The Complete Valentine’s Day Marketing Guide for 2023

Love may be a cheesy subject, but not for marketers! Every year, the world celebrates love with Valentine’s Day—this means Valentine’s Day marketing is not far behind. While people’s views on this holiday have changed over the years, it remains to be among the best opportunities for brands to connect with their customers. After all, love is a universal emotion, and (almost) everyone can relate to it.

In fact, last 2022, the spending for Valentine’s Day reached a whopping $23.9 billion, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). And if you want your online business to be part of this trend for the upcoming Valentine’s Day, you need to start planning your marketing strategy ASAP. To give you a head start, we have prepared this guide to ensure that you make the most out of 2023 Valentine’s Day.

When to Start Your Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaigns

But what exactly do we mean by ASAP? Well, the best time to start planning your Valentine’s Day marketing strategy is exactly around this time of the year—at least 6 weeks before the actual date. This is so you have enough time to plan and execute your campaigns, as well as monitor their progress in order to make adjustments when needed. Plus, creating content for SEO visibility should also be a part of your pre-Valentine’s preparations. This may take up a lot of your time, but it will help you rank high in searches for related keywords, such as “gift ideas for Valentine’s Day” and put your business ahead of the competition.

And if you’re now ready to start this seasonal marketing journey with a bang, here are some creative ideas that you should consider for your Valentine’s Day campaigns and product offerings:

Center Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaigns Around Diverse Types of Love

While “love” often equates to romantic relationships, it doesn’t always have to be the case. There are various types of love that people can celebrate on this special day, such as familial love, platonic love, and self-love. Depending on your current niche and existing buyer personas, you can create campaigns that address different types of love and how your products or services can help customers celebrate these connections.

Valentine’s Day Marketing Idea #1: Friendships

Our bros and besties who have been with us through thick and thin deserve to be celebrated on Valentine’s too! Include friendships in the conversation surrounding your V-Day campaign. You can create products similar to a couples dynamic, but focused on friendships.

Galentine’s day is a great opportunity to celebrate friendships. Create a campaign that celebrates women supporting women. You could host an event sponsored by your shop/brand, create special products or offers, or run social media posts and ads that highlight the importance of female friendships.

Run a “Friendship discounts” campaign. Offer “buy 1, get 1 50% off” discounts on your products or services for customers who buy something for themselves and for a friend on Valentine’s Day. This could be a great way to encourage people to celebrate their friendships and support your business at the same time.

If you use social media, run a Friendship-themed social media contest. Encourage people to share photos and stories about their friendships. You could give away prizes like gift cards or products to the winners.

Valentine’s Day Marketing Idea #2: Family

Nothing beats the love of a family. From parents, siblings, and relatives to our fur babies at home, this day is perfect for expressing your love to those who have been with us through our life journey.

Create a gift guide that features your Valentine’s Day-themed products and includes gift ideas for different types of loved ones, like romantic partners, friends, and family members.

Valentine’s Day Marketing Idea #3: Romantic Relationships

Of course, as mentioned, romantic relationships remain to be a popular theme for Valentine’s Day. After all, it is the time of year when lovers become extra sweet, mushy, and cheesy! This is why marketing campaigns are often targeted to couples.

Offer discounts on your products or services for couples on Valentine’s Day. This could be a great way to encourage people to celebrate their relationships and support your business at the same time.

Host a virtual speed dating event for people looking to meet new people and potentially find love on Valentine’s Day. You could market it as sponsored by your brand, and offer discounts exclusive discounts on your products.

Valentine’s Day Marketing Idea #4: Self-love

Now, both the singles and those in a relationship can celebrate this day with self-love as well. After all, loving yourself is the first step to manifesting love from others! Hence, you can also craft posts or campaigns that encourage everyone to practice self-care and self-love during this day.

For instance, you can create Instagram posts of self-care ideas one can do on Valentine’s Day such as self-massage and meditation.

Bonus: The Anti-Valentine’s Day Approach

Who says that Valentine’s Day has to be all about love and romance? If you’re looking for an edgier approach, you can also take the anti-Valentine’s Day route and focus on topics like singlehood, breakups, or loneliness. This will resonate more with people who aren’t necessarily feeling the “love” or like to make fun of the holiday. To make this more interesting, you can also create a hashtag which people can use to share their thoughts and stories on the matter.

