Type ‘Valentine’s Day and SMS’ into a search engine and you’ll return over 122 million search results within half a second. Valentine’s Day is a big deal in the world of mobile engagement and SMS has an important role to play in getting the message out. Literally.  

Few people know that the special day has its origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia. Along with the usual included fertility rites came the pairing off of women with men by lottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day and it actually came to be celebrated as a day of romance from about the 14th century.

Thankfully some things have progressed and although the world of (in particular) online dating may appear to be a bit of a lottery today at times, your freedom to choose prevails.

To those of you out there in places where Valentine’s is a popular day (the Philippines in particular), have a great time. For businesses in those regions, here are Mitto’s 5 tips to successful mobile engagement during this special occasion:

  • 1) Expand Your Target Audience. The day has moved well beyond its original remit and has now expanded to expressions of affection among relatives and friends. Your target audience is therefore likely to be far bigger than you may initially have thought.
  • 2) Make special offers. A dozen roses. The price of these on the big day itself and then the day after? Likely a huge difference! Instead of treating the day as an opportunity to profit unduly, why not take the opportunity to reconnect with customers who have been inactive for some time. Entice them with something special around Valentine’s, all at a reasonable price. ‘Long term’ is the name of the game…
  • 3) Promote Connections. Valentine’s Day is absolute manna from heaven where dating agencies and apps are concerned. If you run one of those, use SMS to promote any events you may have and help your clients find their perfect match. They will thank you for it.
  • 4) Sweeten the deal. Retailers love the bump in revenues Valentine’s brings with it. What about the person buying the gift for their loved one though? Offer them something special when they make a gift purchase. Get them on board, directly invested with your brand, as well as just the recipient.
  • 5) Be a Helping Hand. Given the big day falls on a Friday this year, a lot of people will find themselves travelling far and wide for the weekend. Make sure travellers receive content during this time which really eases their journeys during what will prove to be a particularly busy period.

Wherever you are and whatever you may be up to this weekend, Mitto is here to help you engage more smoothly with the whole world. We <3 doing business with you!