Last Minute Valentine’s Day Marketing Ideas

As a marketer, Valentine’s Day is a holiday that you can’t afford to ignore; even if you hate it.

There’s no denying that this celebration has become incredibly commercialised over the years, but if you have a product to sell, use this to your advantage. After all, Valentine’s Day is worth more than £450 million in the UK alone!

With two-thirds of shoppers waiting until the last week to find a gift, now is the perfect time to ramp up your marketing strategy. Read on to discover some last minute Valentine’s Day marketing tips.

1. Give The Gift Of Free Shipping

Valentine’s Day is all about making the people you care about feel appreciated. With this in mind, why not treat your customers to free shipping for a limited time only?

Studies show that 9 out of 10 shoppers are more likely to make a purchase if the shipping is free. This is a huge statistic to bear in mind; especially if you wish to boost sales over the Valentine’s period.

Adding free shipping to your website will likely be the last persuasive factor a lot of your customers need. And, with the offer only running for a limited time, they’ll feel even more inclined to make a quick purchase. For best results, run this free shipping offer around two weeks before the big day.

2. Create Gift Guides

Gift guides allow you to promote your products without appearing too ‘pushy – especially with the focus on YMOYL (Your Money or Your Life) pages since the latest Google Core Updates. You can create multiple gift guides aimed at different people (e.g. gift guides for husbands) or go even more specific and tailor the guides to particular interests (e.g. gift guides for the travel-obsessed).

Whatever style you go for, gift guides provide great help to those who aren’t sure what to buy their loved ones.

If done right, buying guides can drive huge amounts of traffic to your website and develop into valuable pieces of evergreen content that continue to bring new users to your site year after year.

3. Entice With Email Marketing

Thinking of Valentine’s Day marketing ideas is one thing, but learning how to promote them is another. This is where the power of email marketing comes into play. Studies have shown that 59% of recipients believe that marketing emails influence their purchase decisions.

From promoting a discount to sharing your gift guides, email marketing is one of the simplest ways to get in front of an engaged audience. Here are some top tips for Valentine’s email marketing success:

• Use an enticing subject line that leaves the recipient wanting to know more
• Use emojis related to Valentine’s Day where appropriate (but don’t overuse them as your emails may end up in the junk folder!)
• Use imagery and suitable graphics to make your points clear
• Provide clear call to actions/next steps
• Stagger the emails on the lead up to Valentine’s Day

4. Utilise Hashtags

Hashtag campaigns are incredibly effective when planned properly. The main idea behind these social-media led campaigns is to gain brand awareness and recognition, without coming across as too sales-focused or biased.

The best way to pick up traction on a hashtag campaign is by asking your audience to post photos to accompany the hashtag. To make this Valentine’s Day focused, for example, you could create a hashtag that accompanies thoughtful date ideas or best couples photos. Using a hashtag that subtly links to your branding is always a bonus here.

To make the hashtag campaign even more enticing, you could turn it into a competition. Each hashtag counts as an entry for a prize!

For further inspiration, check out Coca-Cola’s viral #ShareACoke campaign. This hashtag campaign got the public searching high and low for a Coke bottle with their name on it! This went hand in hand with a boost in sales and brand awareness on social media.

5. Cater To Everyone

Understandably, Valentine’s Day isn’t suited to everyone (or every brand). But, while focusing on romance may not be your cup of tea, there are other ways to benefit from marketing during this holiday. From targeting the singles with ‘Anti-Valentine’s’ campaigns to celebrating girl power with ‘Galentines’, there’s so much you can do to stay as inclusive as possible.

Through catering to as many people as possible, you’ll not only gain respect for being an inclusive brand, but you’ll boost sales, too.

Fall In Love With Valentine’s Day Marketing

It can be hard to find the motivation to market for Valentine’s Day – especially when you have to get the ball rolling around the same time as the Christmas rush. But, with these Valentine’s Day marketing campaigns and tips in mind, you have all you need to get started. Make the most of this season of love; your business will thank you for it.

Keep up to date!

Please keep coming back to our blog throughout the year to make sure that you always have your finger on the pulse of what’s hot and trending in digital marketing.

You can check out our article on True or False – Should EVERY Business be Blogging in 2021? ⋆ Slam Marketing