Get ready to be shot with cupid’s arrow (virtually)… It’s nearly that time of the year again! 

February 14th is one particular date every year that’s reserved for two, a dozen roses, a box of chocolates and a whole lot of lovey-dovey campaign craze on social media. When it comes to love, this day appeals to the masses and is not only celebrated in person but online too.

For brands, Valentine’s Day means coming up with new ideas every year to attract attention and increase their sales. Whether you’re in a business that circles around the theme of love/romance or just in need of a cheeky marketing campaign that takes advantage of the celebration, Valentine’s Day is THE day for the job.

Here’s what to expect this Valentine’s Day online in terms of content ideas, strategies and what it may look like for the social media side of things. 

BESTSELLERS WILL HIT THE SPOTLIGHT 

Some brands will use this day as a prime opportunity to promote their best-selling products, so don’t be surprised if you come across some of your favourite commercial items filling up your newsfeed come Monday. This won’t be accidental, and it’s an effective social media strategy that only requires a love-bomb twist to hit the V-Day brief. 

Most brands will do this in a way that naturally incorporates the theme of the event without being too obvious, for example, posting a best-selling pair of shoes and captioning it “Perfect date night attire”. 

CAMPAIGN COORDINATION WITH OTHER BRANDS(2 X BRANDS = ❤️ )

Valentine’s Day is the best time to pair up with another company to deliver a killer campaign. This is a smart way for brands to double up on exposure and reach a broader audience. Prepare to see not only couples pairing up this V-Day but possibly two of your favourite brands also pairing up to deliver something juicy. 

Co-marketing tactics have proven to be very effective when managed appropriately to communicate as one entity. How this should and will look like:

• Two brands will have found the perfect match: The most important factor that allows this campaign to stand out is when two brands have found the perfect match with each other that is complementary to both brands. They will both offer products or services that go hand in hand with each other’s services or products and share the same type of audience.

• Coordinating to use the same messages. Mutual communication to meet similar intent and values will be evident in brand collaborations as they attempt to adopt a similar tone of voice to achieve the same goal. Consistency will be evident in all posts, and the incorporation of the V-Day theme will help the campaign collaboration stand out. 

• Both brands will have settled on mutual incentives, such as discount offers for both services/products, and a “Valentine’s day pack” – something that both partners bring to the table.

#Hashtags on theme

The biggest trend you’ll see on most of your social platforms this Valentine’s Day is the use of relevant, but popular hashtags, to ensure a brands message reaches bigger audiences. Platforms such as Twitter and Instagram will showcase a bunch of trending hashtags and all you’ll basically see on Monday is #love #valentinesday and #romance. 

You may even see a tailored hashtag that fit a specific campaign launch, a handy way for brands to ask their audience to use a new hashtag which in turn allows them to take advantage of user-generated content… Valentine’s Day, not just a pretty face for social media. 

Two things Valentine’s Day and social media have in common: relationships. Building your online presence is important on any ordinary day. Still, you’ll notice brands taking extra advantage of an annual celebration to drive sales and brand presence to broaden their social media community relationships further.