A Valentine’s Day Marketing Strategy That’ll Make ‘Em Swoon (and Spend!)

Whether you like or loathe Valentine’s Day personally, there’s no denying that this ‘Hallmark holiday’ brings in loads of dough to savvy retailers each year.

But guess what? You don’t have to sell champagne, roses, or sexy lingerie to get in on the Valentine’s Day marketing action. (But it sure doesn’t hurt.)

This post will show you how to spin nearly any item you sell into a V-Day moneymaker with an irresistible six-step Valentine’s Day marketing plan. Ready to get started?

6-Step Valentine’s Day Marketing Plan

Looking for Valentine’s Day marketing ideas that any small business owner can use? We put together an easy, effective, and, dare we say, fun, Valentine’s Day campaign for you below that works for every industry.

Step 1: Take Stock of Your Stock

OK, first things first, you need to put on your rose-colored glasses and your thinking cap. What items do you currently have that could (in any way) be marketed for Valentine’s Day? Nothing? We don’t believe you!

Think harder. Let’s take a look at all the different categories that can work for Valentine’s Day promotions:

• Significant others: Do you have any products that could fall into a ‘gift’ category for significant others? Great. But don’t stop there.
• Family, friends, and more: How about gifts for friends, teachers, children, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, stepparents, sisters, brothers-in-law, neighbors, etc. (Valentine’s Day isn’t just for lovers — it’s a day to show someone — really, anyone — that you care.) So capitalize on all this caring like the business-minded person you are!
• Pets: We all love any excuse to spoil our four-legged friends! Do you make pet treats, beds, toys? P.S. Consumers are expected to spend $52.65 on pets in 2024, according to the NRF.
• Galentine’s Day: February 13th is “Galentine’s Day,” — a non-official holiday where “ladies celebrate ladies.” Capitalize on this with gifts for BFFs, sisters, moms, aunts, grandmas, and more.
• Retail: Do you sell clothing, shoes, or accessories for women/men/children? We’re talkin’ hair bows for little girls, ties for men, dresses … anything along those lines?
• Beauty: How about makeup, skincare, beard oil, perfume, cologne, soap, lotion, hair products, bubble bath?
• Decor: Do you sell handcrafted decor? Pillows? Prints? Candles? Potpourri? Door mats?
• Date nights: Do you sell literally anything that could be used to make a romantic dinner, breakfast in bed, or take on a picnic? Think wine glasses, olive oil, desserts, picnic blankets and baskets, kitchen utensils, food of any kind, and so on and so on.

If you have anything that falls into any of the categories above, you’re now ready for a little Valentine’s Day marketing love. However, the above is by no means an exhaustive list. No matter what you sell, from cleaning services and plumbing repair to faux tattoos and fire pits, it can all be marketed for V-Day.

Step 2: Think Pink (and White, and Red)

Now that you know what types of items you can promote for V-Day, let’s talk about customizations you can make. (While most products can be promoted for Valentine’s Day, not all can be dyed, scented, or created just for February 14th. If that’s the case, don’t worry — just move onto step three!)

For example:

• Say you sell handcrafted candles — release a new scent leading up to Feb. 14 called ‘Love is in the Air’ or ‘Love Stinks’ to cater to singles.
• If you sell bath products, create a pink bath bomb that releases red glitter once dissolved or new bath bubbles that smell like a chocolate-covered cherry.
• Maybe you sell home decor — make a V-Day-themed wreath or a cute heart-shaped garden sign.
• Create cupid-shaped dog biscuits or an organic catnip-filled plush heart for a cat toy.

Step 3: Mix in Some Valentine’s Day Marketing Magic 

Here’s where things get fun — and creative. Keep in mind that it’s not what you sell, it’s how you sell it.

Here are some examples:

• If you sell beard products, try writing something like this: “This Valentine’s Day, the beard is BAE. Get 25% off our entire collection of oils, balms, and shaving soaps using code: BEARDISBAE.”
• If you sell coffee: “Who needs a box of chocolates this Valentine’s Day when you can drink our velvety chocolate-mocha coffee instead?”
• If you sell pancake mix: “Knock their socks off with breakfast in bed this Valentine’s Day. Our delicious mix turns into perfect, fluffy pancakes with minimal effort. But go ahead, take all the credit. And get 15% off if you buy today, too. Use code: FLUFFYAF.”
• If you sell clothing: “Got a hot date for V-Day? Wear this little red dress, and all eyes will be on you all night.”
• If you sell flower seeds: “Enjoy a romantic garden all year long. Get 25% off flower seeds throughout the entire month of February!”
• If you sell art of any kind: “Flowers die, but art is forever. Get 14% off all our handmade items until 2/14 using code SHOPLOCAL.”

See? You can put a good ole Valentine’s Day marketing spin on just about anything. But we’re not done quite yet!

