Blooming Good Ideas for Spring Balloon Decor

With Mother's Day, Easter, International Woman's Day, plenty of spring birthdays and fresh new babies over the coming months, this is the perfect time for balloon businesses to boost their marketing and sales opportunities with a bright and fresh spring theme decor and delivery ideas!

Spring is actually my favourite time of year; the blossoming trees and early flowers pushing through the earth holds so much charm for me. I don't know about you, but I definitely feel more energised and ready to take on new projects and challenges in the Spring! 

International Woman's Day

International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

I have read much about International Woman's Day, and feel that it is important as a female entrepreneur and business owner to stand loud and proud and use this day to create greater awareness of women in business. Here is a great post, titled 6 International Woman's day social post ideas 2023, that is packed with some great ideas that you could implement!

Standing for Women!

Celebrate International Women’s Day with this impressive display.

Designer name: Alexander Solomatin, CBA, Moscow, Russia, Dmitry Novikov, CBA, Moscow, Russia

If you would like to learn how to make a Number of Eight sculpture check out my post: International Women's Day and how to make this fabulous Number Eight Sculpture by Alexander Solomatin, CBA.

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is a holiday to honour and celebrate mothers (and any other woman that has taken on a 'mother' role in a person's life) and is celebrated in countries worldwide. The holiday originated in the United States in its modern form, and is observed on the second Sunday in May. Many other countries also celebrate the holiday on this date, while some celebrate at different times of the year. In the UK, we celebrate it on the 4th Sunday of lent, which means that the date varies each year according to Easter. This year we will be celebrating Mother's Day on the 19th March! 

When it comes to finding the perfect gift for Mother's Day, most people leave it to the last minute (much like Valentine's Day). It is human nature to delay until the date creeps up, then frantically rush around looking for gift ideas at the final hour.

This is why it’s a great idea to start promoting Mother’s Day at least 3-4 weeks before the special day. It gives you time to remind shoppers that the big day is coming and helps them start thinking about what to buy.

Qualatex has a comprehensive range of fabulous marketing assets available to use for social media posts for Facebook, Stories and Instagram plus Facebook banners too! Click HERE for direct access or go to https://us.qualatex.com/en-us/inspiration/marketing-materials/

Rain, Sun, Rainbow, Repeat…

This dreamy rainbow design is sure to make her day.

Designer name: Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA

Crazy for Daisies!

Spring flowers are all the rage for Mother’s Day, especially in a balloon centerpiece.

Designer name: Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA

I dream in watercolor…

This extra dreamy design will thrill all moms this Mother’s Day!

Designer name: Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA

For more great ideas, check out Happy Hour with Cam and Eve!

I have a number of previous posts that are packed with ideas and inspiration for Mother's Day! 

Mother's Day Idea's and Inspiration - 

https://theverybestballoonblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/mothers-day-2021-ideas-and-inspiration.html

A Little Inspiration for Mother's Day Marketing and Promotion 2022

https://theverybestballoonblog.blogspot.com/2022/03/a-little-inspiration-for-mothers-day.html

Easter

Easter has become the new hot holiday for stuffing balloons! Like Elf on the Shelf at Christmas, it is now popular to give a child a stuffing balloon filled with Easter Treats and topped with a Floppy Eared Bunny or Baby Chick balloon!

And finally, Babies and Birthdays featuring the newest Qualatex balloons! 

Flutter Into Spring

This lovely design is perfect for a bright and airy spring birthday!

Designer name: Eve Antonello, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA

Grinning over Birthdays

Smiling from ear to ear over this design!

Designer name: Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA

Sweet as Sugar

Cook up this extra sweet design for a fun birthday at any age!

Designer name: Eve Antonello, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA

Babies are Magic

Nothing says “Hello little one!” like a magical unicorn.

