By Nita Robertson, AIFD

An annual marketing calendar is an invaluable tool that enables business owners to strategically plan and organize promotional activities for their businesses throughout the year. It serves as a roadmap for marketing initiatives, ensuring that campaigns are executed in a timely and effective manner. By creating a marketing calendar, you can plan and coordinate marketing activities over a designated period, usually spanning a year, which will help you anticipate and align your strategies with key dates, events and holidays. This proactive approach ensures that your marketing efforts will be both timely and relevant to your target audience(s).

One of the primary benefits of developing and implementing a marketing calendar is the ability to establish a consistent presence in the minds of your customers. Consistency in marketing is crucial because it helps reinforce brand identity and keeps your business at the forefront of your customers’ minds. A well-structured calendar prevents the pitfalls of sporadic and last-minute marketing efforts, which can often be rushed and ineffective. Instead, it facilitates a steady flow of thoughtfully planned marketing activities that engage and inform your audience. Regular well-planned communications make it more likely that customers will respond positively to timely reminders and special promotions, ultimately encouraging repeat business and enhancing customer loyalty.

Moreover, a well-executed marketing calendar can provide a competitive edge. In an ever-evolving marketplace, being organized and proactive in your marketing approach can help your business stand out from competitors who may not be as meticulously prepared. By planning ahead, you can align your marketing efforts with significant dates and events, ensuring that you capture the attention of your audience when it matters most. This not only helps drive a steady flow of sales but also strengthens customer engagement throughout the year.

A marketing calendar is not just a tool for scheduling activities; it is a strategic asset that can drive business growth and success. By enabling a structured approach to marketing, it ensures that your efforts are always in sync with your business goals and customer needs. Embracing this organized approach allows you to remain agile and responsive in a competitive environment, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction and business prosperity.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Marketing Calendar

1. Define Your Goals

Identify what you want to achieve with your marketing efforts. Common goals for florists include increasing sales, building brand awareness and enhancing customer loyalty.

2. Identify Key Dates and Events

List all significant holidays, occasions, seasons and events that impact (or could impact) flower sales. For florists, key holidays are Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hanukkah, but there are others that could generate sales in promoted effectively. Key events include high school proms and college formals, graduations, recitals and other achievement recognition events.

3. Plan Promotions and Campaigns

Determine the types of promotions or campaigns you will run for each holiday, occasion, season and event. Think about discounts, special offers, themed arrangements and partnerships.

4. Create Content Themes

Develop content themes for each month or season. This helps maintain a cohesive marketing message across all platforms. For example, spring might focus on renewal and fresh starts while winter could emphasize coziness and holiday cheer.

5. Choose Your Marketing Channels

Decide which marketing channels you will use to reach your audience—social media, email newsletters, blogs and/or podcasts, your website, local print and broadcast advertising, and in-store promotions, among others.

6. Schedule Content and Campaigns

Use a calendar tool (like Google Calendar, Excel, Smartsheet, ClickUp, Asana, Jira, Monday.com, HubSpot, Adobe Workfront, Zoho Projects,  and others), or a dedicated marketing software, to schedule your campaigns and content. Include details like the campaign name, start and end dates, responsible team members and any necessary resources.

ADDITIONAL MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES

• Monthly Blog and Social Media Content: Post care tips for the most popular cut flowers and plants; flower guides for specific seasons, holidays, occasions and events; flower meanings/floriography; in-store events and workshops; behind-the-scenes content and much more.

• Email Newsletters: Send out monthly newsletters featuring current and upcoming promotions, upcoming events, cut flower and plant care tips, upcoming events and anything else that would interest flower lovers and entice them to visit your store.

• Local Events and Partnerships: Participate in local markets, fairs, civic events and the like, and collaborate with other local businesses for cross-promotions.

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

• Marketing Automation Software: Use tools like Mailchimp, HubSpot or Constant Contact for email campaigns.

