Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and may be a great way for small businesses to boost their sales and acquire new customers. Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular and consumer-driven holiday of the year. Small businesses that sell flowers, chocolates, candy and jewelry sell more during Valentine’s Day than any other holiday! However, to put all the odds in your favor and outstand your competitors there are a couple of marketing strategies to keep in mind.
1. Give out V-day themed coupons.
Holidays are the opportunity to offer coupons and discounts to your customers. It may be a good idea to have a Valentine’s Day sale on a selection of items or to organize a contest throughout the first two weeks of February. You can start by giving away smaller, inexpensive products and on the 14th draw a grand prize for the winner. You can also be even more original by organizing a Valentine’s Day competition for couples. Bear in mind that short-term loss of offering a small discount will be quickly compensated by word-of-mouth advertisement. In order for this to work efficiently don’t forget to communicate your offer on your social media platforms as well as your website.
2. Target men.
Men spend on average 158 dollars on Valentine’s Day whereas women spend on average 75 dollars. Therefore you have to target men and incite them to buy your products. Men tend to find it very difficult to pick a gift for their partners so they usually go for something very cheesy. Therefore, don’t hesitate to go all out for Valentine’s day (see next point on decorating your store and products). Plan different shopping packages for “her” and for “him”, for example if you own a cosmetics business Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to incite men to buy packages for their girlfriends or spouses. It may also be a good idea to offer couple gifts for those that buy their presents together.
4. Decorate your store/website and repackage your products.
For any holiday, and Valentine’s Day in particular, decoration is extremely important. Change your store and website to a V-day themed design. Do not hesitate to go all out with the red, hearts, roses and teddies. Make sure that all your products are well packaged too. Packaging represents a crucial element to the consumer’s purchasing decision.
5. Spread love to your customers.
Valentine’s Day is one day of the year to show your customers how much they mean to you and to your business. Send messages of affection to your customers and followers on Facebook and Twitter. You can even send a personalized Valentine Day card to your most loyal customers.
6. Have a V-day free zone.
Don’t forget that a lot of your customers are probably single and may be sick of seeing hearts and flowers everywhere. Therefore you need to have a Valentine’s Day free zone for those that want to keep shopping without having to be constantly reminded that they are single.
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
-Aurélie Bordonnat with Now In Store.
