According to recent statistics, Valentine’s Day has slowly but surely been losing its importance in the market. From 63 percent of the population enthusiastically celebrating the occasion in 2007, only around 54 percent participated in Valentine’s Day related activities in 2017.
It is especially a concern because holiday themes offer small businesses across various industries the unique opportunity of tapping into the festive spirit and subsequently boost sales. Small brick and mortar businesses can not only salvage the dwindling retail sales, but also leverage success from Valentine’s Day simply by implementing a creative and well-rounded digital marketing campaign.
Here are some online marketing tactics that can be used individually, or in tandem, to boost sales from this incredibly fêted event.
Get into the Festive Spirit with Valentine’s Day Flair
It’s a well-known fact that colors, design, and the tone of the content itself can have a significant impact on not only the amount of traffic you drive to your business, but also has the capacity to positively or negatively influence a buyer’s decision.
If you wish to boost sales on Valentine’s Day, you have to get into the festive spirit – and we mean really get into it. Give your business a romantic feel and flair by altering your marketing tools and materials to reflect the holiday’s celebration. Think of Valentine-themed website displays, logo changes, profile and cover photo changes across social media platforms, interactive animations, photo frames, and more.
Go Big With Gift Giveaways
Image Credit: Peartree.com
Business owners – those running enterprises that don’t necessarily fit in with the spirit of this loved-up day such as the cleaners, grocery stores, dentists, car wash, etc. – hesitate to use Valentine’s Day promotions as a means of boosting sales. However, the fact is, it doesn’t really matter what business you run – anyone can use this occasion as a reason to attract more customers.
The best way to do so is to offer gifts and giveaways. We’re talking love-centric content and polls, special offers, promotions, and deals – all with a healthy dose of Valentine’s Day festivity.
The idea of digital marketing is to use consumer engagement to improve sales. What better way to engage with customers than creating fun, silly, love-themed contests, and giveaways that not only keep your audience entertained, but also help promote your products and services in the process?
Think Charming Email Marketing
You’ve Got Mail!
Email marketing is an integral part of a digital marketing strategy – one which has proven itself to be an excellent way to increase sales and consumer engagement. A staggering 89% of Americans check their email at least once a day, so using emails to market your Valentine’s Day promotions is a fantastic way to augment your click-through rates and ultimately, sales.
Think interactive layout and designing, personalized messages, games, animations, or creative scavenger hunts for substantial discounts – anything that entices the audience to interact with your brand.
Consider Microsite Promotions
Image Credit: DesignWeek
Landing pages, exit-intent popups, and other microsite campaigns, which run separately from your principle website, are particularly effective in driving traffic towards your store. Not only do they give you the opportunity to showcase your creativity, but also help strengthen your overall marketing campaign.
Take this Ted Baker Valentine’s Day campaign from 2016 for example. They designed an interactive game microsite consisting of some riveting bespoke illustrations, allowing users to play a fishing match to catch their valentine.
Not only was it highly entertaining, but also the ‘Hook your SoleMate’ campaign hooked consumers right in, resulting in a larger than normal volume towards their stores.
Add Last Minute Flash Sales
Flash sales, limited time offer deals, or promotions, which are theme specific, are highly effective in catching the attention and business of holiday shoppers. And Valentine’s Day is really no different. Consider running two-for-one special deals for couples, spontaneously for the consumers to take advantage of at the last minute.
A great strategy for a successful flash sale is to add a limited number of small items collectively on sale at a minimum price point that people can use as last-minute gifts. Think trinkets, small boxes of fancy chocolates, small decorative items and more, which can work as impulse buys for people who forgot to buy a proper gift for their loved one well in time.
Promote the sale across all your digital marketing platforms, sending out specifically geared text messages, emails, Google ads, and social media posts to attract higher traffic towards your stores. Just be prepared to deal with the masses when they come rushing!
The Bottom Line
Regardless of the industry you cater to or the business’s demographic, Valentine’s Day still does appeal to a significant part of the population and is still worth investing in. However, the only way to boost sales on this event through digital marketing is to ensure that you establish a cohesive and well-rounded strategy.
The fact is that campaigns are only successful if they are well planned. If you run a small promotion deal limited to one digital platform, you aren’t likely to engage a large number of your audience, and therefore will not have enough lead generation or conversion for it to be called a success. Use a combination of different digital marketing strategies, creatively and well in advance, to attain profitable results for you and your business.
