The day of Love is fast approaching! Whilst it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, especially if your single, or having to live up to the unrealistic standards that social media presents – thank you Instagram! You just can’t ignore the buzz around The Big V!

For many brands it provides a huge opportunity, as it’s the first holiday since Christmas to kick-start their sales. And with Valentine’s day now overtaking Easter in the amount of money brits are spending, you would be mad not to want a piece of this pie. Don’t believe me? During 2017 Brits spent a whopping £1.5 billion on finding ways to say I love you!  And recent surveys have even shown that up to 30% of women would apparently dump their partners if they didn’t acknowledge this day with a gift. Whilst this may seem “slightly” OTT, it perhaps demonstrates just how much importance this date still holds to consumers and for brands.

The great thing about Love is that it is a very flexible feeling to sell, it can be adapted to suit all genres – be it a love for a product, a destination, a person, or even your pets. You can target it at the lonesome or fancy-free singles or at the sickeningly loved up couples. The key is knowing your audience, finding the right touch points and knowing the best way to approach them.  Using any holiday like this as a base for an Ad campaign can increase engagement in a big way, as long as you do it right! It shows that as a brand, you are up to date, agile, and eager to celebrate with your audience.

Last Minute

With more technology and access to products than ever before you would think the Human Race would be very organised for Valentine Day, especially as it’s the samedate, every singleyear!!!!!. But actually nothing could be further from the truth. In the UK, there’s been a year-on-year increase of 41% in “last minute valentine’s gift” This is great news for advertisers, as you can influence orders right up to the eleventh hour. In addition the service and offering you provide your customer at this crucial moment will only create brand love as you make passionate procrastinators come out looking like smooth operators!

Gender

We’ll tread lightly here, but it turns out that men are mightier… when it comes to Valentines Day spending as they typically outlay twice as much as women do. Make sure you get more bang for your buck by targeting some of your advertising budget at Boyfriends and Husbands, rather than Girlfriends and Wives. And more specifically toward men aged between 25-34 where possible, as they are the ones with a larger budget and are more likely to buy. Remember: The more specific your targeting is, the more personal you can make the Ads feel, which can help them perform better. More specific targeting can also help you know which Ad sets are under performing so you can utilise the lessons for future campaigns.

Time to be Social

With 71% of customers making purchases based on social media referrals it’s time to go Native and get Social! Utilising this stream is a powerful way to reach your customers without disrupting and intruding on their browsing experience. Compared to other forms of more traditional Display Advertising and Banner Ads, this is a much less expensive form of Advertising. It offers a lower barrier to entry so that many different types of businesses can take advantage of it.

Don’t Leave Out the Singletons

Whilst Valentine’s is mainly a holiday for couples it’s important to remember a large part of our population are single and loving it! Broken up, divorced, looking, or just enjoying their best life; targeting singles with the appropriate product or service will bag you those additional sales. It’s time to promote “self love” and get your consumers to treat themselves. In addition there is a whole lot of love for our furry friends too!