We are all of a flutter in the Pure360 office, Valentine’s Day is approaching and it’s got us thinking about love (and emails, but then we’re always thinking about emails). Valentine’s Day, much like any other seasonal campaign, is an opportunity to get to know your customers better and make a good impression. The aim is to produce a campaign that is targeted and relevant, whilst avoiding too many clichés. So here are six top tips to help love blossom in your inbox using Valentine’s Day email (no, we don’t mean with internet dating!)

Time for love

If you’re thinking of running a Valentine’s Day offer, your newsletter campaign schedule depends on what you are selling and the lead time needed to get products shipped. If your shipping time is at least 7 days, that needs to be factored into the launch time for your campaign. If your turnaround time is relatively short, we’d suggest 6-7 days before February 14th is the best time to launch your campaign.

Entice, tease and tantalise

Now is the time to avoid cliché’s and think carefully about your subject line. The most common subject line is, unsurprisingly, “Happy Valentine’s Day!” Unoriginal, uninspiring, and unlikely to make an impression. If you’re targeting couples, consider your subject line the opportunity to present a solution to their problem. Be it “5 perfect gifts for your beloved” or “Stuck for Valentine’s Day ideas? Here’s a few simple solutions!” You need to pique your customers’ curiosity in some way and a snappy subject line is the perfect way to do so.

Secret surprises

If your business doesn’t necessarily tie in well with Valentine’s Day and you don’t have a Cupid-related product to promote, why not send an email including a romantic or funny video, cute animated GIF, or scratch card with a promotional offer inside. These little surprises from unexpected places create a positive connection between the recipient and your brand, and is going to encourage them to click on that all-important call-to-action button. Even the least romantic of brands can benefit from Valentine’s Day in some way.

Share the love

Create a buzz about your brand by inviting your customers to share photos on social media that include your products and encourage them to use your special Valentine’s Day hashtag. This can be a really simple way to generate interest, and best of all, this relies on customer-generated content and therefore very little effort is required on your part! As an incentive you could add a little prize for the best submission. Check out the hashtag #RomanceOnDemand.

Coupled up

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples, we’re also a nation of animal lovers who spend over £6 billion a year on our pets! Some of your customers will also want to buy for parents, children, friends and of course, Fido. Segmenting your database by gender or product type can be helpful, but do include a variety of offers in each segment. For example we’d suggest that initially you produce a newsletter of “Gifts for him” and “Gifts for her” but also give your subscribers the option to “View all.” That way, you won’t miss out on those who want to buy pooch something special from St Valentine.

 That’s amore!

Use the Valentine’s Day occasion to show your appreciation to your customers. If you’ve already got your segmentation strategies set up, pick your highest-value customers and send them an email with a special discount so they can spoil themselves. Show them that you care, nurture them with a targeted campaign and special offer to make them feel unique, and watch them fall deeper in love with your brand.

Love…

…Doesn’t have to be a mystery. Nor does email marketing. Use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to send out a little bit of love from your brand, and you might be surprised at the love (or sales) you get back! We know emotion sells, it’s why some of the most successful marketing campaigns tug on our heartstrings, make us laugh wildly or cry silently. Use nostalgia and evocative images in your Valentine’s Day campaign to increase your CTR but remember to walk the line between emotive and cringe-worthy.

Read more in our ‘Emotion is the key to tapping into your target market’ blog.