Spread the Love!

Roses are red,
violets are blue,
…
Valentine’s Day is coming!

It may feel like you only just finished unwrapping your Christmas gifts. Heck, some of you may still have your decorations up. But everybody’s *favorite* Hallmark holiday is right around the corner. If you’re in the world of marketing, you probably quickly switched gears at the beginning of January and are now finishing up a Valentine’s Day campaign. Or perhaps, you don’t think it is a valuable event for your business? Well, actually, Valentine’s Day can have a great impact, for businesses big and small.

In the United Kingdom, Valentine’s Day brings in over £450 million; the day is worth $15 billion in the United States! So, your business should probably position itself as a destination for gifts or celebrations. Valentine’s Day is essentially a holiday based on folks spending money on their loved ones, which results in a nice Q1 revenue boost for businesses. Whether you personally love or loathe the day, businesses are acutely aware of potential revenue Valentine’s Day can bring in.

If you’ve done your audience research, you’ll have a good idea of what they want and how your brand fits into the holiday. Here are a few marketing ideas to get you started if you’re struggling to see how to market for the big love day.

Put together a themed email marketing campaign.

Love is in your inbox!

The benefits of email marketing are well-documented. A Valentine’s Day-themed email campaign is a great way to captivate your customers (and prospects). Whatever you may have to offer – romantic dinners, flowers, clothes, etc. – email marketing will help your brand gather more leads and drive more sales.

To increase opens, craft subject lines that play into the themes of love and romance. Or just go ahead and explicitly say you have Valentine’s Day supplies. Stick with your Valentine’s Day theme throughout, in header graphics, the copy, and even the wording of your CTA button.

You could also send out an e-card to your customers, thanking them for supporting your business. Encourage their continued support by including a special Valentine’s Day offer in the card.

Valentine’s Day email marketing isn’t only for retailers, publishers can get in on it, too (as showcased in the LittleThings example below). If you’re a publisher, send your subscribers high-quality content that relates to crafts or recipes or games for the holiday.

Encourage user-generated content.

At the core of a good marketing strategy is creating a connection between consumer and brand. User-generated content is an effective tactic to portray sincerity, authenticity, and build trust with consumers. This Valentine’s Day, try asking your audiences to participate in your campaign.

• Hashtag Campaign

A hashtag campaign drives engagement, spreads brand awareness, and results in lots of user-generated content. Offer a Valentine’s Day prize for best piece of UGC to generate interest and encourage participation. Brainstorm many # ideas and choose something memorable and unique.

• Audience Participation

Ask you audiences on different platforms to participate in other ways than using your V-Day campaign hashtag. Ask for love stories or terrible date stories. Run love polls! Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram all support polls. They’re a fun way to drive engagement with your followers.

Promote your products and encourage shopping with some cliche, but heartfelt, ideas:

Love letters, cupids, candies, flowers, chocolate, poetry – cliches can be cute!

• Celebrate the heart.
• Highlight your red and/or pink products.
• Get your online audience in the spirit by updating your social media covers, banners, and profile images with something fun and thematic.
• Run a “We Love Our Customers” campaign.
• Create a gift guide and incorporate it into your email campaign.
• Run a contest or deal on your social media channels.
• Promote your date night products.
• Reposition those impulse buys and last-minute gifts.
• Don’t forget to push gift cards! Simple and perfect for any occasion.

Remember, Valentine’s Day is not just for couples:

• Celebrate Galentine’s Day on February 13th. Create a campaign around this; publish blog content with gift guides for BFFs, ask your audience how they celebrate their friends, or throw a customer party!
• Turn the focus inward by celebrating self-love and anything that makes people feel good about themselves. Send out a fun game or checklist for people to interact with.

~ ~ ~

Sure, not everyone loves Valentine’s Day. But not everyone celebrates Christmas and very few businesses don’t engage in some kind of Xmas marketing. There are so many holidays and events celebrated around the world and they appeal to different demographics. But unless everyone in your target audiences shares the same contempt for Valentine’s Day (and you have the data to prove it) then it’d be unwise for your business to sit this day out. Between social media promotions, email marketing campaigns, and interactive content, there is a wealth of opportunities to celebrate the big day of love.

What is your business doing to celebrate February 14th this year?