Designer name: Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA

Cuddle them Close
This cuddly and lovely deliverable will charm every new parent.
Designer name: Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA

I dream of baby…
Float away to baby land with this sweet ‘new baby’ deliverable.
Designer name: Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA

I am certainly inspired by all the new Qualatex balloons and excited to start creating! I look forward to seeing all your fabulous designs appearing on socials soon! 

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler

A Little Inspiration for Mother's Day Marketing and Promotion 2022

Mother’s Day is a holiday in honour of mothers (and any other woman that has played a significant role in a person's life) celebrated in countries worldwide. The holiday originated in the United States, in its modern form, observed on the second Sunday in May. Many other countries also celebrate the holiday on this date, while some at different times of the year. In the UK, we celebrate it on the 4th Sunday of lent, which means that the date varies each year according  to Easter. This year we will be celebrating Mother's Day on the 27th March! 

When Should You Start Promoting for Mother’s Day?

When it comes to finding the perfect gift, most people leave it to the last minute (much like Valentine's Day). It is human nature to delay until the date creeps up, then frantically rush around looking for gift ideas.

That’s why it’s a great idea to start promoting Mother’s Day at least 3-4 weeks before the special day. It gives you time to remind shoppers that the big day is coming and decide what to buy.

Last year I wrote a post: "Mother's Day Social Media Marketing Ideas- Are you Ready? 

This post is packed with great ideas for making compelling and memorable social media posts.

Here are some more great promotion ideas for this year's campaign.

Mother's Day Giveaway promotion.

Running a giveaway is one of the easiest ways to raise awareness for your Mother’s Day promotions. They are hugely popular with most audiences and have the potential to go direct tons of traffic to your business website. 

For instance, you could run a photo contest, asking people to share their favourite photos with their mother,  family, or with their kids for a chance to win a special prize.

Before running your contest on Facebook, it’s essential to understand that you are responsible for lawfully operating it. This means that it’s your job to make the following details crystal clear:

Your official competition rules

Offer terms and eligibility requirements

Compliance with rules governing the promotion and prize you offer

It’s a great idea to create official terms and conditions to ensure your contest runs smoothly.

Your contest rules should include:

• Who can enter your contest
• How people can enter
• A description of the giveaway prize
• How you’ll choose a winner
• How you’ll deliver the prize
• When the contest starts and ends
• It would be best to display your contest rules where users can see them. For example, you could create a landing page and link to it to your Facebook giveaway post.

Make sure that you follow the Facebook competition guidelines:

1. You Are Responsible for Running Your Contest

2. Be Clear Your Contest Is Not Affiliated with Facebook

3. Know Which Contests Are Allowed on Facebook

4. Do Not Require Prohibited Actions to Enter

5. Avoid Running Competitions on a Personal Profile

6. Get Permission to Use User-Generated Content

7. Facebook Will Not Assist With Your Promotion

If you are looking for inspiration, check out the Balloon Decor INSPIRATION section on the Qualatex website. You can easily find what you are looking for by using the search options. Here are few beautiful designs featured in the Mother's Day section.

To check out the 2022 Qualatex Spring & Summer Collection, visit https://europe.qualatex.com/en-gb/products/print-catalogues-fliers/spring-summer-collection/

I look forward to seeing all your fabulous Mother's Day marketing posts and if you have never run an online contest, why not try one this year? Who knows, it might just be very successful! 

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler

March 2022 Holidays, Events & Special Days

Did you know that 18th March is Global Recycling Day? 

Daffodil Sculptures by
Chris Adamo, CBA, of Balloons Online and The Balloon Crew 
in Sydney, Australia.

Spring has sprung and with it comes March, a month filled with celebrations and special days! Some of these days are very recognisable, and others are a little more diverse, but each could make a great social media post... like World Frog Day on March 20th! 

1st March is St David's Day. St. David is the patron saint of Wales, and celebrations include wearing daffodils and leeks, eating traditional Welsh food and wearing Welsh national costume.

8th March International Women's Day - Women's Day is celebrated globally and is a national holiday in many countries. It is a day that honours women and their remarkable contribution to society. The day also commemorates the inspiring role of women around the world in their efforts to secure women's rights and build more equitable societies.

