Isn’t this the exact same time when shops, businesses begun to close down last year? Oh yes! What a tumultuous or rather exceptional year 2020 had been. One full year since the global pandemic hit India, and finally we’re on the road to recovery… and so is the economy. Businesses are showing signs of revival with people out on streets again buying & selling… with care & caution of course. Hence, with normalcy returning to lives, Valentine’s 2021 officially could be your first business season of the year.
This year could be extra special because the top most business of romance/love has been hit hardest due to the virus. You guessed it – the movies & tourism business. Do you see an opportunity in it? Then you just need to focus & try to grab a portion of that revenue by drawing the movie freaks towards you, luring them to buy your product/service. Case in point are the OTT platforms like Prime & Netflix which are directly releasing series/shows & movies & making the most of this pandemic.
You too can. Just carve out a smart business & marketing idea in this direction. Be sure your goal is not to trick your customers, but treat them better. Business ethics & integrity are essential for goodwill.
Therefore roll up your sleeves; put your thinking hat on in order to design a unique marketing plan, an idea for which can germinate right now while you read this piece. So let’s get on to some serious but love-ly business...
From ‘day’ how did Valentine's become a ‘season’ could be an interesting case study in the field of marketing.
What if I tell you that, Valentine’s Day present avatar & more appropriately charm is all a big marketing ploy? And is a business community stunt that successfully hijacked a beautiful feeling & turned it into money making opportunity? And what better emotion, feeling than love that can sell? It may sound brutal for love-struck couples but factual & accurate.
Lets look at some ideas to market your business during this Valentines Season.
Valentine's Day Marketing Stats
Marketing & Advertising ideas for Valentine's
- Discounts & Deals on Valentine's
- Engaging Social Media Marketing
- Create endearing package deals for Valentine's
- Email/SMS/print media campaigns
- Partner with a Charitable Org
- Don’t single out the singles!
Valentine's Day Marketing Stats
Here are Valentine's Day marketing statistics:
- By an estimate, 250 million roses are produced/sold during Valentines worldwide (a large chunk in this is exported by India).
- Multi-billion dollars worth of sales occur in USA on the occasion of Valentine day (No official revenue figures are available for India but Valentine’s spending is growing year on year is fairly conspicuous).
- An American spends $150 on an average for Valentine’s Day. (Millennial Indians are fast going fancy from frugal, and that easily translates into more spending on fancy festivals).
- Men spend almost double the dollars what women spend on V-day. (Indian women though are more interested in celebrating this day than men in general).
Niku Mandal
Marketing & Advertising ideas for Valentine's
From flowers to jewellery to entertainment to loads of gifting options, this festival of romance covers all. Compare it to festival of Rakhi in India which boosts sales of sweets, clothing & gifts of all kinds, and you’d get a fair idea of how your business can multiply its sales by a simple but novel advertising, marketing strategy. (However small or big, in-store or e-commerce, start-up or well established company/business you own).
Discounts & Deals on Valentine's
Marketing tricks as old as businesses itself, right? But the kind of deal or discount you offer could be brand new.
- For instance ‘two for one’ deal where the second item is a ‘customized gift’ in case customer wins a quiz
- A discount where disc % may equal to no. of questions on COVID19, social distancing or relationship truths etc…answered correctly by the buyer, on the spot of course
- If you’re selling online, disc % could be proportional to the no. of days of items you are buying.
Customize deals/disc keeping in mind the distinct demography of the place of your business. This goes for every campaign you propose.
Tanusha Verma
Engaging Social Media Marketing
21st century is getting shaped by social media, like it or not. So how could businesses remain untouched! Almost every small/medium or big enterprise is either on Social Media already or planning to join. And it’s as easy as ordering food online. Pick your favourite diner (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube…), fill your cart (give a few personal & business details), pay (most of the SM accounts are free, till now at least) and you’re done. Unleash your marketing ideas.
