It’s that time of the year again! When everything around us turns to 50 shades of red, storefronts are covered with chocolate & candy, and your inbox is overflowing with sweet deals and discounts. We know it, you know it – Valentine’s Day is coming soon. As one of the biggest retail events in the calendar, traditionally, consumer spending is skyrocketing in February. And even if your store doesn’t belong to the candy-flowers-jewelry love triangle, there are still plenty of ways for you to join the festivities and drive more sales. Whether you are new to text marketing or a seasoned SMS pro, we got you covered! Enjoy 9 powerful tips combined with 15 inspirational SMS templates to help you make this Valentine’s Day your best one yet. January 27- February 4 Eager to start Valentine’s Day festivities as early as possible? Consider the end of January as your cue. Use this time to grow your list of subscribers and launch powerful and engaging Warm-up campaigns. Suitable dates for SMS campaigns: January 27: VDay Warm-up campaign January 31: VDay Expedited Shipping VDay SMS Tip #1: Maximize subscriber collection “Could I have your phone number?” They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Consider the very first time someone lands on your store as your first date – the key is in the details, and it all comes down to making a good impression. Bring your A-game this Valentine’s Day by setting your store as the scene of the perfect first meet-up. But instead of lighting candles or playing romantic music, get site visitors in the mood to shop with powerful and eye-grabbing subscription forms. Think of them as little cupids that will make people instantly fall in love with your brand and special deals. A beautiful and timely pop-up will serve as the perfect final touch of your themed decor – set it up to appear 15 seconds after potential customers land on your home page. For a more delicate presence, use a floating button or a footer form that will stay discreetly at the bottom of the page and turn store visitors into dedicated SMS subscribers with a single tap. Use colors such as red or pink to match the general Valentine’s Day vibe and sprinkle some lovey-dovey wording. Add a small incentive in the form of a discount or free shipping to urge shoppers to sign up for your SMS marketing club. Pro tip: Don’t forget to adjust the copy of your welcome text to match the offer from the subscription form. The good news? It’s literally a “set and forget” type of thing, but it makes all the difference in the world because this is how your new subscribers are welcomed to your store. Because let’s not forget the first rule of dating: as soon as your new crush gives you their phone number, they will be waiting for you to reach out, right? VDay SMS Tip #2: Start The Conversation “Tell me more about yourself.” Now that we are past the excitement and the thrill surrounding (most) first dates let’s move on to something even cooler – getting to know each other a little bit better. Not all customers want the same thing and come looking for exactly the same product, right? Gone are the days when bulk text messaging was considered a good idea. Nowadays, personalization isn’t just important — it’s imperative. The majority of shoppers find texts from brands more engaging when they contain information relevant to their interests and past purchases. And sometimes, the best way to understand what your customers want is to just simply ask them. Set your store up for success this Valentine’s Day by sending conversational SMS flows every time someone subscribes to your text marketing club or makes a purchase on your store. Use this opportunity to learn more about shoppers’ preferences or what they came searching for in your store: gifts for themselves or a significant other? Use keywords to create separate scenarios for the different options and give personalized product recommendations based on responses. Pro tip: Use this opportunity to di...