5 ways to incorporate SMS marketing this Valentine’s Day.

February 14th is approaching quickly. This presents us with the first major commercial event of the year, Valentine’s Day. Recent studies show that Valentine’s Day has become the third most popular “holiday spending” event of the year, behind only Christmas and Mother’s Day. That means that UK consumers spend more money on Valentine’s Day gifts than Easter and Black Friday, emphasising just how big of an opportunity that it presents.

The celebration of Valentine’s Day has moved on from its historical association of card writing to a point where consumers spend a noteworthy amount of money on their loved ones. Gifts are also no longer limited to love themed products. Statista reports that there was a significant rise in certain spending from 2017 to 2018, with confectionary purchases increasing by 15.9%, dining-out increasing by 11.8% and romantic getaways proving more popular. Therefore, showing that businesses in many unique industries can exploit Valentine’s Day to increase revenue.

One way in which Valentine’s Day spending has changed is that consumers are now using mobile to purchase goods. This is likely due to the simplicity and convenience of ordering products through a handheld device. In 2018, the number of e-commerce transactions made using mobile increased to 37.9% , up from 27.6% in 2017. This large increase highlights the attractiveness of incorporating SMS marketing into your Valentine’s Day marketing activities.

The benefit of using SMS is that it allows you to directly communicate with customers on a personal level. This makes your campaigns personal gives off a friendly tone and implies that you care about your customers individually. Furthermore, personalised SMS offers can lead to increased spending by customers in stores. Studies show that 73% of UK customers who receive an offer on their phone will end up spending more in stores on Valentine’s Day. There are several ways in which you can communicate with your customers using SMS marketing. Let’s look at five of them in more detail:

1 - Promote products

The first way in which you can use SMS marketing is to promote specific products or services that you sell. Try to think of something that you sell which can be associated with the theme of love. If this does not apply, then you can still promote this product by using a quirky Valentine’s related caption to grab the attention of your customers. One creative way of increasing customer interest could be to change the name or slogan of one of your products temporarily during the run up to Valentine’s Day. Another idea could be to create a gift guide and include it into your SMS campaign as a document. This technique is particularly useful for the retail industry.

2 - Run competitions

A great way to increase customer engagement during the run up to Valentine’s Day is by running a competition. There are also other benefits of using SMS marketing to run competitions. It allows you to build brand awareness and shows customers that you are willing to give back. The competition can also help in collecting customer data and increasing the number of customers on your list. Finally, running competitions can often lead to your customers marketing your company for you through positive word of mouth.

3 - Offer discounts

The most obvious way to use SMS marketing is by offering limited time discounts. This can help in generating new customers whilst also encouraging repeat customers to purchase. Furthermore, it can provide you with a competitive advantage if your competitors are not offering any discounts. Since SMS marketing allows you to include a link to your website, you may find that customers also spend money on additional products or services upon visiting. The SMS offer that you send could include a cheesy slogan that relates to Valentine’s Day.

4 - Text reminders

Another way in which you SMS marketing can be used on Valentine’s Day is by simply reminding your customers that it is coming up. This allows you to keep your campaign generic and reduces the need to provide a discount, which may not always be applicable. Text reminders are great because it gives you a gentle way of pushing customers to your product or services, particularly if they had previously forgotten that Valentine’s Day is fast approaching.

5 - Showcase services

One great way of encouraging customers to purchase from you is by promoting any unique services that you offer by using SMS marketing. This will also help you stand out from competitors. The unique services that you offer could be in the form of personalised gift wrapping or free next day delivery, for example. Something as simple as free next day delivery could encourage last minute Valentine’s Day buyers to opt for your product. Whereas, personalised gift wrapping could be the final touch for someone that is looking for a quality product to give to their partner.