Valentine’s Day Marketing Strategies That’ll Win Some Hearts

Whether you dig it or not, Valentine’s Day is a big event for retailers. And for your customers, it’s the ideal day to share some love. The key to making a connection? Ensuring your Valentine’s Day marketing matches your audience.
With Aussies spending around $485 million for the event, you’ll want to pull out all the stops. And Smartpay has a few simple tips to improve your marketing strategies and turn those hearts into dollar signs.

Lean into the love on your socials

Let’s face it, social media is where all the conversations happen. And as a business owner, it’s the perfect place to find new customers and get in front of them. Sure, social media is a powerful marketing tool, but no matter what the campaign, you should always stay true to your brand. Here’s how: 

• Your V-Day audience will be slightly different to your regular followers. Think about who these newbies are and create a campaign that speaks to them. 
• Time to get the feels. Creating emotion around this day is key. Even if people don’t jump on board with Valentine’s Day, an emotive post will gain more traction. 
• Make them fight for your love. A simple social media competition drives engagement, so ask followers to tag their friends, share your post or dish the dirt on their own love stories. You’ll get your hands on excellent user-generated content you can repurpose and keep engagement levels high.

Show your customers some love with a promo or discount

What better way to show you care than by giving away some freebies? These simple strategies are great for retaining customers, snagging new ones, and saying thanks for their support.

• Run a Valentine’s Day sale with promos like free shipping, 2-for-1 deals or discount codes.
• Want sign-ups to your loyalty program? Give customers a discount for doing so. This helps you capture data and build your customer base. Win-win! And if they’re already a loyalty member, why not offer double the points?
• Throw in a Valentine’s-themed gift with purchase. A little treat goes a long way, so even something like a chocolate or sample is great. 
• Have your customers spread the love and reward them with extra referral points. Loyal customers and brand advocates are your best tool when it comes to spreading the word about your business. Leverage this power for your Valentine’s Day marketing and get the full effect. 

Create a Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Partners are notoriously tricky to shop for on Valentine’s Day. So your customers might need a push in the right direction. A gift guide is a sneaky way to highlight some of the products you have that your customers might not normally purchase. Here’s how:

• Offer gift guides in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day. Deliver them through digital channels like landing pages, social media and email marketing.
• Curate gift bundles in your gift guide. This encourages people to make a purchase without having to decide which items they want to buy.
• Arrange gift guides in a number of helpful ways. Try traditional gift guides, like ‘gifts for her’ or ‘gifts for friends’ or themed gifts for music, wine or outdoor lovers. Another gift guide could be a certain price point to make shopping on a budget simple.

Put a New Spin on V-Day

Lovey-dovey Valentine’s Day marketing can give some people the ick. Today, customers want to celebrate it with their friends and partners, so you get to market to a broader audience.

Have a brand that doesn’t resonate with love? No biggie. Focus on friendship instead. Galentine’s Day has become a major event in itself, and creating special deals for everyone will help you capture a range of followers.

Not all your customers will be coupled up, so it’s important to keep everyone in mind during any Valentine’s Day campaign. Send some love to your single customers with special deals that apply to everyone. No situationship required.

Cosy Up To Another Small Business

Two is always better than one. So, this Valentine’s Day, partner up with another small business. Share customers, refer business between yourselves and reach a bigger audience. Try these:

• Create a community gift guide to encourage shopping locally. The more local businesses you get on board, the better. 
• Promote each other’s products or offer them collectively in a gift bundle. This way, everyone wins.
• Find businesses that complement the products and services you provide, rather than directly competing with them. 

Seasonal campaigns such as Valentine’s Day are great boosters for your bottom line. Any of the above strategies will show your existing customers ‘the love’ and tap into new consumer segments to expand your customer base.

Give yourself a gift this Valentine’s Day: no EFTPOS fees

Smartpay Zero Cost™ EFTPOS can help you reduce your EFTPOS bill to zero. Our Payment Specialists are here to help.  

Say Goodbye to EFTPOS Bills

or Contact Sales on 1800 574 999