Central Perk: Valentine’s Day Marketing Strategy

miercuri, 15 februarie 2012

Valentine’s Day Marketing Strategy – Did Your Brand Get it Right?

Posted: 14 Feb 2012 06:00 AM PST

St. Valentine's Day has become one of the biggest events in the retail calendar. Second only to Christmas, it is a huge money maker for brands, with 32% of gifts being bought online. In America, it is expected that a whopping $3.5billion will be spent on jewellery alone. Men are the biggest spenders, buying all sorts of gifts for their loved ones, from flowers, to chocolates, to dinners out and weekends away – and they are more likely than women to buy elaborate gifts. With such huge revenue opportunities, ask yourself… how well did your brand perform and what can be done to improve performance for next year?

1. Planning

People start searching for Valentine's Day gifts around mid-January, with momentum picking up pace at the beginning of February. The biggest sales days are the 5^th and 6^th of February, with the week running up to the 14^th February characterised by frenzied and frantic last-minute gift buying. This means brands have to get their thinking cap on and start planning well in advance. Think about what worked well the previous year and act on it. The earlier you start, the wider the audience you will reach.

2. Segmentation

Not everyone on Valentine's Day will be expecting to receive a gift. Not every woman is going to appreciate a 'Perfect Earrings for the Lovely Lady in Your Life' branded email. Segment your market by the gifts they may buy. A Facebook ad campaign is a particularly good way to go about this, as they have the ability to target your audience by their age, location, gender, relationship status, etc. Also, look at who bought from you last year and be sure to target them with a special message.

3. Sending Out The Right Message

Once you've segmented your audience, it's time to create a customised message for their wants and needs. People are price sensitive and they're looking for a good deal and great service. An Email Marketing Campaign can be a great place to start. Make sure you have a punchy subject line, that you feature suitable products for the segment you're targeting and include other special deals you might have on. Use a range of social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to promote your offering and utilise your blog if you have one. Solve the problem for those who don't have a clue about gift buying for their lover and encourage them to strike while the iron's hot.

4. Your Website

Now that you've made sure you're getting the message out to your contacts and social media followers, it's time to target anyone visiting your site. Make sure your homepage clearly promotes your Valentine's Day offering. Give the landing page a makeover with red, pink and beautiful hearts and be sure to include on every page of your website information about delivery and shopping cut-off dates.

5. Get Creative

You don't need to be in the chocolate or flower industry to benefit from this holiday and reap the financial rewards. You will, however, have to be creative if you are not in the traditional industries associated with this romantic holiday. Create a video. Use Valentine's Day inspired discount codes. Partner with a company that offers complimentary products to yours. Create a special Valentine's Day product. Run a Valentine's competition on your social media platforms. Use this holiday to drive traffic to your site and increase engagement.