While you’re deep in the heart of Valentine’s Day, it’s never too early to think of the next holiday: St. Patrick’s Day. We know, we know—it’s not at the forefront of your mind right now, but March 17th is closer than you think! Here are a few marketing tips we’ve put together to help you prepare to paint the town green with your floral arrangements.
- Create “St. Patrick’s Day” Floral Arrangements
Generate interest with limited-edition arrangements created specifically for St. Patrick’s Day. Whether you use mostly green florals or add green elements is up to you. Just make sure customers can’t get these arrangements at any other time of year, and then promote them broadly as “Exclusive St. Patrick’s Day Floral Arrangements” on your website and social media. This will create a sense of urgency for customers to buy them now.
- Offer a Special St Patrick’s Day Promotion
Take a look at your stock to identify slow-moving products, then work out how to offer them at a discount for St. Patrick’s Day. 17% would be a great idea for a discount, since St. Patrick’s Day occurs on March 17th. Attach a shamrock to the arrangements you want to sell, and write down the discount price on the shamrock. You can also offer a discount to people who come into the store wearing something green. Another idea is to put your green items, such as succulents and plants, on sale. Whatever you choose, make sure you promote it on social media and in your emails.
- Create a “Non-Salesy” Email Campaign
These days, customers are quite savvy and don’t particularly like being hit over the head with silly promotions or puns. Why not make your St. Patrick’s Day email campaign more subtle, by offering your promotions in a well-designed, eye-catching email that doesn’t even mention St. Patrick’s Day? You could call them March Promotions, or Spring Promotions, but make sure they include the color green (perhaps a more subtle green, like mint) and the distinct images of St. Patrick’s Day, such as tastefully drawn shamrocks.
- Design a St. Patrick’s Day Floral Pinterest Board
If you use Pinterest to promote your arrangements—and even if you don’t—why not create a board of St. Patrick’s Day-themed content? You can show floral arrangements, of course, but also include recipes, party ideas, and more. Use your other social media, like Facebook and Instagram, to direct followers to your Pinterest board. It’s a creative way to build traffic and followers!
- Use a Themed Promotional Hashtag
Work out a hashtag that would work for your overall St. Patrick’s Day marketing and use it to engage your customers across social media. One idea might be #[your business name] followed by #stpatricksdaysale. You could also just use the hashtags #stpatricksday, #shamrock, #green, and #lucky to bring in more traffic to your social media threads. Create contests around sharing favorite St. Patrick’s Day memories, answering trivia, or sharing a themed photo. Offer prizes like a St. Patrick’s Day arrangement to the winners. It’s a great way to increase traffic.
Don’t just rely on “luck” for St. Patrick’s Day: Use these tips to create interest and sales!