To honour International Woman's Day, Alexander Solomatin, CBA of Balloondog, Moscow, Russia, created this fabulous Number Eight sculpture that incorporates both balloons and flowers.

If you would like to learn how to make this fabulous Number 8 frame - check out my post 

International Women's Day and how to make this fabulous Number Eight Sculpture by Alexander Solomatin, CBA.

9th Mar 2022 is Barbie Day. On 9th March 1959, this 11-inch tall bombshell made her debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York. Barbie Day celebrates this ever-popular toy.

17th Mar 2022 St. Patrick's Day - Ireland's national day celebrates the Irish patron, Saint Patrick. The day is celebrated all around the world with Guinness and shamrock decorations.

This fantastic Shamrock design was created by
Fiona Fisher, CBA of Worldwide Balloon Decor in 
Belfast, Ireland.

18th Mar 2022 is Global Recycling Day - It is a day to recognise and celebrate the importance that recycling plays in preserving our precious primary resources and securing the future of our planet. It is a day for the world to come together and put the planet first.

To find out more visit - https://www.globalrecyclingday.com/about/

It is really important for the balloon community to constantly encourage the recycling of balloons and balloon related products, and encourage customers to re-use and recycle their own balloons.

Refill Foil Balloons

Foil balloons can typically be refilled multiple times! With care, you can release the air or helium inside and store it for its next use!

Repurpose Balloons

Balloons can be repurposed beyond their original use for new DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects including artwork, gift wrap, garden “scarecrows” and more! 

Dispose Of Balloons Properly

Finished enjoying balloons? Dispose of them properly by popping each balloon with a pin or scissors and placing in a trash receptacle. Because latex balloons are biodegradable, they can actually be composted! If you have a compost pile or know of a composting facility near you, this is a great way to dispose of latex balloons.

Recycle Your Balloon Waste

These tips help you manage the balloon waste after your event. But don’t stop there! Companies like TerraCycle offer programs to recycle all of your post-party supplies, not just balloons. With your help, we can create a cleaner world after all of life’s celebrations.

March 20, 2022 marks World Frog Day! Why not make this fabulous frog design by Cam Woody, CBA, of Pioneer Balloon Company (see below for instructions).

27th March 2022 is Mother's Day in the UK. This is the day where we show our mother's just how much we love them. In the UK, Mother's Day is always linked to Easter (the 4th Sunday in Lent), whereas in the US, it's always celebrated on the second Sunday in May.

I will be doing more posts on Mother's Day design ideas over the next few weeks! 

Looks like we have plenty of events in March to keep ourselves and our social media pages very busy! 

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @Suebowler

Mother's Day Social Media Marketing Ideas- Are you Ready?

Are you ready for Mother's Day? Contrary to popular belief, Mother's Day is celebrated on various dates around the world. However, with less than two weeks until we celebrate Mother's Day in the UK, it's important that we spend this time ramping up our social media activity to ensure maximum sales! 

Firstly, have you updated your Business Facebook Page cover? A Facebook cover is the equivalent to a shop window for a business page. Online shoppers look at it for a second and make a decision whether to stay on the page or not. Moreover, it can also work as a small landing page, a call-to-action visual and an event announcement. You can easily make your own Facebook covers using Canva: I made the one above and it took me about 5 minutes. If you would like to learn how, watch the 7 minute video below.

If you don't feel confident enough to create your own, Qualatex has impressive ready-made covers available for anyone to use! Simply visit the Marketing Materials section on the Qualatex website. They are free, and quick and easy to download! There are many different covers to choose from, for all occasions! 

Social media posts are really important to remind everyone that Mother's Day is on the way! 

Here is a selection of different styles of posts. It's important to keep them varied and interesting! 

Make sure your visual content is appealing. With all the content that you share with your audience, you always want share your best. Make sure your visual quote looks attractive and nice.

