Can you feel the love in the air? That’s right, cause Valentine’s Day (or Single Awareness Day for others) is right around the corner! While it’s the time for couples to bond and singles to date, this is also a great opportunity for eCommerce marketers to help these lovebirds set the mood. How? By slashing prices off of some much-needed Valentine’s Day goodies. We’re talking about dating clothes, romantic gifts—the whole shebang.
So, how can YOU best prepare your eCommerce brand’s email marketing content for Valentine’s season? Follow the 3 Ps Formula! Interestingly, it’s like preparing for a date.
- Propose
- Prepare
- Present
Yes, these might sound like the steps to landing your first date, but these are also legit strategies! Check out this 3-step guide on crafting your Valentine’s Day email marketing content.
1. Propose your Valentine’s Day pitches to your customers
This is the phase when you can send emails setting up the whole Valentine’s mood to your email subscribers. Think of it as proposing your dinner plans to your would-be date. At this point, you are building hype in your customer base. Here’s an example for the kind of content you can send during this phase:
To-Do lists or Gift Guides to prepare for Valentines Day
What we like about this sample is how it’s designed to raise awareness that Valentine’s Day is approaching. This is the sign that every love-struck customer has been waiting for. The sign for them to start preparing and planning for what they would want to get for their special someone.
This is where you can apply the first step of our 6-Step Email Marketing Sequence. Your campaign during this phase should focus on building hype among your email lists. Give them some sneak peaks on what your brand is planning for a Valentine’s Day sale.
Like in romance, you’ll need to take things slow. Expecting them to immediately say yes is a big turn off for them. Let’s apply that idea to your email marketing. Giving your customers a heads-up on what your eCommerce brand is preparing for Valentine’s Day eases them into the right mood.
If handled wrong, your customers may see your brand as just another marketer hopping onto the opportunist bandwagon. Expecting out-of-the-blue purchases from out-of-the-blue discounts is a big no-no. And like in our dating scenario above, it’s only a big turn off to your customers.
2. Prepare your customers for the upcoming deals
The next phase is preparation for the Valentine’s special sales. Tease (no, not like that) your customers with special product highlights. Give the lovebirds a hint on what your brand is planning for Valentine’s week. Here are some sample content ideas:
Valentine’s Day Special Products teaser emails
This is where you throw in hints of what our eCommerce brand is planning on selling come Valentine’s Day. And just because it’s a teaser email, it doesn’t mean your customers can’t jump into your online store and shop immediately if they want to. Include a clear CTA at the bottom for your customers who can’t wait for Valentine’s Day to start shopping.
“For Couples” specials
The main target audiences you’ll focus on would of course be the lovebirds, the couples, the partners—what have you. Give them something special to give to each other. Gifts like matching accessories and couple clothing or discounts on gifts for him or for her.
Let’s go back to our dating metaphor. It’s a must to coordinate with venues so you can get the best tables and food, the best seats and views. Then, get your date excited by maybe throwing in some hints on your plans with them. Get them excited and continue building their hype for the big date night.
You can apply the same to your email marketing efforts. Continue building the hype. Highlight your planned sales and special deals on your emails. Get your customers excited and prepared for what’s coming on Valentine’s week. If you do a great job at building excitement, you’re going to be raking in revenue!
3. Present your irresistible deals!
In this phase of your Valentine’s marketing efforts, send out your emails signalling the start of the Valentine’s sales. This is also a good time to reach out to your customers celebrating “Single Awareness Day” by showing them it’s their time to show themselves some love. Here are some content ideas:
Valentine’s Day Special Products and Sales launch
By now you’ve noticed what all these emails have in common—the color pink or red. Why these colors in the first place? Pink is the universal color for love, while red can represent passion. Be sure to give your Valentine’s Day emails and products the pink and red treatment and work with that color psychology.
“For Singles” special offers
There’s nothing wrong with being single on Valentine’s Day. This is the opportunity for your single customers to treat themselves!
Now this is a more non-traditional approach to celebrating Valentine’s Day. But there indeed is a market of individuals who feel happier flying solo and enjoying life by themselves. So why not show some love to that audience as well by giving them opportunities to treat themselves.
And finally, returning to our dating scenario, it’s DATE NIGHT! Bring your date to that planned dinner and movie. Talk, go sightseeing maybe, whatever floats your boat. But just like in a relationship, be always ready to listen!
And yes, to back to our dating scenario. The date finally comes to a close, but don’t leave them hanging after. Communicate and ask about the date. What about it was fun? What about it may have been dull and could use some improvements? Listening to that kind of feedback can help you on your next date night with your partner.
Also another parallel to marketing—encourage your customers to give feedback on your products. They can also be about the sale in general, and even how your brand approached the Valentine’s season. Being open to feedback encourages a healthier customer relationship. Additionally, it’s a great source of reviews you can highlight in future marketing campaigns, especially on next Valentine’s Day.
Our main takeaway? Just like dating, warming up to your customers should be done gently, not aggressively. Be mindful with the content you share, make sure they’re relevant to your segment lists. Be creative in showing how much you genuinely care about your customers by offering them something truly special during the day of love.
Do you need help in implementing the 6 Step Email Marketing Sequence to your Valentine’s email marketing campaign? Send us a love letter and schedule a free 30-minute strategy call with us!
