With Valentine’s Day around the corner, you’re most likely in an all-out sprint to get everything ready. With all that preparation moving ahead, it can be easy to let your marketing slip. But good marketing is a surefire way to increase sales and get the best results from all that hard work you’ve been doing. We wanted to share some proven ways to make yourself — and your products — more visible on this massive floral holiday. Here are eight easy, cost-effective ways to do just that.
1. Produce unique, share-worthy videos
Word of mouth is always an effective way to advertise, and videos can get some excellent word-of-mouth promotion if you’re creative with them. How about a video demonstration of how you design your Valentine’s Day arrangements? You can show the entire process and share the meaning of the different colored roses and other flowers while you’re doing it. You can also highlight your best-selling Valentine’s Day products and any special offers or promotions.
2. Use events to create buzz
Another way to get that coveted word-of-mouth marketing is by holding an event in your store. We know this can take extra effort during this busy time, but it can bring in big rewards. You can also livestream the event so your social media followers can share the experience. One idea is to have a “Create Your Valentine’s Day Arrangement” workshop and offer a discount for those in attendance, both in person and virtually. You may get a whole lot of new customers as a result!
3. Offer a “can’t refuse” discount
One of the easiest ways to get more sales is to offer an irresistible discount for Valentine’s Day. While this isn’t something you may regularly do, it’s a great idea for this holiday when people are looking for flowers more than any other time of the year. You can give this discount on all your products or only on those specifically related to the holiday — it’s your choice. Remember to promote the “not to be missed” discount through emails, SMS, and social media campaigns to reach every potential customer.
4. Promote a limited-edition product
People love limited-edition products, so take advantage of this with your Valentine’s Day flowers. In addition to offering the tried-and-true flowers, head to your nearest wholesaler and see what exotic flowers they have that you don’t usually purchase. Then add these to your arrangements and promote them broadly. With each arrangement, include a card explaining the significance of each flower and why you chose them for Valentine’s Day.
5. Grab last-minute shoppers with SMS
Every holiday has last-minute shoppers — particularly Valentine’s Day. It happens right after a big holiday season and can sneak up on people. So, create an SMS campaign to reach those last-minute shoppers who have purchased from you in the past. You can set up the SMS to link straight to your online promotions, making it easy for people to get a beautiful bouquet or arrangement no matter how close it is to the big day.
6. Design and send countdown emails
Countdown emails are a great way to remind customers that Valentine’s Day is around the corner. They also create a sense of urgency to place their flower orders as soon as possible. Starting this week, send out a different email weekly with a message like, “Only XX days left until Valentine’s Day — order your flowers now!” This will encourage pre-ordering arrangements to get the best available flowers. You can also offer a limited-time promotion each week to increase that sense of urgency.
7. Collaborate with other businesses
You can get a lot of extra exposure by partnering with another business in your area to offer Valentine’s Day promotions. For example, you can team up with a local jewelry store and promote a bouquet of roses with every purchase. Or perhaps you’ll want to partner with a local restaurant and provide a floral arrangement with each Valentine’s dinner. And make sure to include a small card containing your information so customers can purchase directly from you in the future.
8. Amp up your loyalty program
Offer your best customers extra Valentine’s Day perks as part of your loyalty program. You may want to include a gift with purchase, a gift card, free shipping on any item, or a discount on the next purchase. If you don’t have a loyalty program, Valentine’s Day is a great time to start one! Customers can sign up for the program as part of their purchase and get a gift or discount right then and there.
Use these creative ideas to increase your revenue and profits this Valentine’s Day! And if you have a successful marketing idea we haven’t mentioned, let us know so we can share it with our readers.
