As Valentine’s Day 2019 approaches, love may be in the air, but so are plenty of questions surrounding your approach to a relevant content marketing strategy.

Let’s face it: This is one divisive holiday. Some of us see it as an opportunity to splurge on elaborate romantic gestures for a partner — but plenty others brush it off as a tacky, singlehood-snubbing affair that’s commercialism at its worst.

No matter which of those viewpoints you ascribe to, the statistics don’t lie: Valentine’s Day spending is projected to surpass $20 billion this year, with participatory buyers expected to plunk down an average of $162 apiece — up nearly 13% from last year. What’s more, today’s consumers are looking beyond their significant others while they’re shopping, with gifts for non-romantic recipients (i.e., friends, family, co-workers, classmates, and even pets) on the rise. And among younger consumers, the holiday presents a perfect opportunity to treat themselves to something special, whether it be a physical gift or some much-needed self care.

Moral of the story: Contentious as it may be, people are still willing to spend, spend, spend for the Valentine’s Day experience of their choosing. With that in mind, here are five tips on how to craft an effective native commerce strategy for the holiday that both you and your audience adore.

1. Stay true to your brand.

Say you’re a publisher that covers the latest in tech. Would you run a Valentine’s Day special for artisanal candles that smell like conversation hearts? No. No you would not.

That’s an extreme example, but the message holds: Make sure your festive sales don’t seem out of place among the rest of your content. That way, your native commerce offerings can live happily next to editorial content without distracting or alienating any readers, creating a seamless user experience.

Image via Good Housekeeping

2. Give roundups a try.

Consumers may know who they’re shopping for, but they don’t always know *what* they’re shopping for. Give them a few ideas by throwing together a roundup or two that’s personalized for a specific recipient.

This approach works especially well if you want to optimize your content for SEO, because it’s easy to toss in themed keywords throughout your copy without them seeming forced. (Pro tip: “Gifts for [her, boyfriend, husband etc.]” searches are ridiculously popular ‘round this time of year.)

3. Beat the competition.

Spoiler alert: Everyone else is offering some pretty great deals, too. Up your game to stand out by offering limited-time perks, like free shipping or two-for-one bargains. Consumers have a *lot* of Valentine’s Day ads to wade through, so you need to go the extra mile to get them to care about your sales.

4. Make single shoppers feel included.

… Because even though they’re not buying for a significant other, they’re still buying. The National Retail Federation reports that about one in four people who aren’t technically celebrating the holiday still plan on picking up a little something special for themselves, celebrating with their fellow singles, or hunting down an “anti-Valentine’s Day” gift. (Millennials and Gen Zers are huge fans of this approach.)

Another popular purchase among singles this V-Day? Gifts for their pets. With a quarter of consumers under the age of 35 planning on buying a festive present for their animal companions, literal millions of dollars will be spent on Fluffy and Fido come February 14. See if you can scrounge up some deals just for them, whether it’s a pet camera, a dog DNA test, or a powerful new vacuum to combat all that hair.

Image via Mashable

5. Be aware that timing really is everything.

Research has shown that most shoppers wait ‘til the very last minute to get their online Valentine’s Day shopping done (especially when it comes to flower purchases), with web traffic peaking on February 12 and 13. As such, you’ll want to organize your promotions accordingly by pacing deals to increase in quality and quantity as the holiday approaches.

Now, this isn’t a free pass to put off planning your Valentine’s Day strategy to the last minute. (You know better than that.) But as far as deals go, feel free to plan those babies out well through the big day.

Want even more tips on how to get the most out of Valentine’s Day marketing strategy? Click here to partner with StackCommerce and let us source amazing deals that fit your audience.