Keeping Customers Engaged After Valentine’s Day
Retaining customers after Valentine’s Day can be a great way to build momentum and engagement for the rest of the year. The goal here is to turn a one-time holiday buyer into a repeat, relationship-based customer. Here are seven ways to stay engaged with your customers after Valentine’s Day:
- Follow up with your customers while the purchase is still fresh. Did you capture their email addresses in your order form? If so, send a quick thank-you email or post-purchase message within a few days. In this email, be sure to thank them for supporting your local business during the holiday season, share care or storage tips (for flowers or other value-added items), and invite them to stay connected with you on social media or by subscribing to your newsletter. This reinforces the relationship, not just the transaction.
- Turn Valentine’s Day into a first purchase, not a one-time sale. Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be a standalone campaign. Use this as an opportunity to position what comes next and guide customers to their next reason to buy. Here are a few examples of things to position:
- Spring bouquet subscriptions
- CSA sign-ups
- Farmers market opening day
- Workshops, U-picks, farm events
- Share the story behind your product. Sometimes, customers who buy for holidays are first-time buyers and may not know your farm. Take this as an opportunity to introduce your farm, show how your products are grown or made, and share what’s happening this season (re: Tip #2). Your story is a great way to build emotional connection, which builds customer loyalty.
- Offer a soft second purchase. Within 2–3 weeks, position customers to make a second purchase by offering loyalty points or early access to spring items. Keep the stakes low here – we want our customers to feel appreciated enough to buy again, not pressured.
- Highlight your product for everyday use, not just special occasions. Holiday buyers often see products as “gifts,” not regular purchases. Reframe their thinking and market your product as weekly flowers for the kitchen table, local meat for easy dinners, or honey, coffee, and bread as kitchen staples. The key is to show how your product fits into their routine.
- Don’t forget to share customer moments! Customer-generated content (often in the form of social media posts) builds community and is free advertising. Take a moment to repost bouquet photos, feature customer recipes, and share any testimonials. People stay engaged when they see themselves reflected.
- Post-Valentine's Day Social Post. After Valentine’s Day, share a “behind the scenes of Valentine’s Day” post and thank customers publicly. This gives customers a glimpse at the farm-based content they love, and shows appreciation for your customers = loyalty building.
Executing these tips can help you focus on relationship-building, rather than just the immediate sales from Valentine’s Day. Ideally, you can convert one-time holiday shoppers into loyal, long-term customers, and keep your returning customers engaged, as well.