2022’s Valentine’s Day projected $23.1 billion(1) in spending has this holiday on a trajectory to become the second highest in its history. Record-breaking sales from the winter holiday season haven’t cooled through the first month of the year and consumers are looking to return to a sense of normalcy by celebrating once again.
Valentine’s Day is a low-key holiday that gives businesses a fun way to connect with their customers. Use Emojis By Text™ and SmartURL™ in your Valentine’s Day SMS campaign to showcase your seasonal promotions, provide customer support, or build brand recognition. Before exploring how these tools can elevate your Valentine’s Day text messages, let’s look at how Valentine’s Day 2022 compares to the past few years.
Valentine’s Day Spending On The Rise
Valentine’s Day celebrations are no longer limited to romantic partnerships, but have become more inclusive and celebratory of the various relationships that make up life. 53% of respondents in NRF’s annual Valentine’s Day survey (1) plan to celebrate by purchasing gifts for partners, family, friends, co-workers, teachers, pets, and more.
The expansion of purchasing categories led to a dramatic increase in spending for 2020’s Valentine’s Day, one of the last major retail events before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. It broke records, with total spending reaching over $27 billion, jumping $7 billion from the year before. Despite a drastic drop of $6 billion caused by the ongoing pandemic restrictions and spikes in cases in 2021, it still was a historical year for Valentine’s Day spending.
2022 Projected
Valentine’s Day Spending
$23 Billion
This year, average spending has increased to $175.41, up from last year’s $164.76(1). The traditional Valentine’s Day evening out category took a backseat in 2021, but is on the rise this year with estimated spending of $4.3 billion despite the threats from the fast-spreading Omicron variant. 41% of participants(1) indicated that they wanted an experience gift, up 5% from last year. Candy (56%), greeting cards (40%), and flowers (37%) still rule at the top of the holiday’s spending charts(1).
This month is full of opportunities to connect with your customers through their interests and celebrations. If your business plans to participate in this holiday, Solutions by Text has two tools that will take your Valentine’s Day SMS campaign to the next level.
👏 Emojis by Text™
Add some fun to your Valentine’s messaging with Emojis by Text™. Text messaging is an open channel of communication between businesses and consumers that promotes a continuous dialogue. Emojis encourage that a step further by creating context and approachability through imagery.
Use an emoji to break up messages into easier-to-read snippets, evoke a feeling, or say something in fewer words. Emojis even create purchasing power. An Adobe study(2) found that 60% of global emoji users are more likely to open a push notification that contains an emoji. In the same Adobe study, 42% of respondents were more likely to purchase when a product was marketed to them with an emoji.
Not all messages benefit from the use of emojis and can be a distraction for some audiences. Only use emojis when the message gains something from its presence. Understanding your audience will also help you evaluate whether an emoji is helpful in your campaign. When an emoji is included in an outbound message it is sent as a Unicode message and is limited to 70 characters instead of the standard 160 characters. Read our Best Practices For Using Emojis Guide to learn more about elevating your messaging with this tool.
Examples of Emojis by Text™ Valentine’s Day messages:
Emojis by Text™ Template #1
Are you ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Find the perfect 🎁 at 50% off here {URL Link}. To optout reply STOP
Emojis by Text™ Template #2
Need extra spending 💵 for the holiday? Ask for our Valentine’s Day Special! Call {Cust.Svc.#} or click {URL Link}. To optout reply STOP
SmartURL™
Make your Valentine’s messaging unexpected by adding an interactive element. Utilize SmartURL™ to add a Valentine-inspired infographic, quiz, landing page, or free resource. Smart URL’s branding and shortening capabilities add credibility to your campaign and take up less space, leaving more room for your essential message.
The versatility of SmartURL™ lets you use this tool in your cross-platform promotions, saving you money and boosting engagement. Track your campaign’s efforts across SMS, social media, and email by using SmartURL™ links. Create a link for each platform to gain performance insights into each audience. The best part is, SmartURL™ links can be redirected if the campaign performance indicates that adjustments are needed. Check out Seven Advantages To Using SmartURL™ for more ideas on incorporating this tool into your overall marketing strategy.
Examples of SmartURL™ Valentine’s Day messages:
SmartURL™ Template #1
Can’t find the right gift to say I love you? Take our quiz to find that perfect gift. {SmartClickURL} To optout reply STOP
SmartURL™ Template #2
Love is in the air and we have the perfect Valentine’s gifts. Let our gift finder {SmartClickURL} do the matchmaking for you. To optout reply STOP
Non-Valentine’s Day Messaging
Sending Valentine’s Day messages may not align with your business’ communication strategy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of what this holiday offers. Adjust your messaging to include the 47% of Americans who do not celebrate the Day but are still looking for seasonal promotions. February is a big month with tax returns beginning to arrive and Super Bowl weekend coinciding with Valentine’s Day weekend for the first time in history.
Examples of Non-Valentine’s Day messages:
Non-Valentine's Template #1
🏈 Are you ready for Super Bowl Sunday? Use code FOOTBALL for exclusive deals. click {URL Link}. To optout reply STOP
Non-Valentine's Template #2
Banks close Monday, but we’re open & ready to help! Need cash? 💰 Visit us today. For info call {Cust.Svc.#} or click {URL Link}. To optout reply STOP
You have a handful of message templates to help kickstart your seasonal messaging, but our team of experts can help craft the perfect message for your specific audience. Set up a meeting with OUR TEAM to build a campaign that reaches your KPIs.