Here at Mr. Thrive Media, one of our main marketing goals for ourselves and our clients is to create a fresh spin on classic marketing techniques. We aim to be a digital marketing agency that does things differently, to keep ourselves engaged and our clients happy! This mindset applies to every day of the year, including the classic marketing holidays.
Valentine’s Day is just such a holiday. We’ve all seen the traditional V-Day marketing:
- Hearts
- Sweetheart treats
- Flowers and chocolates
- Love notes
… and all of that good stuff. Who doesn’t love a chocolate heart or a note written with care? However, these treats have their time, place, and appropriate duration of marketing lifespan. As the umbrella of marketing expands, more and more businesses seek out unconventional Valentine’s Day marketing tips and tricks. That’s where this Mr. Thrive blog comes into play.
These unconventional Valentine’s Day marketing tips and tricks are designed to work for many types of businesses. Some are more specific, some are intentionally open-ended. They can fit into your digital ecosystem whether you’re working with AI in business or creating different types of podcasts. Read on to learn new ways to love this holiday!
Reinventing Creative, Unconventional Valentine’s Day Marketing
The first question most folks ask themselves when coming up with unconventional marketing ideas is, “How?” How do you take a classic concept and turn it on its head? How do you change something that everyone expects, and still succeed? When it comes to unconventional Valentine’s Day marketing tips and tricks, the key is consistency.
Consistency is the key to all branding and marketing endeavors. It’s a staple SEO best practice, it comes up in choosing hashtags and keywords, and it’s crucial for creating evergreen content. When you’re launching a new marketing campaign for Valentine’s Day, consistency in branding and clarity is where you’ll find success. Creative ideas will take you the rest of the way.
For your inspiration in finding these ideas, we’ve broken down our tips and tricks into a few categories. Read on to find the right ideas to work for you, and make them your own this holiday.
3 Valentine’s Marketing Tricks Across Different Industries
This first set of unconventional Valentine’s Day marketing tips and tricks is built for different industries. Whatever your industry and business model, these ideas can work for you. These three ideas are all related to Valentine’s Day without being overwhelming on the nose. They’re subtle but effective in getting people in the holiday spirit through your brand.
1. Share “Lovely” Industry Information
Sharing “lovely” industry information is a marketing tip that will mean something different depending on your industry. Did a new business concept recently make it off the ground? Is there charity work involved that has been doing well recently? Finding lovely information to create marketing content is half the fun!
2. Promote Shareable Random Acts of Kindness
Shareable random acts of kindness are the intentional choice of sharing the love in a way that can be passed along. This could be buying a cup of coffee for someone in need or dropping off food at a donation box. Find something related to your industry. From there, promote and encourage this sharing of love to get your name out there alongside a topic that is, simply, lovely.
4. Design Subscription Care Package Services
Who says Valentine’s Day celebrations can only last one day? Similar to having an attitude of gratitude all year long, V-Day promotions can be a continual effort. Simplify this effort for your marketing plans with a designed subscription care package service. Your clients and customers can enjoy the love all year long.
3 Valentine’s Marketing Tips for Hospitality Businesses
When it comes to hospitality businesses, unconventional Valentine’s Day marketing tips and tricks should be focused on the guest experience. These tips are primarily focused on the dining experience, which is one of the most efficient and delicious ways to shake up hospitality marketing. If you want to make a change, start in the kitchen!
1. Valentine’s Around the World Dining Experiences
An intriguing option for shaking up your hospitality restaurant experience is the host Valentine’s around-the-world dining experiences. Pick some of the most famous and popular dishes from around the world, Valentine’s related or not, to create a specialty V-Day menu.
2. Group Rates for Group Dates
You can’t go wrong with group rates for group dates. A prix fixe menu, with a total set price, is one of the most efficient and enticing ways to offer this Valentine’s special. You can host a party for this event in your ballroom to maximize efficiency and create a magical evening.
