Confronted with a Sunday Valentine’s Day in the middle of a holiday weekend — the worst case scenario — Rick Rivers knew he’d have to pull out all the marketing stops this year.
In addition to his billboard ads and “Dr. Love” coupons dispersed at sports bars during NFL playoff games, the owner of A Floral Boutique in Ormond, Florida hosted a pre-VD party, Jan. 13.
“Our local Chamber of Commerce has a monthly social, so I volunteered to host January’s and have transformed it into a VD open ‘love’ house,” he said.
Rivers partnered with a local gourmet restaurant and day spa, which increased his reach and kept marketing costs low. It also helped Rivers achieve his goal of selling package gifts (i.e. higher ticket prices) for the holiday.
The Chamber of Commerce mailed 700 invitations for the party, while the three vendors marketed it on talk radio and billboards.
“We emphasized the payoff of delivering the full package for Valentine’s Day and talked up our theme, ‘Let no lover be left behind’,” Rivers said.
The event drew 121 people. Rivers offered a package of 24 red roses, chocolate, dinner for two at a nice restaurant, and a 1/2 day spa package for $299. (After the show, the price went up to $350.)
Rivers made about $1,000 (which included three full packages and a hand
ful of smaller gifts) and met 50 people who had never bought flowers from him before.
The festive but laid-back atmosphere “was great for getting new leads,” he said.
Other highlights included free food and drinks, designer demos, and a flower raffle.
“All in all, it was a great start for Valentine’s Day,” he said. “We need to do everything we can to get sales early. And a lot of guests told me they really liked this concept.”