• Social Media Scheduling Tools: Utilize tools like Sendible, Hootsuite, Sprinklr, SocialPilot, Sprout Social, Loomly, Planable, SocialBee, Zoho Social, Buffer or others to schedule posts in advance.

• Analytics: Track the performance of your campaigns using Google Analytics, HubSpot, Sprout Social, DashThis, Dreamdata or others to adjust strategies as needed.

MONTHLY MARKETING BREAKDOWN FOR 2025

Here’s how a monthly marketing calendar might look. The dates of various holidays, seasons, occasions and events are listed in the month they occur, so you will need to determine how far in advance of each you will want to launch your marketing campaigns. For example, you might want to start marketing Valentine’s Day during the third week of January, Mother’s Day during the third week in April, and so on. Also, remember to include popular local and regional events on your annual marketing calendar, along any other major religious and cultural holidays and occasions that have a significant importance in your community or among your clientele.

JANUARY

• Winter Promotions: Promote indoor plants and winter flowers to brighten homes during the colder months.

• Share Valentine’s Day marketing content.

FEBRUARY

• Groundhog Day (Feb. 2): Fun engagement content predicting spring flowers.

• Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14): Major campaign focused on romantic arrangements.

• Start Prom Marketing

MARCH

• International Women’s Day (March 8): Promote flowers as gifts to celebrate women.

• St. Patrick’s Day (March 17): Feature Irish-themed flower arrangements.

• Spring (Vernal) Equinox (March 20): Launch “Welcome Spring” collection with seasonal blooms.

• Continue Prom Marketing

APRIL

• Easter (April 20): Market Easter-themed bouquets and centerpieces.

• Earth Day (April 22): Emphasize eco-friendly and sustainable floral arrangements.

• Administrative Professionals’ Day (April 23)/Week (April 20-26): Promote flowers as gifts for office staff.

MAY

• Mental Health Awareness Month: Post about the benefits of flowers for mental health.

• Mother’s Day (May 11): Major campaign with special Mother’s Day collections.

• Memorial Day (May 26): Promote patriotic arrangements and grave site decorations.

• Graduations

JUNE

• LGBTQ+ Pride Month

• Graduations

• Wedding Season: Focus on bridal bouquets, wedding arrangements and consultations.

• Father’s Day (June 15): Market plants and more masculine floral arrangements as gifts.

• Summer Solstice (June 21, first full day): Launch summer flower collections.

JULY

• American Grown Flower and Foliage Month: Share posts about flower farmers and locally grown flowers.

• Independence Day (July 4): Promote red-white-and-blue arrangements.

• Summer Events: Focus on flowers for barbecues, picnics and summer parties.

AUGUST

• Back to School: Offer promotions for teachers and school staff.

• Late Summer Blooms: Highlight flowers that thrive in late summer.

SEPTEMBER

• Labor Day (Sept. 1): Promote flowers for Labor Day events and parties.

• Grandparents’ Day (Sept. 7): Special offers for gifting flowers to grandparents.

• Autumn Equinox (Sept. 22): Launch fall flower collections.

OCTOBER

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Promote pink flower arrangements, and donate a portion of proceeds to relevant charities.

• Halloween (Oct. 31): Market spooky-themed floral arrangements and decorations.

NOVEMBER

• Veterans Day (Nov. 11): Promote patriotic flower arrangements for and in remembrance of military veterans.

• Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 27): Major campaign for Thanksgiving centerpieces and arrangements.

• Black Friday (Nov. 28)

• Small Business Saturday (Nov. 29)

DECEMBER

• Cyber Monday (Dec. 1): Special discounts and promotions for online holiday shopping.

• Hanukkah (Dec. 14-22): Promote flowers suitable for Hanukkah celebrations.

• Winter Solstice (Dec. 21)

• Christmas (Dec. 25): Major campaign for holiday-themed floral arrangements and gift plants.

• Kwanzaa (Dec. 26-Jan. 1): Promote floral options for Kwanzaa celebrations.

• New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31): Promote end-of-year celebration bouquets and decorations.