Bundle It Up

Make gift giving easy on your target market by putting a few of your best sellers together as a bundle, and slapping a fun name on it. Discount the price so the bundle is less than they could buy each product individually.

For example:

• A ‘Love Me Tinder’ bundle might appeal to singles and include a sexy outfit, necklace, and earrings. The same bundle could also be called “Hot & Haute” for those going on a date night on Feb. 14.
• A ‘Shower Him With Love’ bundle might be a few bath products or a beard-oil sampler.
• A ‘Be Mine’ bundle might include two wine glasses, a blanket, and chocolates. This could also be called ‘Netflix and Chill.’
• A ‘We ❤️ Teachers’ bundle might include a hand-painted coffee mug with candies and a scarf.

Step 4: Don’t Forget About Singles 

While consumers give V-Day gifts to just about anyone they care about — which makes Valentine’s Day marketing fairly easy for any business owner — don’t forget about the power of marketing to singles and non-celebrators too.

The NRF says that of those who don’t plan to celebrate V-Day with a partner, 28% will still buy a non-themed gift, treat themselves to something special, or plan a night out with friends.

• You can take the ‘love stinks’ approach and make funny gift bundles your target market can give to themselves or to a friend. If you sell clothing, wine glasses, mugs, or anything else you can customize, you can put funny messages on these items that would appeal to this crowd, like “Wine is my valentine” or “Cupid is a soul-sucking demon.”
• Or you can take a softer, more ‘treat yo self’ approach by encouraging people not to wait for a partner to buy things for them. Use the term “Singles Awareness Day” in your marketing and use content along these lines: “You’re single… the single most awesome person I know! So treat yourself to something nice this Valentine’s Day and get 25% off while you’re at it using code: LOVE.”

Of course — the actual words you choose and the tone of your content will change depending on your target market — so you’ll want to modify depending on those factors.

Step 5: Add a Valentine’s Day Marketing Deal They Can’t Refuse 

People like a good deal, and there’s a lot of competition out there when it comes to V-Day.

You can help your business stand out by offering the following Valentine’s day marketing promotions:

• Percentage off
• BOGO deal
• Get $10 off when you spend $60 or more
• Free gift card with X purchase
• $5 off $30 or more
• Free gift with every V-Day purchase (specify what it is or give it an air of mystery if it’s a surprise)

Step 6: Promote the Heck Out of Your Deal 

Now that you’ve put a little Valentine’s Day marketing magic into your products, it’s time to relax. Just kidding! It’s time to promote your deal(s) like they’re going out of style. While there are plenty of affordable marketing ideas for your online store, like the ones below, you can also try paid advertising to expand your reach.

And, actually, they are, since you’ve got a pretty small timeframe to work with till February 14. (P.S. you can always do a post V-Day sale extension to keep the love flowing throughout February.)

• This should go without saying, but hit all of the usual suspects where you have a solid presence, from Instagram and Pinterest to Twitter and Facebook. If you’re on TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, or any other social media platform, use those too.
• Email your subscribers using V-Day-themed content and subject lines.
• Dabble in ephemeral marketing on Instagram Stories, Snapchat, and Facebook to put a sense of urgency into your V-Day specials.
• Make gift guides on your blog and target specific keywords.

Keywords You Can Steal

We conducted a little keyword research for you — so feel free to steal any of these keywords for your gift guides (before anyone else does). Keep in mind that all of the most common searches, like “Valentine’s Day gifts,” may get over 100,000 searches but will be much harder to rank for.

While the searches below aren’t massive, they will increase the closer you get to Valentine’s Day. If you get your products up early enough (and update your product titles, product descriptions, and blog posts with the right keywords), you will hopefully be the one ranking highly for these terms on Google.

• “Valentine’s Day gift ideas for women” gets 140 searches per month and has medium competition.
• “Cool Valentine’s Day gift ideas for boyfriend” gets 20 searches per month and has low competition.
• “Best V Day gift ideas for husband” gets 30 searchers per month and has medium competition.
• “Last minute V Day gifts for him” gets 20 searches per month and has low competition.
• “Good V Day gifts for her” gets 20 searchers per month and has medium competition.
• “Singles Awareness Day” gets 3,600 searches a month and has low competition.
• “Galentine’s Day” gets 40,500 searches a month and has medium competition.

BTW: It’s not essential you start promoting your deals super early. (Procrastinators everywhere rejoice!)

For the Love of Money ❤️

Valentine’s Day is loved by some and straight-up hated by others. But no matter where you fall in that spectrum, there’s nothing wrong with getting your V-Day hustle on so some of that consumer spending comes your way in 2024. So get to work on your Valentine’s Day marketing plan so you can feel the love this year.

If you need help putting a V-Day content marketing spin on something you sell that wasn’t covered here, feel free to email us, and we’ll see if we can whip something up for you. But if we can’t, be nice to us. It is almost Valentine’s Day, after all.