Time your advertisement i.e. if it’s for valentine’s day, a week in advance is what you must aim at, especially if you sell high-end, expensive items like jewellery, phones et al. Even if you just sell toys, books, cosmetics or apparel, you could begin engaging Social Media users by putting out attractive profile & cover images, posts about upcoming deal etc. Come up with ingenious, creative, funny, exciting, inspiring campaigns on Social Media. Be sure to add a touch of romance/love in them. Social media marketing is the way to go!
Start by posting fun tidbits like - list of movies with ‘love’ in their title; ask users’ their fav couples stories & why etc. Send greetings/gif coupons to the most liked entries.
Post interesting polls like ‘Min no. of date nights before you can know if he/she could be your better half?’ Or ‘How many times have you fallen in/out of love’ Or simply something that goes on to promote your brand like ‘What would you want for gift from your Valentine'?
Create hash tags to drive brand awareness, engage users with the brand or amongst themselves, or simply use a trending hash-tag to start a constructive, useful & healthy debate/discussion. It’d position the brand as a market leader.
Ask users to share their personal stories of romance, dating or even heartbreak.
Start a contest. Post a picture & ask them to caption it. There are plenty of ways you could draw attention of users – young & not so young. These are the best way to connect with your audience and make a lasting impression. Don’t forget to reward some of the best ones.
Go bold, spunky & crazy for a selective audience which doesn’t appreciate anything ‘regular’. How? Ask them to reveal their ‘worst fears on a first date’. Make them share their ‘hidden/secretive desires’, confess to their crush/infatuation, why they think Valentine’s Day is a terrible idea etc. Just be genuine and sensible.
Damini Bhandary
Create endearing package deals for Valentine's
Put together items that complement each-other such as pairing shirt with a tie or a mug with a cookie jar. Be thoughtful & creative. Not only that, list or catalogue products strategically. Say if you’re online, you may categorize products as - top selling gifts of the year, most economic deals, and best gifts for tech savvy’ etc.
Email/SMS/print media campaigns
Think up a campaign that is short, simple but also intriguing enough to push users to open the webpage link mentioned or visit the physical store. Try out Email or sms marketing!
Partner with a Charitable Org
Promise to donate a percentage of every item sold, a fixed amount or just urge your customers to contribute whatever they please towards a cause. It is not only a social responsibility but will improve your brand credibility & sometimes even popularity among those who care for their society & nation, which is majority of us mostly!
Don’t single out the singles!
The most unwise & unpopular Valentines marketing move would be to make singles feel left out, unimportant. Because they are not. Singles who are not ready to mingle or who’ve better plans in life than to fall into love, form romantic liaisons…their numbers are increasing by the day. So you’d be foolish to ignore them. Remember, it is legal to remain single.
So plan a campaign that goes with their psyche like - singles’ special booking, gaming vouchers for singles or just a simple poem (like the one below) written on a beautiful card would also be excellent. And who knows, they may your future customers or may recommend you to their friends, family if you make them feel wonderful, just like that!
There are no sentiments in business – the famous adage goes. But there’s sentiment in people for whom you do business. If you can understand your end user, their needs & wants, what inspires or dissuades them and finally make that connect with a balanced yet attractive campaign…you’re set for a long game.
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
How can I market Valentine's Day?
You can promote you business on Valentine's Day by marketing them by
- Promoting gift cards.
- Creating at-home Valentine's Day care packages.
- Create package deals and coupons.
- Show your love for a local charity.
- Celebrate self-love.
- Promote random acts of love.
Is Valentine's Day a business day?
Valentine's Day is not a public holiday. Restaurants may be busier than usual as many people go out for an evening with their spouse or partner.
Why is it called Valentine's Day?
Valentine's Day is named after Saint Valentine, a Catholic priest who lived in Rome in the 3rd Century.
Source :- https://startuptalky.com/ Author :- Lakshya Singh Date :- February 11, 2022 at 11:44AM