Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular gifting occasions for everyone. It’s not just limited to couples. It extends to every relationship that symbolizes love, be it parents and children, brother and sister, pet parents and their pet, or your relationship with your own self. Even single people celebrate Valentine’s Day, buying themselves gifts. In 2022, Valentine’s Day spending touched USD 23.9 billion in the US alone. That’s huge, right? It means that February 14th has a lot of potential to bring you conversions.
If you are in the retail, fashion, ecommerce, travel and hospitality, or food and beverage industry, you cannot overlook Valentine’s Day. Slipping the opportunity would mean losing out on a lot of potential sales. To help you make the most of this golden chance, we are here with some great inspirations and tips to make your Valentine’s Day emails a huge success.
So, let’s start.
1. Segment your subscribers
You must segment your subscribers, depending on your industry and business type. Here are some of the commonly used segmentation parameters.
- Sex: Reach out to men and women with different types of emails and offers. However, keep in mind that unlike other marketing promotions, you aren’t looking to convince someone to buy an item for themselves, but for their significant other. The gender of the giftee matters more than that of the gift-giver.
- Age: A 25-year old guy in a relationship will celebrate the day in a different way compared to someone in their 40s.
- Preferences: Have primary and secondary CTA buttons that redirect the customers to different landing pages according to their interests. Keep tabs on the links that get higher clicks and optimize the campaigns with better segmentation.
- Engagement: Use this opportunity to reach out to dormant subscribers and entice them to purchase from you again.
2. Start early
Plan for your Valentine’s Day email campaigns well in advance. Mid-January is a good time to start. It will give you enough time to strategize, create the assets, schedule the emails, and prepare for any emergencies.
3. Craft engaging Valentine’s Day subject lines
Making your subscribers open your Valentine’s Day email is quite a daunting task given the whopping number of emails received during the day – and especially given that everyone else is sending Valentine’s offers as well That’s why you must pay enough attention to your subject line and preheader text. Don’t keep it as an afterthought.
Many marketers simply rephrase their subject line in the preheader text. This makes the preheader redundant and won’t help with open rates in the slightest.
Here are some subject line and preheader text examples to inspire you.
- Subject line: A Valentine’s Day gift to remember
Preheader: + Complimentary Greeting Card postage in-store now (kikki.K)
- Subject line: 40% off Valentine’s Day Kids’ Crafts: Get ready to celebrate
Preheader: Look inside for project inspo, supplies, and fun gift ideas (Michaels)
- Subject line: 🍪🍪🍪+🍭🍭🍭=💖 💖 💖
Preheader: Open to find out what the hell we’re talking about! (Wunderkeks)
4. Divide the campaigns into pre-, during, and post-Valentine’s Day
Some brands start sending Valentine’s Day emails as early as the start of January. You can also be one of them. This gives shoppers enough time to make the right choice and purchase from you. That’s what pre-Valentine’s Day emails are all about. Give the subscribers early bird offers and incentivize them to facilitate the decision making. Alternatively, allow them to add products to their wishlist and purchase them during the sale.
Just a day or two before Valentine’s Day, send out emails that work as a nudge for the people who missed out on your discount offers.
In addition, you can also send an email campaign informing your subscribers about any sale extensions after Valentine’s Day. Schedule emails for days after Valentine’s Day to get forgetful buyers to purchase from you.
Some pro tips:
Follow the principle of 3Rs — the Reminder, the Resource, and the Reassurance. Send the reminder in late January or early February. It will let the customers know that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and you have the most suitable gifts for your prospects. If your product needs to be shipped across the country, make sure to take that timing into account.
The second email works as the resource. It will share gift ideas and relevant offers with the subscribers.
The third email is the reassurance email. If you are extending the sale, you can use this email to notify the users about it.
5. Design emails that match the Valentine’s Day vibe
Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love. So, make your emails reflect it too. Use shades of pink, purple, and red in your February 14th email designs. Add illustrations and animations to make your emails more visually appealing. Incorporate some interactive email elements to increase the subscriber engagement and get them to click through.
6. Think out of the box
Come up with innovative ideas to spruce up your Valentine’s Day email campaigns. Although you must adhere to the best practices, it is always a good idea to experiment with new tricks and incorporate creativity in your emails. For example: You can go beyond red and pink by making use of other colors like green and blue like Hulu has done in their Valentine’s Day email, in keeping with its branding.
7. Stay on top of the latest trends
Hyper-personalization, dark mode compatibility, and AMP emails are among the latest trends for the coming years. You must design emails that render well in both light and dark mode. Besides, you can explore how to use AMP technology for occasion-based emails. For instance: If you are in the ecommerce sector, use AMP emails to allow subscribers to purchase from the email itself. Travel industry email marketers can use AMP emails to let readers book tickets without having to go to the landing page.
8. Optimize your campaigns based on email analytics
The advantage of starting in advance is that you will get enough time to evaluate the performance of the campaigns and optimize them. If a particular campaign doesn’t resonate well with your subscribers, consider revamping it. Try A/B testing to see which parameters work the best for you.
9. Remember: Single people and pet parents also celebrate Valentine’s Day
Don’t make your emails only about couples. Draft the content in such a way that it applies to all relationships. Share gift guides for friends, family members, and pets. Also, offer ideas on how people can shower love on themselves.
10. Let people opt out of these occasion-based emails
Many people might not be celebrating Valentine’s Day because of personal reasons. It could be annoying or even upsetting for them to keep receiving these communications. So, let them unsubscribe specifically from these offers, while you still send them regular marketing emails and newsletters.
Now that you have an idea about the Valentine’s Day email marketing best practices, let’s take a look at some examples to inspire you.
1. Just Artifacts
Just Artifacts has cleverly used an imagein their hero image section. It displays the huge range of Valentine’s Day must-haves. The second fold features different products along with their price. What is commendable is that they have used different CTAs for different products. It encourages conversions by eliminating any extra efforts to search for the product. They have included all their social media icons in the last fold to encourage the readers to communicate on those alternative channels.
2. Wunderkeks
If you want to grab the reader’s attention, you have to bring freshness to their inbox. That’s exactly what Wunderkeks has done. They have used neon pink in the email to generate celebratory vibes. Another reason why this email is likely to bring more conversions is the CTA. They have animated the CTA button to make sure that the users click on it and take action. Also, it maintains the text to image ratio at 80:20, thereby bypassing the spam filters. One thing that needs to be corrected is that they have mentioned copyright 2021 in the footer. It has to be © 2023. While it looks like a trivial matter, it can have bigger repercussions.
3. Tod’s
GIFs are great when you want to give your readers a 360-degree view of your product. Tod’s has used the same tactic for their Valentine’s Day gift. In the second fold, they have given the users a sneak peek into other products that they have in the store. Overall, the email is neat and uses enough white space to entice the subscribers to take action.
4. EnChroma
Like I mentioned earlier, your email has to be dark mode compatible to cater to the changing preferences of your subscribers. Considering the same trend, EnChroma sends out a dark themed email to make sure that there are no rendering issues. The CTA button in pink stands out and manages to drive conversions. Moreover, the font colors and typography are all in sync with the email layout and boost the visual appeal.
5. Oodie UK
The Oodie sends out a cute Valentine’s Day email that suits every gifting purpose, be it pets, friends, twins, parents and child, or lovers. The images they have chosen in the hero section and subsequent fold exude the warm vibes of Valentine’s Day, which will be more likely to attract readers and make them convert. The image in the first fold highlights their 20-50% offer so that the user doesn’t miss out on it. The CTAs are brilliantly drafted and let the customers know how much they will save on making the purchase. The color scheme of pink background and blue CTA is a huge win for the email design.
6. ELOQUII
Eloquii is a brand that offers fashionable plus-size outfits. So, they have used a beautiful hero image that matches their vision and mission. Throughout the email, they have used relevant images that feature their pretty dresses. Besides Valentine’s Day outfits, they have also promoted their casual attires and workwear. The email works as it has something for every shopper. Also, they have included their social media links in the footer as a best practice.
7. Great Jones
With a minimalistic design, Great Jones sends out an excellent Valentine’s Day email template. The hero image is attractive enough to get the users to click on the CTA and shop. It is short and sweet so the users don’t have to scroll through too much. It conveys the purpose instantly and encourages readers to complete the purchase.
8. HelloPrint
HelloPrint sends out a beautiful hero imagethat perfectly matches the Valentine’s Day mood. It also highlights the discount offer and the range of their products. They have used engaging copy to complement the visuals. It describes the products and makes readers keen to purchase. The email is organized in such a way that the reader does not have to struggle for information. The text, images, and CTA are all readable and appropriately placed. White space is also used quite well.
9. Timex UK
Timex has designed a fun email for Valentine’s Day. They have collaborated with Peanuts, which is clear from all the visuals used in the email. They have used shades of red and pink in the first fold to reflect their Valentine’s Day products. On the other hand, their second fold has yellow and blue colors to display the conventional products for other occasions.
10. Frank Green
Product photography has gained immense momentum in recent times. Frank Green has combined animations with product photography to promote their Valentine’s Day gifts. The email showcases different products with a detailed description designed to convince readers to make the purchase. It builds trust and customer loyalty that would not only contribute to Valentine’s Day sales but even beyond that.
11. Charles & Keith
Charles & Keith is famous for its pretty outfits and fashion accessories. Their Valentine’s Day email effectively conveys this USP. As user-generated content is getting more popular in emails, they have shared the hashtag #CharlesKeithCelebrates. It encourages users to include it in their social media posts. Subsequently, they can drive social media visitors and build a credible brand reputation.
12. Snapfish
Most of your subscribers are wondering what to buy for their loved one for Valentine’s Day. That’s why it is a great idea to send out gift guides in occasion-based emails. Snapfish has featured all their gifts in the hero image. Then, in the next folds, they have promoted customized gifts for different types of personalities. It is accompanied with different CTAs to make shopping a breeze for the readers.
13. Daisy Encens Beauty International Limited
Daisy Encens Beauty International Limited sends out a simple yet impactful Valentine’s Day email. It lets the readers know about their 60% off along with the coupon code. The hero image uses perfect typography that is in sync with the occasion. The text tags along with the images used in the email to ensure an optimum text to image ratio.
14. Michaels
If you want to see how to use different colors like pink, purple, and red together in your Valentine’s Day email, Michaels sets the best example. They have displayed different products through an interesting animation. Every section has a different CTA depending on the item they are promoting.
15. Magic Spoon
Magic Spoon nails their email CTA every time. Their Valentine’s Day email is no different. Their short and sweet copy coupled with a lovely image and actionable CTA “Show the love” make it a winner. The CTA is in perfect contrast with the remaining email. The hearts emerging out at the sides of the CTA exude a feeling of warmth and love while making it all the more noticeable. Also, did you notice the gradient background in pink and purple? You can surely take some inspiration from here. They have incorporated the latest email design trends to cut through the noise in the subscriber’s inbox.
Wrapping Up
If you want to increase your sales and meet your target in Q1-2023, Valentine’s Day email marketing offers you a great scaffold to reach a larger audience. You can not only get your existing customers to purchase again but also recover the inactive people on your list. Just apply these tips and you will surely see a huge surge in your 14th February sales. The good news is that people would be shopping even after 14th February so you can send offer emails till 17th or 18th February. It will keep giving you returns.
