3 Sweet Ways To Advertise For Valentine’s Day

Welcome to February everyone! If you’re like most business owners, you’re currently anticipating a boost in customer foot traffic given that a very special day is only two weeks away. Valentine’s Day is coming! And, needless to say, it’s an occasion that will have many a shopper on the lookout for heartfelt gifts meant to celebrate their romantic unions with their partners.

Is your store prepared to advertise for Valentine’s Day? Here are three sweet advertising ideas:

1. Launch a Valentine’s Day contest.

This will take some creativity but can be a really fun way to generate some excitement about your business over the next couple of weeks. Contests give you the opportunity to attract consumers who enjoy the prospect of getting something for free. And who doesn’t like getting free stuff? The more contestants you attract, the more likely you are to turn them into paying customers. On Groupon.com, Monika Jansen shares a unique way to pull this off.

“Ask customers to submit their best love story, most romantic date, a photo of the cutest couple, a pet decked out in Valentine’s Day attire,” she suggests, “Be as creative as you like and make sure to promote the contest heavily on your social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. The prize could be a $100 Visa gift card, a collection of romantic movies or books, or a date package that includes free dinner and movie tickets for two.”

2. Spread the love on your website.

It should probably go without saying that your online game needs to be strong during each and every one of your promotional campaigns. Your advertising strategy for this year’s Valentine’s Day is no exception. Get your web designer to add some love-inspired imagery that will alert visitors to your special sales surrounding the occasion. It’s wise to allow your customers to order directly from your site, as well.

“As with Christmas, you’ll want to highlight your best offers on the home page, provide clear shipping deadline information on every page, show item stock availability if you can, and cross-sell and upsell if your ecommerce software allows,” writes Rachel North on MyNorth.com, “You might also want to put a Quick Valentine’s Day Gift List together.”

3. Offer a free gift with each purchase.

Your customers are shopping for gifts, right? Why not get into the giving mood yourself? As mentioned earlier, people love to get things for free. When you add a little something extra to each purchase, you provide your customers with greater value for their spending. They won’t soon forget this. Giving out free gifts isn’t just a great way to attract Valentine’s Day gift shoppers. It’s a great way to secure long-term loyalty from your customers.

“During the week leading up to Valentine’s Day or on the day itself, consider handing out a free gift with purchase,” advises Jansen, “Of course, make sure the free gift is something people will actually want! Wrap it beautifully so it’s especially memorable.”

No matter which advertising route you take, you’ll need to dip into your marketing budget to pull off a successful campaign. If you need to get your hands on some extra working capital quickly, Synergy Merchants can help you! To learn more about how our unique merchant cash advance program can help you launch the perfect Valentine’s Day promotion, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-718-2026 or email us at info@synergymerchants.com.