I made this visual quote once again using Canva, I found the quote that I wanted to use and then framed it using one of the pretty borders in ELEMENTS. 

Qualatex has even more applicable ready-made marketing materials that you can download. The great things about these materials is that once you have downloaded them, you can personalise them any way that you want! You could add your company name and details, or maybe quickly draft a message and a reminder that Mother's Day is coming! To find all the social media posts click HERE or visit https://us.qualatex.com/en-us/inspiration/marketing-materials/

Don't forget to use creative #hashtags to get your posts noticed! Here is a selection of #hashtags that you could use:

#mothersday

#mothersdaygift

#mothersdaygiftideas

#mothersdaygifts

#mothersdayballoons

#balloondelivery

#balloondeliveries

#balloondeliveries(mytownname)

#balloons(mytownname)

Remember that Mother's Day is a celebration for women in all walks of life, so maybe create a posts that celebrates;

Mother's 

Mum's to Be

Stepmother's

Wive's

Daughter's

Sister's

Grandmother's

Godmother's

I hope that has helped you even just a little and I wish you every success with Mother's Day!

Happy Ballooning!

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler 

Mother's Day Idea's and Inspiration

Mother's Day comes early for many of us this year! In the UK, the date is linked to Easter, which is different each year as it is determined by the lunar calendar. Many Eastern European countries celebrate Mother's Day on the 8th March, the same day as International Woman's Day! The majority of countries celebrates Mother's Day on the 8th May. 

This was a variation on a design that I created for my Expression of Love on-line webinar, and made a Mother's Day version using exactly the same techniques! 
Click HERE for a link to the class.

Cam Woody and Eve Antonello share balloon idea's, designs, and inspiration on their bi-weekly live show on Tuesdays at 1:00pm CST on Mr Q's Facebook page or over on Instagram at @eveantonellocba! 

Just in case you missed these two fantastic classes with Cam and Eve, I'll share them with you here so that you can catch up! 

Happy Hour with Cam & Eve: Mother's Day Designs (Part 1)

Say "I Love You, Mom!" with these sweet Mother's Day designs that are perfect for any day of the year!

Happy Hour with Cam & Eve: Mother's Day Designs (Part 2)

Say "I Love You, Mom!" with these sweet Mother's Day designs that are perfect foray of the year!

Here are a few more appealing designs perfect for those very special mother's on Mother's Day.

Mother's Day Stylish Stripes  -  Show Mum's how much we love them with this fabulous chic delivery design. Design by Garlis Bolivar, CBA, of La Gloria, Mexico City, Mexico.

To create this stylish, air-filled design, begin by creating a base of four 5" Gold latex and four 6" Rose Hearts, both ties into a 4-balloon cluster.Tie in a White 350Q to the clusters, then add Gold and Rose clusters on the other end of the 350Q to complement the base. Tie the “Love You M(Heart)M Stripes” Microfoil in to the top. Add value by tying on Onyx Black 160Q stripes and finish with Gold and Rose vinyl dots.

Mother's Day Spring Blossom Centrepiece - Make the most of Mother's Day with this centrepiece featuring a "Mother's Day Pink Peonies" Bubble Balloon® from Qualatex®. Designed by Cam Woody, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA

Queen For A Mother's Day - Treat Mom like the queen she is with this beautiful bouquet.

Designed by Brenda Fink, CBA, Party Magic & Gift, Bethalto, IL, USA

Zahraa Jawad, CBA of Forever Balloons Boutique in Beirut, Lebanon always impresses with her amazing designs! Zahraa loves adding eye-catching details, much like I do! Simply adding a beautiful satin ribbon bow can really add value to a design! I also love how Zahraa creates the word MOM using the Northstar 16" letters and the 16" Jelli Balloon Number 0! 

If you would like to learn how to make a Six Petal Balloon Flower, like the flowers used in Zahraa's design above, check out Jackie Ochitwa's video below.

