It’s that time of year again, when grand displays adorned with red hearts, chocolates, and flowers feature in every corner you look, signifying the arrival of “the month of love”. Valentine’s Day is here, peeps! And, even if you’re not feeling very lovey dovey after a long and tiresome Janu-worry (worry not, you’re definitely not alone), there are many ways to get your small business into the spirit of love. Here’s how your small business can capitalise on the sweet whiff of romance in the air this February!
1. Host a Valentine's Day competition
Everyone loves a good freebie, especially around Valentine’s Day, when we all feel the pressure to prove our undying love to a significant other – preferably by showering them with gifts.
“What’s in it for my business?”, you ask? When you host a giveaway, you’re in charge of the rules. You decide the guidelines of the competition, and what the prize/s will be. If you’re trying to establish your brand and grow your outreach on social media, a good competition ought to do the trick!
Competition rules to boost social media marketing
All entrants must:
- Follow your business’s social media page.
- Tag their friends in the comments section of your business’s Valentine’s Day competition post.
- Share the post on their stories.
- Leave a comment about their Valentine’s Day plans, share their love story, or say why they’re in love with your business, this Valentine’s Day.
Keep their eyes on the prize
You could also collaborate with other brands to make up a super-charged giveaway prize, including a combination of different products from everyone involved.
TIP: If you collaborate, you can expand your online audience even further, by asking participants to follow all businesses involved in the prize, as part of the competition rules. This will introduce your profile to all their followers too!
2. Create Valentine's Day gift boxes and bundles
Save your customers from having to search high and low for the perfect gift, by making bespoke gift boxes. You can offer a mix-and-match service, where customers choose which products they’d like in their gift box, or create small, medium, and large bundles to suit different budgets. Throw in some pretty packaging, and voila! You’ve got a happy customer!
We all like convenience, so if you can save your customers some time, you’ll be their number one choice! Don’t forget that lots of people forget about Valentine’s Day in the hustle and bustle of the start to a busy year.
TIP: For the sake of even greater convenience, you could consider extending your operating hours in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day too.
3. Spice up your business with a Valentine's Day theme
This one might be a little difficult to implement across all businesses, but if you’re able to make it work, KA-CHING!
Try to incorporate the colours and shapes associated with Valentine’s Day into your products, social posts, in-store experience, or website – with all things romantic, red, pink, white, hearts, etc. This is a lot easier to achieve for businesses like bakeries or coffee shops – I mean, who wouldn’t love a cappuccino with a microfoam heart, or a red velvet cupcake with heart-shaped sprinkles?
If it’s difficult to give your products a quick, affordable change in theme, spread some love with your packaging! You can use themed packets, ribbons, or wrappers to set the mood in February.
4. Market like a hopeless romantic
You could offer the best quality products at the lowest prices, but if you aren’t marketing them, no one’s going to know about them, and no one’s going to buy them. This is why marketing is so crucial all year round!
While many people think that marketing requires complex strategies and lots of money to be successful during special events, that isn’t the case at all. You already know where your target market is, and how to reach them to let them know about your V-Day plans. The key to making this work is the language you use when communicating with them. So, turn on the charm and woo your customers straight into your store!
What’s so great about this idea is that any business can choose to use their creative freedom and go wild with Valentine’s Day marketing, whether or not their product is as flexible.
5. Stand out from the crowd – do something special for the singles club
Naturally, everyone is going to be focusing on customers who are in relationships for Valentine’s Day. But that means no one is serving the needs of single folk. How about doing things a little differently? It’ll give you an edge above the rest, and you’ll not only have lonely hearts flocking to see what you’ve got to offer. Remember, Valentine’s Day isn’t a happy day for everyone. Pamper and let the heartbroken feel seen too.
Luckily, love isn’t restricted to romance, and the month of February can be just as much a time to express your love to family and friends. Running a special for singles, or a giveaway for those who celebrate Galentine’s Day are just some of the many ways to make you stand out from all the other fish in the sea.
We know business can be tough in Janu-worry after the holiday season; Valentine’s Day is a chance for your business to get some good old fashioned lovin’ (read customers and sales), and get back on track to ramping up for the rest of the year. How will you be spreading the love this V-Day?
