Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity for small businesses to show their customers some love and create some marketing buzz. It’s the first holiday of the year after the winter holidays that businesses can use to come up with creative ways to get their products out the door. Valentine’s day is a holiday that businesses can market towards couples, friends and partners to celebrate their love and affections for one another, and it’s a great opportunity for businesses to expand their customer base. But coming up with creative, meaningful ideas can be tough. Especially after a wave of intense shopping and ad campaigns post Christmas, getting your creative juices flowing can be tough early in the year. That’s why we spoke to a group of top level business executives to share some marketing tips that will help your business stand out from the competition and connect with customers in a meaningful way. So read on to find out how you can make the most of Valentine’s Day this year!
Offer Exclusive Deals and Discounts
Offering exclusive deals and discounts is a great way to bring valuable customers in during the Valentine’s day season, which as we know is a very important holiday! “Any holiday is an excuse for businesses to engage their customers with their product lines. One of the best ways to do this is by offering exclusive deals around the holiday! For Valentine’s day, two for one deals are a great way to think because many will be looking for activities and things to enjoy with their special someone. This could come in the form of an actual two-for-one deal, or you could consider making couples packages that include doubles of your best products for both parties to enjoy,” offered Andrew Ferenci, CEO and Founder of Comrad Socks.
Discounts and deals are the best way to get couples and customers into your store and onto your website this season. “Discounts are a great way to grab the attention of customers during a holiday season. Consider when to advertise for these deals, if you’re an online business you’ll want to run your discount campaigns ahead of time to give customers enough time to order and receive their products in time. Even businesses that deal with in person retail might want to consider advertising your themed packages and discounts a few weeks before the holiday occurs,” added Amanda E. Johnson, CMO of TatBrow.
A Great Time to Advertise
Regardless of the deals you offer, Valentine’s day is a great time to advertise and bring customers in on a very important holiday. “Holiday’s are also a great time to simply advertise for your business. If you’re a new small business, it might not be practical to be offering deals and discounts. Instead, you could come up with some fun social media posts or simple ad campaigns adding a little bit of flair to your online aesthetic. Even at a regular price, you can attract a lot of business by using imagery and themes surrounding a holiday to get customers in the door,” suggested Chris Hetherington, Founder and CEO of Peels. Valentine’s day themed ads can get customers in the door even if you don’t sell typical ‘couples’ products like clothes, food or jewelry. “Even if your brand doesn’t have a lot of Valentine’s centric products, it’s still a great time to build marketing campaigns and advertisements to draw customers in for the rest of the year,” said Dan Lewis of Convoy.
Send Valentines Day Cards To Clients
A cute way to involve your clients in your campaigns is by sending them Valentine’s day cards. “One way to show appreciation to your client base is to send Valentine’s day cards to your customers! These days, digital cards going out to your email list is a great and efficient way to send your customers a little love and maybe include a coupon for a discounted product for being a loyal customer! Find ways to engage your customers this holiday season and make them feel special!” said Dan Potter, Managing Director and CEO of CRAFTD.
Some brands will be at an advantage with their products being geared towards couples. If you sell food, clothing or skin care accessories you can easily put together couples kits! “When building a marketing plan for Valentine’s day, take stock of what products or services you sell that would be attractive to couples for the holiday! Make sure to highlight activities that would go well with a date night and would be fun for two people to engage in. For example, if you sell nutrition products you could market a package deal on some healthy snacks for a couple to enjoy together. If you are a skin care brand, a gender neutral collection of lotions and self care products are great things to advertise for during Valentine’s day,” mentioned Tri Nguyen, Co-Founder and CEO of Network Capital.
Create Gift Guides
Consider making a list for last minute gift buyers! Targeting this audience is a great idea because not everyone has time to shop beforehand. “Brands provide a great service during the holiday shopping season: easy ideas for last minute gift buyers! We all know them, and this is a great angle to consider when pushing your campaign this Valentine’s day. Especially this year, when so much is still so challenging in our daily lives, customers need easy options for gifts that will bring them and their loved ones a little joy in 2022,” noted Kevin Miller, Founder of Kevinmiller.com.
Additionally, your company could make a gift guide for those that are unsure what to get a new friend or partner this holiday. “Consider creating a guide that features your products to give your customers an idea of what gifts might be good for their partner this season! This can be helpful for people shopping who might not know of everything you offer. Make a clear and concise Valentine’s themed list of your products that would be good for couples to give one another this season,” added Ashwin Sokke, Co-founder of WOW Skin Science.
Spice Up Your Aesthetic
Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to experiment with different kinds of themed social media posts. Romantic imagery reflecting modern romance and relationships will bring younger customers into your circle. “Pay attention to the imagery you use for your marketing campaigns during Valentine’s day! The best ads will feature modern examples of romance and love and lean heavily on romantic imagery. Spice up your social media page to get eyes on your brand during Valentine’s day this year! It can make all the difference to really lean into the themes of the holiday,” said Adam Reed, CEO of Crown & Paw.
Some brands are going to be positioned to offer no-brainer Valentine’s Day gifts, and others are going to need to be a little more creative in how they take advantage of this season. “Some brands are going to have tons of products that work great for Valentine’s day, and others might find that their products aren’t so romantic. Either way, you can still take advantage of attracting new business using targeted campaigns featuring Valentine’s themed tutorials, gift guides, and even craft ideas to keep customers engaged with your brand,” revealed William Schumacher, Founder and CEO of Uprising Food.
Use Your Voice to Give Back to the Community
Valentine’s Day is a great time to consider volunteering in your community. “Valentine’s day, and any holiday, is a great opportunity to use your voice as a brand to encourage giving back to the community. Brands could consider offering small, one-off products that raise money for donations to organizations such as Planned Parenthood. This is a great way to use your standing as a business entity to fortify your brand and community at the same time,” described Michael Fischer, Founder of Elite HRT.
This is another great way to bring traffic to your business without spending money on advertising of specific products and services. “Giving back to the community is a great way for businesses to give back during Valentine’s day. This is a great way to advertise without creating campaigns around certain products.” said Lauren Singer of Package Free Shop.
Valentine’s day is the perfect time to launch marketing campaigns around love and relationships. Whether you’re looking to promote your products or services specifically for couples, singles, or those in between, there are plenty of creative ways to get involved. Discounts, exclusive deals and couples packages are all great ways to get started bringing new business this Valentine’s Day. Another great idea is to create gift guides. Gift guides are essentially suggestion lists for people who might not know what to get a new friend or partner, and they usually outline some top tier products that are becoming popular this year. You could also use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to give back to your community by organizing charity events or drives. This is a great way to attract business if you’re not feeling prepared to shell out the money you’ll need to run marketing and advertising campaigns. Companies can also take advantage of social media in this case, which allows for a cheaper method of marketing and advertising. Whatever route you decide to take, make sure that you create attractive and engaging marketing materials that will capture your audience’s attention. Ready to start planning? Get started today!