Create a Valentine’s Day Collection

If you run a print on demand powered store and you want more than just a social media campaign to get your customers in the Valentine’s Day spirit, why not create a special collection for this day? This way, you can showcase products that are specifically designed for the occasion and your customers can easily find gifts that they can give to their special someone.

Here are some ideas:

Print on Demand Couples T-shirts

Couple shirts never get old. Whether they subtly show love and affection through a simple quote or minimalist design, or go all out with a punny and goofy approach, they’re sure to make your customers smile. And what’s great is that you can easily offer them as a pair—one for him and one for her. Plus, they don’t necessarily have to be for romantic couples. They can be for friends, family members, or even your furry friends.

Best Tees for Custom Couple Shirts:

• Next Level – 3900 Women’s Boyfriend T-shirt (starts at $9.70)
• Comfort Colors – C1717 Unisex Heavyweight T-Shirt (starts at $12.55)
• Gildan – 5000 Unisex Heavy Cotton T-Shirt (starts at $7.59)
• Lane Seven – LS15000 Unisex Deluxe T-shirt (starts at $8.92)

Print on Demand Couples Sweatshirts/Hoodies

With their cozy, snuggle-worthy design, couples hoodies and sweatshirts are perfect for cuddling up with your special someone. These will look great when worn together and can make for an amazing outdoor photoshoot backdrop. Plus, girls who like to “steal” their boyfriend’s hoodies would definitely appreciate a couple-matching set.

Best Pieces for Couples Sweatshirts/Hoodies:

• Lane Seven – LOUNGEHOOD Unisex Hooded Sweatshirt Lounge Set (starts at $33.5)
• Cotton Heritage – M2580 Unisex Premium Pullover Hoodie (starts at $19.74)
• Lane Seven – LS19001 Unisex Heavyweight Hoodie (starts at $19.94)
• Lane Seven – LS14004 Unisex Premium Crewneck Sweatshirt (starts at $15.34)
• Hanes – P160 Unisex Ecosmart Crewneck Sweatshirt (starts at $12.54)

Print on Demand Jewelry

Whether it’s for mom, daughter, girlfriend, bestie or even boyfriend, there’s something special about gifting jewelry on Valentine’s Day. It’s a timeless gesture that shows your appreciation for their presence in your life—no matter how long you’ve been together. And the good news is, at Awkward Styles you an now sell print on demand jewelry with message cards that can be personalized with your own text or design!

You can either offer your customers a set of customizable templates or a blank slate where they can create one from scratch. Either way, it’s an amazing opportunity to let your customers express their affection in a special and unique way.

Best Print on Demand Jewelry Pieces for Valentine’s:

• Infinite Bond – Infinity Circle Necklace (starts at $13.90)
• Two Lovers – Interlocked Hearts Necklace (starts at $12.90)
• I Love Your Name – Initial Letter Necklace (starts at $12.30)
• Baseball Charm Bead Bracelet (starts at $11.60)
• Basketball Charm Bead Bracelet (starts at $11.60)

Target Both Early Shoppers and Last-Minute Shoppers

There are usually two kinds of shoppers during the Valentine’s season: the ones who plan ahead, and those who are in panic mode right before the day. That’s why it’s important to be prepared and create campaigns that cater to both types of customers.

Plan Social Media Content Ahead of Time

You can plan your social media content for both early shoppers and last-minute shoppers. For the early birds, you can create teaser posts that feature your upcoming collection or promo bundles. You can also use these posts to remind them to shop early and get their gifts on time.

As for the last-minute shoppers, you can create and publish content for the days leading up to Valentine’s Day. This way, you can still reach the people who tend to forget about or procrastinate in buying gifts for their special someone. Try to make it fun and lighthearted by creating humorous posts, or inject a bit of urgency by adding lines like “last-minute gifts are still worth it!”.

Remind Shoppers a Week Before Your Cut-Off Dates

To ensure that your customers get their orders on time, send out reminders a week before the cut-off dates for shipping or promotions you’re running. These can come in the form of social media posts, email campaigns, or even SMS. Remind them to check their orders and make sure that everything is in place so they won’t miss out on the opportunity to give their special someone the perfect gift.

Create a Sense of Urgency When It’s Close to Your Cut-Off Date

For print on demand items that require heavy personalization, such as couple shirts with the initials or mugs with their name, you can create a sense of urgency when it’s close to your cut-off date.

This can be done by sending out countdown emails or adding promotions that are only available for a limited time. Doing this will encourage customers to purchase from you and prevent them from missing out on the items they want to give to their special someone.

