Valentine’s Day Marketing 101: 5 Steps to Boost Your Social Media Game
February 12, 2021
In North America, the Valentine’s Day market is huge. It may not be Christmas huge, but it’s guaranteed to bring you in some extra revenue if you play your cards right. One of the biggest mistakes any business owner can make is ignoring the potential of holiday marketing. It doesn’t matter what type of product or service you provide – there’s an angle for you to encourage your shoppers to focus on your brand this February.
Valentine’s Day is a romantic holiday, and this opens doors to a whole new kind of gift, a gift which provides more than just a box to open. Maid services, plumbers, gutter cleaning services, snow removal, hair and nails, clothing, food, cooking services, and even heat and cooling services can cash in on Valentine’s Day. Here’s what you need to know.
Tell Them What They Want to Hear
Consumers can research for themselves, but why would they when millions of companies are putting it all on the line up front. Be one of those companies if you want to sell on competitive holidays. Tell customers what they need to know about your brand, not from a “we’re the best” point of view, but from a “this is how we can help you” point of view.
Infographics and informational videos are an excellent way to spread the word about a product or service in a way your followers can share, like, and engage with. Show them how your product or service is used and the benefits it provides to the average consumer.
Package it for the Season
There’s a reason card and gift companies make a killing year-round, it’s because they provide a necessity to shoppers – themed packaging. At Christmas, we wrap things in red and green, birthdays call for cake and balloon printed gift bags, and Easter brings out baskets and bunny embellished wrapping paper. If you want to sell on Valentine’s Day, make your product Valentine ready. For example, if you run a local spa, print gift certificates on pink paper with hearts and kisses. Make it easier for shoppers to show loved ones what the gift is for.
The same goes for your social media profile. Remind your shoppers which holiday is next and why they need to buy by implementing a romantic layout and profile picture. Market your upgraded packaging options through Facebook as well, with the “shop” feature. Let your customers see the new and improved seasonal looks as they come out. Selling through social media this way means you don’t need to revamp your website, just modify your business profile until the next big holiday.
Speed Things Up for Your Shoppers
Today, it’s becoming less about how much money we’re spending and more about how much time it takes to get the gift we want to give. This has made online shopping a huge attraction, especially to those who work during peak shopping hours. Saving your customers time, rather than money will give you a leg up on the competition. This is one reason more and more stores are opting to include online order with same day pickup. Can’t make it to a grocery store and shop before dinner? Send your order to the store and they’ll have it ready for pickup when you arrive.
Another example of a speedy shopping perk is saving your customers on gift wrap. If you sell clothing online, for example, consider adding a “gift wrap” option at checkout and include a few styles of wrap depending on the season. People will pay extra to ensure the gift comes 100% ready to be exchanged. Adding next day priority shipping is a bonus to those who buy last minute. This is another addition you can make to your shopping feature on Facebook or any other social media site you subscribe to.
Make Relevant Products More Accessible
Just as department stores put the seasonal holiday products front row and center when the season changes, your social media site or online shopping center should host a section dedicated to the holiday. Keep your Tweets, Insta pics, and Facebook posts all related to the holiday you’re trying to remind shoppers to buy for. There’s no time like Valentine’s Day to treat someone to something they really need. The key to successful sales is proving your product or service is romantic.
Not every industry is romantic by nature. If you run a chocolate or flower shop, your products will sell themselves this time of year. However, for furnace repair businesses and landscaping companies, it’s all about how you market your service to the public. Remind your followers that furnace repairs or landscaping is expensive but practical. Giving your loved one the gift of a warm house or aesthetically pleasing property is a great gift and something they might not have the money to buy themselves.
However you choose to market yourself and your brand, keep your posts consistent and remain visible. Your social media followers can’t be reminded about how much they want and love your products if they don’t see you popping up in their news feeds every now and then. Remember, the more comments, likes, and shares your content receives, the more likely it is to appear. One of the curses of the modern social media setup is the “show relevant content” settings. This means your followers aren’t seeing everything you post as you post it, unless they or someone they know is commenting and liking your posts. Stay on top of your visibility and the rest will fall into place, no matter what holiday you’re celebrating.