to send a floral arrangement for Women’s Day and blog about their experience. They also may be interested in giving away an arrangement as part of a reader contest.
• Work with a local radio station to have listeners call in to reveal the woman they admire most. One lucky caller gets to send a floral gift to their hero on Women’s Day. Do you have an opportunity to advertise on the station or want to provide the radio host with some promotional copy for the contest? Download radio scripts here.

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Conduct In-Store Promotions

Create awareness of Women’s Day with your customers in the weeks leading up to March 8.

• Capture orders early. When customers place their Valentine’s Day order, tell them about Women’s Day and ask if they would like to order flowers for Women’s Day, too. Consider offering a special for customers ordering Valentine’s Day and Women’s Day gifts at the same time.
• Print SAF’s counter card and place it around your shop. The card is 8.5 x 11 in size and can be printed quickly at a local Fedex Office or other print shop for less than $10.  You can ask for it to be mounted with an easel back, so that it can stand up on your counter, or without an easel back for display in coolers and windows.
• Host a client reception allowing attendees to make a Women’s Day arrangement to keep or give to a friend.  During the event, encourage posting on social media channels, and invite the press to attend as well.
• Hand out single stems with your shop’s information and a note that March 8 is Women’s Day (in front of your shop or other high traffic location in town).
• Conduct in-store workshops/events to general visibility for the occasion and your shop:
  • Invite representatives from local nonprofit women’s organizations to make Women’s Day arrangements for a women’s shelter, hospital or other location where women deserve and need encouragement.
  • Coordinate with a local school for kids to make Women’s Day arrangements for their mothers.
  • Partner with a local sports team (professional or otherwise) to make arrangements for the women in their lives.
  • Host a special Girls’ Night Out in honor or Women’s Day, where friends can celebrate each other and all that they do for their families, friends and in the community. Make it a design workshop where friends swap names and design an arrangement for their friend.
• Hold a contest to honor a local hero. Ask followers to reveal their hero on your Facebook Wall, or partner with a local school to hold an essay contest. The winner receives an arrangement to give their hero. Consider honoring the hero at your shop with an open house – invite customers to attend.
• Host a contest to design and a name a bouquet after a hero in the community. Have people enter in your shop or online by nominating the woman they admire most. People can go online to see nominees. Get the entire community involved in voting.
• Use your voicemail and on-hold messages to tell callers about Women’s Day.
• Display SAF’s Women’s Day web banners on your website and blog.
• Set a table outside your shop offering passersby the opportunity to give a bloom with a personalized message to their hero for Women’s Day. Pre-fasten a card to each flower with your logo, phone number, address and website.

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Forge Local Partnerships

 

Local businesses and organizations can be valuable partners, and create a win-win alliance.

 

• Contact corporate clients and ask if they would like your help in recognizing top-achieving women in their workplace for Women’s Day.
• Reach out to local organizations, such as your chamber of commerce or business development organization, and offer to send flowers to top female leaders on Women’s Day. In exchange, ask them to include an item in their newsletter. Include a personalized note congratulating or thanking them for their service to the community, and ask them to post a photo with your social media handles and #WomensDay.
• If you have promotional partnerships with spas, movie theaters, nail salons, inns or restaurants for Valentine’s Day, talk to them about working together on a similar campaign for Women’s Day.
• Contact popular local businesses — such as restaurants, health clubs and retailers — and determine if they will help you promote Women’s Day. Offer them the opportunity to host a contest to give a customer an arrangement on Women’s Day in exchange for visibility.
• Add your shop information to the bottom of SAF’s Women’s Day fliers and print them in color. Hand them out at bridal shows, include them in invoices, tack them to bulletin boards at gyms and beauty salons, and keep a stack by your cash registrar.
• Place print ads in your area newspapers, including publications by local high schools and colleges.
• Get involved. Many localities and colleges hold Women’s Day events. Find out where the events are in your community by Googling “Women’s Day events” and your city and state, and then contact the organizers to participate.
• Reach out to women’s organizations. Ask how they are celebrating Women’s Day and let them know you can help make their observance special. Organizations to contact include:
  • Red Hat Societies
  • Garden Clubs
  • Girl Scouts
  • Golf and Tennis Clubs
  • Junior Leagues
  • Sororities
  • Professional women’s groups
  • Various charitable organizations led by women
  • PTAs/female teachers
  • Women CEOs and business leaders
  • Local Chambers with women presidents
  • Women in government, mayors, city council
  • Local chapters of American Association of University Women
  • Popular mommy, lifestyle and other women bloggers