Promote your independent retail business this Valentine's Day
Christmas and New Year may be done and dusted, but seasonal marketing doesn’t stop there! Whether you’re in the business of selling confectionaries, flowers, books, or cards, Valentine’s day is just around the corner.
So, what are the best ways to create compelling, engaging marketing to generate sales for your independent retail business? Who should be marketing to? At Bira, we’ve rounded up some useful tips and strategies to help you make the most of the first seasonal celebration of the year.
Get to know your customers this Valentine’s Day
Now more than ever, it's essential to get in there first, provide compelling products, and great service, and leave your customers happy and willing to spread the word.
You probably already have a good idea of what makes your typical customer, however, it's a great practice to write this down and gain a solid picture of their main attributes. Where do they live? How old do they tend to be? How often do they buy? It’s classic marketing but tried and tested.
Once you have a clear picture of who Jane or Bloggs for your business may be, you’ll be able to recognise gaps in your market and create a similar picture of who your target customers are.
Engage with your customers
The power of on and offline mail campaigns cannot be understated. Whether you sell mostly online or in person, a database of loyal, passionate customers subscribed to your mailing list will stand you in great stead when it comes to events like Valentine’s Day.
Whether you use Facebook, Instagram, or both to advertise your business, there are key ways in which you can improve your reputation, create brand awareness, and ultimately, footfall:
- Post regularly to keep your customer's attention
- Like and comment on posts you have been mentioned in
- Share your customer's posts and tag them in
- Respond as quickly as possible to direct messages
Even if you check your social feeds once a day, taking the time to engage directly with your customers creates trust and increases word-of-mouth brand awareness.
Show Some Love this Valentine's Day
This year, Bira has launched a national campaign encouraging the public to 'Show Some Love' for independent retailers now and throughout the year. Open to all members and supporters of Bira, you can download our campaign kit which includes:
- A4 poster in full colour or black and white to place in your window
- A5 flyer in full colour or black and white to distribute as you wish
- Social media assets including videos for stories/reels and images for posts
Fill in our short form to download your campaign kit: