We know it’s still October, but November is coming fast, and it’s a big holiday month that can help your floral business. After all, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday happen all on the same weekend!

With some smart Thanksgiving marketing, you can take advantage of increased revenue for that weekend and the entire month of November. To give you some assistance, here are seven ideas you can use to generate more Thanksgiving sales and many new customers.

1. Create Deals for the Entire Month

Your potential customers will have plenty of choices for Thanksgiving decor, and they’re shopping earlier than ever these days. Get ahead of your competition by running your Thanksgiving promotions early in November and keeping them going all month long. Create a new promotion each week leading up to Thanksgiving and feature it on your social media pages and in an email. Customers will appreciate being able to secure their Thanksgiving flowers well before the holiday itself.

2. Dress up Your Social Media Accounts

Update all your social media accounts with Thanksgiving-themed images. You may want to add a pumpkin or fall leaf to your logo or change the look by adding some fall colors. In addition, you’ll want to update the profile picture on each of your social media accounts to better reflect the holiday. A great way to do this is to create a gorgeous fall floral arrangement in a Thanksgiving table setting.

3. Have a Turkey Day Giveaway

A fantastic way to create buzz and get more email subscribers is to hold a giveaway for a free Thanksgiving dinner. Partner with a local restaurant and run a contest where the winner receives the dinner plus a beautiful table arrangement. Feature the contest on social media, asking people to share what they’re most thankful for this season. Tell them that you will choose the winner at random and that they need to provide their email address to enter. That way, you’ll increase your mailing list and can continue to promote to them after Thanksgiving.

4. Share Your Story of Thanks

Now that you’re asking people to tell you what they’re most thankful for, why not share your gratitude as well? People love to hear personal stories, which will help them connect more with you and your business. Share your story about what Thanksgiving means to you as a blog post on your website, in social media posts, or both. If you have a bit more time, create a series of daily posts that you can feature in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, with a new thing you’re thankful for each day.

5. Send Gifts to Your Best Customers

Customers love receiving free gifts with their purchases. In fact, consumers often appreciate a gift more than a discount, according to a study done by the Journal of Consumer Research. When one of your loyal customers purchases a Thanksgiving arrangement this year, throw in a gift like a small succulent or a bud vase with a single bloom. These free gifts will keep your customers coming back. Plus, your word of mouth will skyrocket as they tell their family and friends about the special gift they received from you.

6. Send Handwritten Thank-you Notes

With so many people shopping online, providing a personal touch to your customers can be challenging. Yet, people still crave that personalization and will continue shopping with a business they feel genuinely cares about them. One way to add that personal touch is to include a handwritten thank-you note with each arrangement. This can be a short note, but the goodwill you generate will go a long way.

7. Get Involved in Local Events

Local events are everywhere this time of year, from farmer’s markets to craft fairs to art festivals. Look for upcoming events in your area and contact them to see if you can set up a booth. Then, feature your holiday arrangements and hand out coupons to people as they come by. This will help spread the word about your flower shop and the many decorative ideas you can provide for Thanksgiving and throughout the rest of the holiday season.

Try out a few of these Thanksgiving marketing ideas this year and let us know which ones work best for your business. And if you’ve got some ideas that have worked for you, please let us know so we can share them with our floral community.