18 Sweet Valentine鈥檚 Day Ideas to Market Your Small Business

After surviving the Christmas business rush it鈥檚 important to re-engage your customers in the new year. And St. Valentine鈥檚 Day can be the perfect opportunity to send out a little love to your loyal customers, thanking them for all their patronage over the past year.

Here are a few sweet Valentine鈥檚 Day promotion ideas to market your small business this February:

1. Design a Valentine鈥檚 themed landing page on your website. As a small business owner, it鈥檚 easy to think of your website as a virtual placeholder to redirect your customers to your brick and mortar location. But just as you would update your window displays to engage your customers for the holiday, your website should be an extension of your physical location. By creating a special Valentine鈥檚 Day landing page, you can bypass your usual homepage and direct Facebook and Google online ads to a page that focuses on the holiday, without making any drastic changes to your homepage. By creating a unique landing page, you can play around with new and exciting page designs, unique calls to action and create additional SEO value for your website.

2. Give a special Valentine鈥檚 Day discount for your customers. Valentine鈥檚 Day is February 14, so offering a special 14% off discount for Valentine鈥檚 Day is a subtle way to acknowledge the holiday.

3. Post a video valentine to YouTube. Create a sweet thank you video for your customers and post it to YouTube. Set up a Valentine鈥檚 themed backdrop and record a short clip wishing them a Happy Valentine鈥檚 Day and thanking them for their business.

4. Offer a Valentine鈥檚 themed beauty upgrade. For salons and spas, Valentine鈥檚 Day is both a day for pampering your loved one and a place to prepare for a romantic night out on the town. Offer your customers a discounted upgrade to their service with a romantic service, like rose scented aromatherapy or a sugar scrub.

5. Offer buy one, get one deals for couples. Meals priced for two at your restaurant or his and hers spa treatments at your salon encourage sweethearts to treat themselves to a Valentine鈥檚 Day special with you.

6. Create a romantic menu for two. Champagne and a chocolate dessert add a bit of romance to any menu. Let the spirit of the holiday move you to create a custom menu at your restaurant or bistro that would be perfect for a couple seeking a special evening out.

7. Create a Valentine鈥檚 Day gift package. Got a product that would make a great romantic gift? Offer it up to customers wrapped and ready to go for a easy shopping experience. This is also convenient for last-minute shoppers.

8. Play romantic music. Loud electronica beats may be energizing, but don鈥檛 really inspire romance. Set the mood in your establishment by piping in a romantic playlist. Many music services offer special stations curated to create a warm, fuzzy feeling.

9. Wrap purchases in Valentine鈥檚 themed shopping bags. Wrapping purchases in pink or red tissue paper or even just stamping a red heart on your regular shopping bags is a sweet way to add a bit of romance to customers鈥 regular shopping.

10. Match customers鈥 charitable donations. Choose a charity that鈥檚 close to your heart and challenge your customers to share the love. Collect donations throughout the month, and commit to match any funds that your customers submit. When you present the donation to the charity, be sure to share pictures and video on social media and your website to publicize how you and your customers make a difference, together.

11. Broadcast Valentine鈥檚 recipes, crafts or fashion shows on Facebook Live. Facebook Live is a great way to connect with your customers in real time. Throughout the month host Live events where you demonstrate your products or services that are perfect for Valentine鈥檚 Day. That may mean sharing a romantic recipe if you are a restaurant or bistro. Perhaps styling the perfect Valentine鈥檚 Day outfit for clothing retailers. Even demonstrating the best way to gift wrap your products for a loved one is a fun idea. And best of all, with Facebook Live, you can take questions and respond to comments in real time.

12. Candy making live demo. If you prefer a more face-to-face experience, invite some of your best customers to your restaurant or store for a live candy making demo. You鈥檒l have fun creating a sweet treat together, and they鈥檒l walk away with a homemade gift for their sweetheart.

13. Decorate with hearts and flowers. Don鈥檛 forget to add visual cues to remind your shoppers that Valentine鈥檚 Day is near. Romantic window displays, fragrant floral decor and a cheerful blend of reds and pinks will help get lovers in the holiday mood.

14. Celebrate the singles. Not everyone is part of a pair. Offer up Valentine鈥檚 Day specials for the single guy or gal. Give your customers options for giving gifts to frieds, family or even a treat for themselves. Make the holiday all about love in its many forms. 

15. Set up a romantic selfie station. Add a bit of fun to your small business by setting up a ready-made photo op. Set up a glittery backdrop, add a large picture frame, and some romantic props like paper hearts and you鈥檝e got the perfect place to take a Valentine鈥檚 Day selfie. #yourstore

16. Team up with another non-competitive local business. There鈥檚 strength in numbers. Find another local small business that complements your retail store, salon or bistro. Ask them if they鈥檇 like to collaborate on a special Valentine鈥檚 Day package deal that would encourage customers to visit both locations. This has the added benefit of getting your brand out in front of new customers who may not already be familiar with your store or restaurant.

17. Give away sweets with every purchase. Whether it鈥檚 a decadent chocolate bon bon or a spicy Lebkuchen gingerbread cookie, sending off your customers with a free Valentine鈥檚 treat is a great way to leave a sweet taste on their lips.

18. Send your customers a special Valentine鈥檚 email message. Online email services like MailChimp have tons of themed templates for every holiday, so it鈥檚 easy to customize these pre-made emails to send out just the right message to your customers. Email your customers a reminder to make their Valentine鈥檚 Day reservations or just send them a little love note. This could be as simple as sending them a virtual Valentine鈥檚 Day card. Or you can provide a service to your customers like directing them to your restaurant鈥檚 online reservation tool. [email_download 3714]

Did we miss any great Valentine鈥檚 Day promotion ideas? What unique business ideas for Valentine鈥檚 Day have you used in the past for your small business? Let us know in the comments below.