Thanksgiving brings to mind family, good food, kindness and gratitude. It is also the beginning of the holiday season, one of the most profitable times of the year for your flower business. With the right combination of marketing and preparation, you can help ensure a happy holiday for your flower shop. Here are some tips that will help you stand out this Thanksgiving.

CREATE A FESTIVE STOREFRONT

An exciting and festive storefront is incredibly important during the Thanksgiving season. Shoppers are already feeling “in the spirit”, and they want to know that you are as eager to celebrate as they are. Show off your floral design abilities in your storefront by adding seasonal products like pumpkins, gourds and fall foliage to draw customers into your store.

HOLD A THANKSGIVING-THEMED CONTEST

Create a contest based on Thanksgiving traditions, and award the winner a floral centerpiece for their Thanksgiving table. You can conduct the contest online through social media or your website, as well as in your store. One idea is to display a large pumpkin in your store and have customers guess its weight or how many seeds are inside. Of course, you’ll also want to take a photo of the winner with their Thanksgiving arrangement and post it on your website and your social media pages.

SPONSOR A C HARIT Y IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Thanksgiving is a season of gratitude and charity, and supporting a local food bank or shelter this Thanksgiving is a wonderful way for you and your customers to give back to the community. Set up a charity drive by asking customers to bring in items for the local homeless shelter, or non-perishables for the local food bank. Another alternative is to donate a dollar to the charity for every floral purchase made during the week before or after Thanksgiving.

ADVERTISE HOME AND BUSINESS DECORATING SERVICES

This may not be viable for every shop, but if you have the time and resources, offer to help business and homeowners brighten up their spaces with flowers for the Thanksgiving holiday. If you can’t get away from the store, you could always offer decor consultations in your flower shop.

GET CREATIVE WITH COSTUMES

Ask your employees to come to work in a creative costume the Monday before Thanksgiving. Award a bonus, perhaps $25, to each employee who participates. Encourage unusual costumes such as a turkey, pumpkin, bowl of cranberries, fall leaves, or a bouquet of fall flowers. Take photos and post them on your website, then send out a link to the photos asking clients, customers, Facebook friends, and other social media contacts to vote for their favorite costume.

Above all, make sure to thank your loyal customers this holiday season. Whether it’s through a personal email or on your shop’s website, let them know how grateful you are for their business and loyalty this Thanksgiving and throughout the year.