Valentine’s Day is often billed as a time for couples even in marketing. The problem is that this promotional tactic can alienate single people, meaning you lose out on potential revenue.

There’s a misconception that you can’t market to singles on Valentine’s Day. However, you can and here is how.

Products dedicated to singles

One major problem with Valentine’s Day is that most products are specifically designed for couples. This makes it less likely for single people to purchase them. This can be avoided if a brand also creates products just for singles. And that’s basically what an ice-cream company called Blizzard did.

With a recent survey showing that approximately 50% of single people in the USA classify themselves as proudly single on the day, the brand created the DQ Singles Blizzard Treat. The reasoning behind it is simple. Only 24% of singles treat themselves on Valentine’s Day, which may be due to the fact that most gifts are couple oriented, but by creating a treat for singles it’s less alienating. This means that Blizzard stands to capture more of the market.

The Anti-Valentine’s Day Tactic

Some singles view Valentine’s Day with disdain. They’ll go out of their way to avoid any mention of the topic. But there’s room to capitalise on this anti-Valentine’s Day spirit. The key is to create cheeky, funny content that creates the perception that you’re also anti-Valentine’s Day. However, this angle needs to be carefully thought as you don’t want to alienate loyal Valentine’s Day supporters.

Sour Patch Kids – a brand that makes candy – comes to mind when it comes to creative anti-Valentine’s Day messaging. Sour Patch Kids’ Twitter account explodes with campaigns such as reverse cupid, where the brand promises to destroy relationships so that single people can have their friends back. It’s a very chancy approached, but if executed correctly can generate plenty of engagement.

Marketing self-love

Marketing to singles on Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be negative or play on emotions. In fact, it can be positive and uplifting too. Feel good messages are well received by those who feel loneliest during times such as Valentine’s Day. So spreading messages of self-love can do the trick.

Plenty of customers can find such messaging more endearing and less aggressive, especially those who would like to spend Valentine’s Day with someone else. So it’s a brilliant strategy that can’t go wrong.

Marketers should never underestimate the (buying) power of singledom. Just like anyone else, they’re still potential consumers and even more so than everyone else on days such as Valentine’s as they seek to preoccupy themselves. So make sure you have a singles strategy before the day of love.