Watch out for my next post when I will be sharing some great marketing ideas for Mother's Day!

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler 

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring! Spring is in the Air, and Nature is Saying, 'Let's Party!'

I think I can speak for all of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere when I say, we are more than a bit grateful to see the spring flowers poking through the ground, getting ready to burst into magnificent colour! For me, it has felt like a very long winter, I suppose being predominantly in a state of lock down has not helped! However, it is extremely encouraging to see a few countries around the world who appear to be getting back to some sort of normality - it truly does feel like we are coming towards the end of a very long tunnel!

With Spring in mind, how gorgeous is this organic decor by Chris Adamo, I love the freshness of this beautiful colour palette! 

Fabulous Spring Decor by Chris Adamo of 
The Balloon Crew - Balloons.net.au,  
in Sydney, Australia

With that in mind, I thought it would be fitting to start looking at design ideas that reflect this magical time of year.

I love seeing the arrival of the bee's and butterflies, collecting up nectar from flowers and shrubs as they start to open. What better way to reflect this beautiful season than to create a selection of designs using the NEW Qualatex Bee range of balloons! 

How adorable is this 'Sweet as Honey" design by Eve Antonello, CBA, Pioneer Balloon Company, Wichita, KS, USA.

This new 24"  "Sweet Bees & Daisies" Deco Bubble is adorably appealing, and can be used for many different occasions! 

 #: 15733

Here are some great message inspiration when personalising your Bubble Balloons -remember, your customers need a little help sometimes!  

Just Bee Awesome

Bee led by your Dreams! 

Bee Mine!

Sweet as can Bee...

This "Sweet Bee" is available in two sizes!
38" - #16376/16305
14" "Mini Sweet Bee" - #16212

This NEW 18" - "Mother's Day Bee's & Flowers" Microfoil balloons will be a definite winner this Mother's Day! I know that I am looking forward to working with it for a future post! 

#17539/17537

Compliment your design using these fabulous Spring colours! 

Caribbean Blue
Rose
Goldenrod

"Bee" ready for the 2021 Baby Boom! Have a range of new Mother-to-be, Baby Shower and Baby designs ideas ready to inspire your customers - In keeping with the Bee theme, this "Mother to Bee" - 20" Microfoil balloon will wow any new mummies! 

20" - "Mother to Bee" 
#16436/16434

The Pantone Colour of the Year for 2021 has been named as "Ultimate Gray and Illuminating", a soft grey tone and yellow. This colour combination of Grey and Yellow will be perfect to compliment the Bee range of balloons!

For even more super inspiration for Mother's Day, don't miss out on Federico Onida's upcoming webinar: 

Join Federico Onida, CBA on February 17th 2021 for the Mother's Day Gifts She'll Adore webinar! 💐

For more information and to register visit https://www.eventbrite.com/.../qualatex-online-education or click HERE.

The webinar will be broadcasted LIVE on Wednesday, February 17th for 2 hours (90-minute class followed by a 30-minute Q&A session) at 3pm GMT, check for your location time. It will be recorded, and the link to the on-demand video will be sent to you within 48hours of the live webinar. If you miss anything during the live webinar, you will be able to go back to it on your own time.

I don't know about you but I am always looking for inspiration for my social media posts, and lifestyle photographs are always ideal for attracting attention on a Facebook or Instagram post. Have you checked out the amazing FREE Social Media resources available on the Qualatex website recently? There are lots of exciting new posts and images available. Click HERE for a direct link. The great thing about many of the images is that you can easily add your own caption or message.

Check out the 2021 Qualatex  Spring & Summer Collection, click HERE for a direct link.

Make sure that you check out the 2020 Qualatex Everyday Essentials, it features the Bee range and much more! Click HERE for a direct link.

As you may have gathered, I am really excited that we are heading into this new season, it feels like a whole new energy, and renewed hope is on the horizon. We have many great events over the next few months including Easter and Mother's Day, with many great Qualatex balloons to work with! 

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler