Love My Way: Valentines Day Best Practices
The timing of this post is not coincidental- it’s January the 12th, a little over a month until Valentines’ Day, one of the most odd and impulsive holidays for food based businesses.
Gone are the opulent over the top ‘romantic’ dinners of years past, when stringed instruments would play gently in the corner amongst bundled window dressings while filet mignon was served lovingly alongside chocolate mousse and sparkling wine.
The modern Valentine's Day plan for a small business is accessible, flexible, inclusive- and not just for couples.
First off, let’s have a look at the kinds of Valentines Folks you’ll be selling to.
All The Single Ladies: Pulling data from the 2016 census, Statistics Canada found that there were 12,418,440 single people aged 15 and over living in Canada. This is a large demographic that if tapped correctly can be extremely lucrative. So many unattached folks partake in Galentines, Palentines, etc. Offer a fun party pack, office treat box, cookies with pop song lyrics about love, dinners for one, etc. to tap into this segment.
New Love: The first Valentines Day as a couple usually ends up being the most eventful, so offering a dine in package deal, set menu Table D’Hote style is your best bet here. The key word is an exclusive, special, and modern experience. Don’t forget to offer wine and non alcoholic drink pairings with your menu.
New Marrieds: This can be one of your most profitable clientele types. Newly married folk in their first or second year can quickly become what I call “ legacy clients”. Folks in this new stage no matter what their age or generation are into establishing their own couple traditions. Ensure their experience is romantic memorable perfection and thus the legacy begins. You’ll see them every Valentines Day and perhaps even major holidays and life events going forward. Which brings us to….
New Parents/ Young Families: Impossible to go out and strapped with a budget, you may wonder what's to gain from this client type from a business perspective. The short answer is lots. If you can be open and accommodate your clients in all stages, you’ll gain their loyalty and that creates legacy clients! Consider a take out romantic dinner for two at a reasonable price with all the courses. The idea here is a romantic dinner on your time and your terms- no fancy dress or leaving the house required. Add a delivery option and you’re good to go.
Old Marrieds: Creating a fun or self deprecating package can work better than you think. Like a special menu, Valentines “early bird special” or exclusive items/ menus for those married over 20 years, 30 years, etc.
Now, let’s talk about the timeline. Should you wish, open your favourite scheduling or calendar app for 2021 right now and enter the dates with reminders on for this and next year as you go through this checklist. I’m the first to admit I am easily distracted, so having a calendar with reminder pings always saves my butt. As you get caught up in the holidays, it could save yours too.
Over the holiday break (like December 27-28): pour a coffee (with baileys or not- your choice!) find a quiet spot and spend an hour or so jotting down inspo and ideas for love day. Do some focusing and mind mapping to consider what your clientele may respond well to. Come up with 3-5 concrete options and cost them out.
The first business day after New Years Day: should be designated as your Valentine's supply set up day. This will be the day you book in your orders for seasonal items such as heart shaped boxes or dinner to go packaging, perhaps some specialty meats or wines, red and pink sprinkles, heart shaped cookie cutters, etc. Essentially anything you’ll need for your Valentine's Day. Order it on this day for the appropriate delivery date according to product stability. These seasonal supplies dry up and sell out so so quickly- don’t wait until February 1st and end up with nothing. Call your rep today and get in ahead of the pack.
The First Wednesday After New Years Day: Press release time. 4-6 weeks ahead of any major holiday is a great time to send a short, snappy to-the-point press release to your favourite local publication. Ever wonder how folks get on those local holiday shopping lists? This is one way. Curate your own press list of print and digital journalists and Influencers you love and would have the best reach to your demographic. Email all of them your release (please use BCC) with 1-3 cute showcase photos of your product and direct links to all of your social media channels. (Ensure they are well followed, active, and up to date.) Why Wednesday? I’m married to the press (literally, my partner of 20 years is a photojournalist.) By watching and listening to my partner and his colleagues all these years, I know that Tuesday and Wednesday are the slowest news days- send on those days (during business hours) and ensure you don’t get missed. Wondering why you would send it out so far in advance? Print publications need the heads up for their timing, and the “Shop Local for Valentines Day” article writers are scanning for leads. Send again every 2 weeks until February 14.
January 7th: will be your project management day. Make a list of your offerings- special dinners, cookie packages, etc. with the retail price beside them. Carefully review the logistics- who will be making this product? Who will be delivering them? (if applicable). Pull out your staff schedule and begin to schedule everyone for the big week- there’s lots of labour and hands on work here so ensure you have everyones’ availability set and in place, even if you’re just a one person show.
January 14th: Will be your soft launch day. You will upload your Valentine's Day order/reservation form on your webpage. Don’t forget to add an order cutoff date and/or set your resos or items sold buttons so you don’t oversell! (It happened to one of my clients and it was a straight up nightmare- even I went in to help wash dishes. Pandamonium! #HandsOnCoach)
January 21st: Start gently talking about Valentines Day on your social media accounts this week. (Max 2-3 mentions a week, some folks get holiday exhaustion giving you the opposite effect that you want.) Consider offering an add on or early bird discount if orders are placed by February 1. Incentives to purchase early are brilliant and can generate more interest and pre sales, can help you measure your sales and labour going into the big day, and could even potentially assist you with your cash flow during this quiet time. (For example, you can use it to pay for your just ordered supplies.)
February 1st: Go full throttle. That money you’ve been saving for some Google AdWords, Influencer Based Marketing or Social Media Ads? It’s time to put it to good use. Advertise your specials. Splash it far and wide on social media.
February 7th: Check in time. How are sales going? Is it time to cut them off or shut down the ads? While the idea of more money may be tempting, keep in mind what you and your staff are physically capable of. A client with a great quality product and experience that represents what your business really is will be more apt to return to you as a holiday tradition, making them a far more valuable customer than someone who has a sub par experience due to you overextending yourself and your staff.
February 11th: Check in again- see above.
February 14th: It’s a big day! If you have a specialty retail model prepare for walk ins. ‘Naked cookies’, cakes and products with choose your own sprinkles and colourful customized frosting can generate a small fortune if realistic. Stickers, cute cards and labels for packages that can be filled out, add on roses…. The sky's the limit. Valentine's Day is a naturally impulsive holiday, so prepare for the “eleventh hour” panicky customers. Set up a waiting area with chairs, water jug, a pot of coffee and maybe some candy. If you’re in a dine in establishment, prepare and adequately staff for the dinner pickups and seatings, and have an emergency plan in place in case of a forgotten reso. (Leaving at least one table for 2 empty for this is always a good idea.) Consider a small gift or treat for your staff be it a cash bonus, gift card, or handcrafted local gift.
Final Love Day Tips and Facts:
Look closely at your wording and marketing for Valentines Day and ensure you’re including all ages and stages of relationships. Then go back and check again, this time for inclusivity- lots of businesses fall into the heteronormative messaging this time of year. Don’t be among them. The GLBTQ2+ community should always be visibly included and recognized.
The most popular Valentines Day gifts by province are: BC- Chocolate covered strawberries, Alberta -earrings, Manitoba- Cards, Ontario -rings, Quebec - Flowers. Source.
The average Canadian plans to spend $164 on Valentine's Day. Source.
36% of Canadians expected to spend the most money on a meal on Valentines Day. Source.
33% of them said they would want to go out for dinner for Valentine's Day. Source.
In conclusion, Valentine's Day is a fun and impulsive holiday that can turn out well if you play your cards right. Plan carefully, get creative and have fun with it- positive energy and genuineness is infectious! Grab a notebook and start planning today- here is my favourite love song and the namesake of this post to inspire you.
Join me next week for: How Big is too Big? Expansion and Your Small Business.
Have a delicious week!
Xo Mandi