Rose petals at the ready, 14th February is just around the corner. Is your social strategy prepared?
Observing national holidays is a great way to bring your customers fresh, relevant content on social media (we use this calendar to plan ours FYI). Valentine’s Day is a good place to start because, whether in romantic relationships or not, it’s become a big shopping event.
A time for love, romance… and shopping
You can’t buy love, but that hasn’t stopped Valentine’s Day from becoming one of the most expensive holidays of the year (and a lucrative time for marketers). In 2020, we each spent an average of $196.31 on Valentine’s Day, totalling $27.4 billion. That’s a 32% increase from 2019.
Millennials reportedly spend the most on gifting. According to Bankrate, 75% of them planned on splashing the cash in 2020 – and expected the most to be spent in return.
Consumers also tend to splurge on experiences to celebrate the holiday. However, according to a survey by Numeratorin, in 2021 fewer people planned activities outside the home than they did in 2020. As a result, partners made more intimate plans at home. The big winners were “cooking at home,” up 10 points to nearly 35%, and “order takeaway,” up 12 points to nearly 26%.
Just don’t forget your ‘Galentine’
According to The Balance, you just can’t beat the classics. Flowers, cards, jewellery, candy and romantic dinners are the categories that see the highest spend around Valentine’s Day. But there are some changes to the traditional celebrations.
‘Galentine’s Day’, falling on 13th February, has become something of a cultural phenomenon in recent years and now gets almost the same number of mentions as Valentine’s Day on social media platforms.
Never heard of it? It orginates from the TV series Parks and Recreation. Amy Poehler’s character Leslie Knope explains: “Every February 13, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies.”
The joke took off. Women around the world use the 13th to recognise their girlfriends and celebrate themes of empowerment, self-love and self-care.
Brands like The Body Shop have launched Galentine’s Day campaigns in recent years. Their #SendingAKiss contest prompted followers to send a photo of them blowing a kiss to a friend. The winner of the contest received a newly released gift pack of fruit-scented lip balms for them and their Galentines.
Planning your campaign
A Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) campaign can help engage your customers and drive seasonal sales. Particularly if you’re a brand who targets those high-spending millennials. Here are our three tips for social success this Valentine’s Day:
1. Be inclusive in your content themes
We know customers are branching our when it comes to celebrating their loved ones – and it’s not just Galentine’s Day. Parents, co-workers and pets are all becoming gift recipients (27% of people now buy their fury friends a Valentine’s Day gift!), making it a celebration everyone can enjoy.
This opens up opportunities for brands who haven’t previously had Valentine’s Day on their radar (we’re looking at you Pet brands!) and is a compelling argument for presenting diversity and inclusivity in your content themes.
2. Tell authentic stories with influencers
We all know that storytelling is an effective way to capture the hearts and minds of your customers and nothing quite pulls at the heart strings like a love story.
Influencers are skilled social storytellers. They’re experts in sharing their stories and making authentic connections with followers. Allowing them to do this on behalf of your brand in a social campaign that makes your product or service the hero is a powerful way to build brand awareness and sales.
44% of women said trusted creators influenced their Valentine’s day buying decision.
3. Prioritise quality for love at first scroll
Unfortunately you won’t be the only brand in your category vying for customer attention and spend this February. In the week’s up to Valentine’s Day, our feeds will be filled with similar posts.
Make sure yours stands out in a sea of sameness by handing your creative brief over to a diverse set of creators. They’ll each interpret your brand in a fresh and unique way and create a bank of quality content you can use to fuel your social channels in the weeks before Valentine’s Day.
You can then use Instagram’s suite of shoppable features, or paid media, to amplify the reach and impact of the content.
Vamp success stories
Vamp creators have years of experience in bringing brands to life come Valentine’s Day.
Jewellery brand Swarovski partnered with Vamp last year to raise awareness of their new Valentine’s Day collection. Creators across Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia shared images of their loved ones and the pieces, alongside heartfelt captions that presented them as the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day. The campaign generated high levels of engagement and boosted brand awareness during this crucial sales period.
In Dubai, The Ritz Carlton had Vamp influencers showcase their Valentine’s Day experiences on Instagram. From private beach dining under the stars and Valentine’s afternoon tea, to outdoor cinema and spa retreats, the influencer’s posts captured the romantic experiences at the resort. The twelve posts reached 150,000 people and were saved 760 times by engaged followers.
Toolkit
- Managed campaign
- Influencer marketing
- Boosting
Get in touch to start your Valentine’s Day campaign, or book a demo of our platform.