Maximize Your Valentine’s Day Marketing Ad Campaigns

Of course, ads are also important during the Valentine’s season. Maximize your ad campaigns by targeting your specific audience and offering them discounts that they can’t resist. This is also the best time to connect with your loyal followers on a more personal level and make them feel that they are truly being taken care of.

Boost Posts on Social Media

If you have Valentine’s-related posts that you want to get more visibility for, this is the best time to boost them on social media. You can also target a specific audience by creating customized audiences based on age, gender, interests, income level, etc. This way, you can make sure that your content reaches the right people and drives more sales for your business.

Create Facebook Ads

If you have a Valentine’s collection and you want non-followers to take notice of it, you can create Facebook ads. You can target the correct audience and get them to check out your collection by showcasing your collection’s pieces through a carousel post or an interactive video.

Make the Most out of Etsy Ads

If you’re selling your products through Etsy, you should take advantage of their advertising feature as well. This will help increase your sales potential and easily reach the customers who are looking for the perfect Valentine’s gifts. What’s great about Etsy ads is that you get to decide how much you want to spend, so you can easily control your budget.

Drive Organic traffic

While paid or boosted posts are great for reaching a larger audience, don’t forget to also drive organic traffic. You can do this by interacting with your customers directly on social media or using hashtags and content format that are viral-worthy. This will help ensure that your posts reach the right people and drive more sales without spending too much.

TikTok

When it comes to organic traffic, TikTok is also a great platform to utilize. You can post creative videos showcasing your collections and make use of the hashtag feature, which will help you reach a wider audience. You can also join existing trends to encourage people to check out the gifts that you have to offer this Valentine’s Day. For instance, you can post a satisfying video unboxing an order from your Valentine’s collection. Or, you can create a funny skit related to Valentine’s Day and add a link in the description where people can purchase your products.

Pinterest

Days or weeks before Valentine’s Day, you can also leverage Pinterest to reach your target audience. Make sure to create boards that are related to Valentine’s day and post images of your products as pins. This will help customers easily find what they are looking for and make them more likely to purchase from you. For example, you can create a board that features aesthetic couple pictures that showcase the shirts and hoodies you’re selling this Valentine’s Day.

Here’s a quick beginner’s guide on How to Sell on Pinterest.

Email Marketing

If you have an existing newsletter or you’re just planning to start one, email marketing is also a great way to reach your customers. You can create campaigns that feature your Valentine’s collection and give them exclusive discounts or bundles that they can’t resist. You can also create or share content such as blog articles or podcast episodes they can check out for Valentine’s Day.

For example, if your niche is gender-neutral fashion, your newsletter can feature an article about how to find the perfect gender-neutral outfit for Valentine’s Day. If you’re a content creator and you already have an existing platform, you can also talk about the more interesting aspects of love and Valentine’s Day itself in your episodes. This way, your avid viewers would know that you don’t just care about the sales but you also want to create value for them through your content.

Wrapping Up!

Aah, Valentine’s Day! It’s that time of the year when love is in the air and couples are busy planning for romantic dates. But whether you’re one of those people or you’re part of a single gang, you can still make Valentine’s Day special for yourself and your precious customers.

By leveraging the power of social media and your power to create meaningful product designs, you can make sure that your Valentine’s Day collection will reach the right audience and create a lasting impression.

All that’s left for you to do is to start preparing and posting your Valentine’s Day collection now so your customers can find the perfect gifts in time. We wish you the best of luck and happy selling!

For more print-on-demand and e-commerce tips and tricks, be sure to check out our blog or subscribe to our newsletter. We have more interesting content coming your way soon!

FAQ’s About Valentine’s Day Marketing Guide

When to Start Your Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaigns?

The best time to start planning your Valentine’s Day marketing strategy is at least 6 weeks before the actual date. This is so you have enough time to plan and execute your campaigns, as well as monitor their progress in order to make adjustments when needed. Plus, creating content for SEO visibility should also be a part of your pre-Valentine’s preparations. This may take up a lot of your time, but it will help you rank high in searches for related keywords, such as “gift ideas for Valentine’s Day” and put your business ahead of the competition.

How can I measure the success of my Valentine’s Day marketing efforts?

Measuring the success of your Valentine’s Day marketing efforts can be done through various metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, conversion rates, sales revenue, customer feedback, and coupon code redemptions. By setting clear goals and tracking these metrics, you can evaluate the effectiveness of your campaigns and make data-driven adjustments for future marketing initiatives.