You don't have to tell David Calcaterra that flowers win people over. He knows — and he uses that dynamic to his shop's advantage when it comes to scoring good media coverage.

His shop, Thrifty Florist, which has 16 locations in metro Detroit and surrounding areas, was covered in an in-depth story in the business section of the Detroit Free Press on Feb. 13, as well as the local FOX affiliate, WJBK.

"My trick to all of this is sending people flowers," Calcaterra, vice president, told E-Brief editors. "When we have something new, I'll send a bouquet of flowers." 

Those flowers kept the company on the local media's radar and Calcaterra was recently contacted by the local paper about how technology has played a role in the shop's increased sales. The Detroit Free Press article, which included a color photo and was more than 600 words long, focused on how florists are using the Internet to boost their sales.

"The flower industry is going high-tech," Calcaterra told the paper. "I would say we're going to start gearing more and more of our business practices on the Internet and our Web site. We'll spend more on advertising to get more clicks on our site."

Thrifty Florist also got coverage on WJBK prior to Valentine's Day by sending the station a unique arrangement of roses in a square vase with a note that read, "It's hip to be square." After getting featured in a 5-minute segment on Feb. 10, Thrifty Florist got several special orders from viewers who'd seen the arrangement. 

No need to wait for a holiday like Valentine's Day to get media coverage. Calcaterra suggests sending out arrangements to the local media for Memorial Day to promote using centerpieces for barbecues. He swears that as long as you're consistent, you'll hear back from the media.

"98 percent of the time we get a call back," Calcaterra said.

Potomac Floral Wholesale also made news on Valentine's Day by giving WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C., a firsthand look at its operation. The station showed up at Potomac Floral Wholesale (with no notice) in Silver Spring, Md., at 5 a.m. on Valentine's Day. Owner Tsur Reiss gave reporter Howard Bernstein a guided tour of the operation, which was part of a segment that aired on Valentine's Day. Potomac has been serving the Washington, D.C., area for 10 years, during which it has built up a relationship with local media, says a company representative.

SAF Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Sparks says Mother's Day presents another great opportunity to get some publicity. "Use content from SAF's consumer Web site in a press release, to highlight some fun facts about the holiday in a press release" you send via e-mail to targeted local newspaper, TV, and radio reporters, she says. "Offer to let key reporters see the behind-the-scenes of shop preparations or ride along on your deliveries." If you're short on time, send a quick e-mail note (with flowers) to a few key reporters letting them know you are available as a resource for their Mother's Day coverage. "Let them know you will open your shop to them for a behind-the-scenes look," she says.

For more helpful marketing ideas or tips for interviewing with the media, head over to the Industry Promotion section of the SAF Web site.

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

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