In a world of repetitive, boring marketing, be agile and use big events or holidays as a platform to say something different about your business!

 

Valentine’s Surprises

 

At the end of every week the good folk at Search Engine Watch discuss five interesting stories in the world of search.

 

Last week they highlighted the Bing report on a huge surge in Valentine’s Day search traffic.

 

According to Bing results - Valentine’s Day is the 4th largest spending holiday on the calendar after Christmas, back to school and Mother’s Day.

 

They noticed steady growth from early January onwards and also highlighted that even single people are getting in on the Valentine’s Day act!

 

11% of singletons organised or attended a “singles” event with friends on February 14th.

 

What does this mean for Northern Ireland businesses?

 

For businesses like florists, pharmacies (selling beauty products) and confectionary stores this might be old news but the rest of us should take note.

 

All consumer brands and businesses should be aware of the heightened shopper activity around Valentine’s Day.

 

According to Bing up to 10% of us treat ourselves during the holiday – and that could be any sort of purchase.

 

Use this heightened activity as a chance to say something different about your brand or business.

 

Even if you’re considered a traditionally “boring” business you could use the event or holiday as a time to promote a softer image or message.

 

Be Agile!

 

The key takeaway from Bing’s research is to be agile, try new things and take advantage of increased demand!

 

Use big events like Super Bowl 50 or Valentine’s Day to target people in a different way.