The spirit of Valentine's Day is love, caring and warmth, so use the day to transform these sentiments from the sexy to the executive for 24 hours, demonstrating your appreciation and gratitude for the support your team members and consumers who have committed to your brand for the duration of your relationship with them. Without your client base and colleagues, your business would be a concept rooted in imagination instead of in real life.
Open office day
A day of giving Valentine cards and presents is a personal experience for everyone who subscribes to the Valentine’s Day sentiment. Since COVID has divided us from one another forcing many into isolation, the opportunity to make meaningful re-connections and engage with each another feels more meaningful than ever. The sentiment behind opening up your office, either physically or virtually, to welcome all team members and consumers in for a brew and a slice of cake would be perceived as thoughtful and caring, perfectly in keeping with the Valentine's Day theme. Set a time aside for this, maybe a Friday afternoon.
Face to face interactions are fundamental to building strong relationships. Your customers and team members will feel more appreciated once you have connected with them beyond business matters. Schedule some quizzes, organise a virtual bake-off and send handwritten invitations to add a really personal touch to the occasion. We can all take the time to enjoy one another's company, discussing work, hobbies and other things of mutual interest, to get to know what we appreciate and who we appreciate. Open your office doors to a day of good heart and friendship.
Spread the love via your socials
Social media platforms are all too often used to spread negativity and dissent. Flip the script and take every opportunity to promote positivity and good cheer. Post Valentine GIFs, like and share your fellow users content and overuse the heart emoji. Valentine's Day can be a fun day, an opportunity to interact with colleagues and customers and spread good vibes in a light-hearted way.
Share the love with your clients, use shout-outs on social media to thank them for their custom.
Reward recent positive reviews of your product or services with a Valentine themed discount code such as LOVE22. Equally, identify poor reviews and use them as an opportunity to reach out and offer complimentary access to your brand, establishing what went wrong to warrant such reviews, ensuring amends are made and the relationship repaired.
Via the Instagram reels feature, share images of your team's personal or professional social media accounts enabling them build their own following (with their consent). Like the #followfriday concept, use #spreadthelove, rewarding those who follow your team's account with a ‘like’ from your business account.
Channel kindness
Making a charitable donation is a beautiful way to show those in need of the love and the attention they deserve. Encourage your team members and client base to donate to a charity of your choosing, promising to match each donation with one of your own each and every time. Alternatively, include a link to a ‘Just Giving’ page on each email you send out. On your Just Giving page use the space to promote the charity you have given your support to, along with the reasons why you chose this cause.
Adorn your shop space or office base with Valentine's themed decorations.
Add some spice and sparkle to your working day with banners and cupid inspired designs. By recognising this romantic day using a light-hearted approach, colleagues and clients will feel involved and valued. In addition, the use of appropriate humour in the office is known to have a positive impact and can be hugely beneficial to staff morale. Laughter relieves stress, alleviates boredom, facilitates engagement and well-being and inspires creativity, productivity and collaboration. Harvard
Business school Professor Alison Wood Brooks has also reported that occasionally telling jokes at work whilst working can make those who do this seem more relaxed and competent. Use your socials to drop some funny and tasteful jokes, use a love-themed filter on Skype or use Slack to start a shortlist of your fave rom coms with colleagues. Too many people automatically switch to the negative when it comes to Valentine's Day, change the narrative and reveal the soft filtered, fun and flirty side to the day.
