The Best Valentine’s Day Digital Marketing Ideas: Last-Minute Friendly
It’s finally February after history’s longest January. And like the store shelves have been telling us since Dec. 26, that means Valentine’s Day is almost here.
Whether you think Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark holiday *raises hand*, a day to recuperate from the Super Bowl (Who Dey!) or a genuine celebration of love/friendship, it’s a day you don’t want to miss as a marketer. And even though we’ve only got a week to go, it’s not too late to promote your business or align your content with the seasonal highlight that is the day of love.
Ahh, Valentine’s Day. Traditionally associated with the colors red and pink, Valentine’s is now a day of green. This year, Americans are expected to $26 billion on gifts, an 8% increase from 2022. Once reserved only for those in romantic relationships, recent years have seen a reinvention of Valentine’s Day including Galentine’s Day (ovaries before brovaries, ladies!), singles and couples alike are celebrating each other. In fact, research by the National Retail Foundation found that both men and women are more likely to purchase gifts for friends, family and even pets!
Wondering how your brand can get in on the lovefest? Read on for our top suggestions for a Valentine’s Day digital marketing campaign to raise your profile, engage your audience and convert fans into customers.
7 Creative Valentine’s Day Digital Marketing Ideas
Share Your Love
Where would your brand be today without your devoted social following and loyal customers? So why not let them know how much they mean to you with a dedicated post acknowledging their support? A heartfelt, genuine ‘thank you’ for their trust and dedication hits the sweet spot of sincerity on a day sometimes associated with empty gestures.
From sweet, sweet nothings in their ear to searing sarcasm on your feed, the key is to be authentic to your brand’s voice and to relay your intended message, one of love and appreciation.
…or show solidarity with your single followers.
2. Send Some Love
Everyday is a great day to share the love with customers, staff and your community. But Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to show appreciation to individuals and groups who make a difference in your business, community and life.
You can encourage customers to #sendthe love to your retail staff (another fun twist would be help desk/CRM staff)!
Or spread some love for
small businesses in
your community.
3. Ask for Love
It’s 2023, and if you want love, you can ask for it. Valentine’s Day presents a great excuse to ask your customers/clients for reviews on social media channels, Google and more.
4. Shout Your Love
Use this day of love to shout out your subscribers, your favorite charities and/or your staff.
This post from Snappy App shouts out their own staff while encouraging others to do the same, promoting a positive culture and reinforcing their brand’s values.
Sharing love with charities can also demonstrate your company’s values/mission while leveraging the seasonality of the holiday. Louisville’s Fourth Street district held a donation drive for women’s personal care products aligned with Galentine’s Day.
5. Host a Holiday-Related Giveaway
Get creative! Venture outside the usual ladder post and ask your audience to share a Valentine’s Day memory or tag someone special to get the conversation going in your comments. Custom hashtags encourage your audience to post authentic user-generated content, allowing you to build relationships with your target consumer and increase trust. Bonus points for prizes that winners can share with loved ones or, even better - give as gifts.
If you don’t offer tangible products or services, consider giving away value-added content as a way to show you care: Books You’re Loving, Return-to-Work Trends to Show Love to Employees–see! It’s so easy to tie into Valentine’s Day.
But remain authentic in your gratitude and love, and you’ll be more xxx and less cringy.
6. Run a Valentine’s Day Promo
If you’re in the candy, flowers or jewelry business, this is a no-brainer, but it applies equally to those in less obviously romantic industries, too. In fact, the more unexpected the better when it comes to talking about Valentine’s Day, as long as your content is engaging or adding value.
A bookshop might spotlight great romances in literature, while retailers could offer discounts on everything you need to finally create that romantic spa bathroom. Own a fitness center? Host a special Valentine’s day referral program to burn all those calories from sweets. Or you can promote self-love by starting a selfie contest centered around how your followers can be kind to themselves.
Whether you stick to the cliches or go against the grain with an anti-Valentine’s Day promo, make sure your campaign fits well within your brand values.
7. Host an Online Event
Going live on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube gives your audience an opportunity to connect with you directly, and we know that the social algorithms love video content! Ideas might include a Valentine’s Day party and giveaway, a ‘matchmaking event’ pairing participants with products from your lineup or a behind-the-scenes look at a new product you hope the audience will love.
Hashtags, Hashtags, Hashtags!
Make your special content and offers easier to find with hashtags. Combine your own witty invention with a contest, as described above, but make sure to also include some popular tags on your posts to keep them in the mix. Remember, the ideal mix of hashtags will always include a mix of popular and niche tags to ensure you don’t get lost.
Here are trending hashtags for this year. Keep them relevant to your content and have some fun!
#valentinesday2023
#happyvalentinesday
#valentinesdayspecial
#valentinesdaygifts
#valentinesdaygiveaway
#galentinesdaygiveaway
#galentinesdaygift
#galentinesday2023
#galentinesdayparty
#singlesawarenessday
Learn More about Valentine’s Day Digital Marketing
No matter which strategies you choose to adopt for a holiday campaign, remember that the best digital marketing focuses on connecting and communicating with your audience in an authentic way. Starry-eyed romantics, true blue friends, devoted grandchildren, pet parents - make them all your Valentines with clever, inclusive social media campaigns that go beyond romance to honor love in all its forms and make them feel appreciated.
Have you started your Valentine’s Day promotions? Let us know what you are doing this #Galentinesday in the comments section below.