3. Bakery and Dessert Valentine’s Specials
For small sweet treats, bakery and dessert Valentine’s specials are the way to go. Give your pastry chef free rein to come up with creative options. These can be used for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and every snacking occasion in between.
3 Valentine’s Marketing Ideas for Podcast Businesses
As for podcast businesses, the world is open to you with unconventional marketing. Podcasts are a new enough industry that the classic techniques are still being built. For unconventional Valentine’s Day marketing tips and tricks, these options give you room to move into the holiday without separating from the podcast theme.
1. Collaborate with Relationship Coaches
Collaborating with relationship coaches ties into one of the best podcast marketing tips of all: working with podcast guests. Interviewing podcast guests gives you the marketing reach of that guest and adds to your industry authority. For V-Day, relationship coach guests will get you in front of all the right people.
2. Live Q&A V-Day Sessions
A live Q&A session on a podcast is always a good idea. Live Q&A Valentine’s Day sessions can be about anything and everything. You can ask listeners to send in questions, or even bring them on to ask or answer their own questions. This will build your community around the show.
3. Pet Lover’s Podcast Episodes
Everyone loves a good “love for love’s sake” Valentine’s marketing effort, but what type of love should you talk about? One of the cutest and most delightful options is a pet lover’s showcase. You can ask listeners to share their pets, and talk about your own!
Frequently Asked Questions About Unconventional Marketing for Valentine’s Day
Unconventional marketing for Valentine’s Day is something nearly every type of business seeks out around this holiday season. That demand extends to the questions entrepreneurs and marketers ask about the niche subject. Our answers to these frequently asked questions will further quench your thirst for information and understanding about these marketing techniques.
How Do You Market for Valentine’s Day?
Some key ways of marketing for Valentine’s Day include:
- Launching a Valentine’s Day-themed sign-up for offers
- Encouraging pre-orders and timed deliveries
- Playing matchmaker with gift-giving
- Designing a special V-Day sale
- Spoiling your loyal, “most-loved” customers
- Offering limited edition items and promotions
- Promoting themed existing products and services
- Encourage the “treat yourself” mentality with personal gifts
The best way to market for Valentine’s Day is to encourage feelings of love, appreciation, and warmth. Pair your brand and offerings with these feelings to find success.
What Is the Alternative to Valentine’s Day?
The most popular alternative to Valentine’s Day is Galentine’s Day. Galentine’s Day was created by the television show Parks and Recreation in episode 16 of season 2. These days, Galentine’s Day is celebrated on February 13 but can be celebrated any time in February leading up to Valentine’s Day.
What Do Most Consumers Buy for Valentine’s Day?
Statistically, for Valentine’s Day, most consumers buy:
- Candy
- Greeting cards
- Flowers
- Dinner out
- Jewelry
- Clothing
- Gift cards
Depending on your business, you won’t be able to cater to all these niches. You can, however, offer the items and experiences that fall under your umbrella of services and products with your brand spin.
What Businesses Benefit from Valentine’s Day?
Every type of business has the potential to benefit from Valentine’s Day. Most non-traditional businesses have the mindset that V-Day is designed for restaurants, greeting card companies, and florists. While those businesses certainly make bank on Valentine’s, they aren’t the only ones with a hold on this holiday.
The trick to making Valentine’s Day a valuable marketing time for your business is finding the connection between love, care, and what you sell. It may be a small connection. If you can find the marketing angle in your key marketing services and techniques, you can work some sales from this lovey-dovey holiday.
Unconventional Marketing for Valentine’s Day: Find the Key To Your Audience’s Hearts
These unconventional Valentine’s Day marketing tips and tricks give you the freedom to market for this holiday without buying into clichés and stereotypes. If you’re looking to find out-of-the-box marketing tools for all holidays and everyday events, reach out to work with Mr. Thrive Media today!
Whatever direction you’re taking your brand and business, we’re here to help. From podcast production to voice acting to marketing consulting services, we have what you need to support your business goals.