10 Ways to Boost Your Business on Valentine's Day

Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not, you cannot deny the power of the day and the fact that many of your customers do! In the U.S. more than $15 billion is spent on Valentine's Day plans, gifts, and more. Big brands like Walmart, already have their shelves lined with heart-shaped stuffies, chocolate, and balloons. But small businesses can and should jump on the bandwagon. Keep reading for 10 ways you can engage your audience and potentially reach new customers this Valentine's Day! 1. Valentine Themed Graphics No matter which of these marketing tactics you choose, you should incorporate this one into your plan. When advertising online, make sure to post in Valentine-themed colors and shapes. This will let your audience know right off the bat that this post is different from others and is related to the big day! 2. Gift Guides Let's be honest, we are all a little hopeless sometimes when it comes to gift shopping. Creating a gift guide of the products you offer that would make great gifts takes some of the work off your customers. You can create just one or you can segment these into multiple different categories such as budget size, his, and hers! 3. Promo Codes If you have an online store and are running a special Valentine's discount, make sure to use a keyword such as "LOVE20". After the day has come and gone, this will give you an easy way to track the success of your marketing campaign. 4. Giveaways Everyone loves free things, and Valentine's Day is no exception. Consider making Valentine's Day themed basket of your products. Host this giveaway at your storefront, on social media, or both! Remember, the bigger the prize the better the outcome.

5. Themed Products Walmart has such success on Valentine's Day largely due to their Valentine's Day-themed products. If you can, think about making some of your products in a different shape or color. For example, if you make bath bombs, make a pink, purple or red batch! If you are a restaurant, now is your time to shine, think about desserts, heart-shaped pizzas, and themed drinks! Not only, will customers be inclined to buy these products, but will likely share them on social media. 6. Trending Holiday Hashtags Hashtags can boost your growth when used correctly. Research which hashtags are trending this year for the big day, and use them where they fit. We will have a future blog that goes more in-depth on how to properly use the hashtag! 7. Send a Card to Loyal Customers Sometimes we can get stuck trying to draw in more revenue by finding new customers, and in the meantime, we can forget to nurture our existing audience. If you have an email list or contact list of previous customers, now is a great time to send them a card or e-card with a special offer and invite them back! 8. Love Themed Polls Polls are HUGE on Instagram and Facebook. Utilize this and create love-themed "this or that" polls with your products. If you want to test the waters before committing to Valentine's theme products, straight up ask your customers what they are most interested in! 9. Don't Alienate Your Audience A lot of people can dread Valentine's Day because they think they should be in a relationship to celebrate. Think about offering a self-care or self-love product. Make sure to push this on social just as much as your other Valentine's posts! 10. Partner with Other Small Businesses If you have read this far, kudos to you! Clearly, you want to succeed and grow. A great way to do this is to team up with another business. You will both reach a larger audience and will develop new customers. For example, nail salons and hair salons or bakeries and florists can offer a bundle! Whichever direction you choose to go, start planning now! Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and all great marketing strategies require planning and build up. If you need support or help planning, reach out to us!