Top Tips for a Successful Lockdown Valentine's Day

Many of you may have realised that the odds are stacked against balloon companies around the world. We are in the middle of a global pandemic, many of us are in lockdown or are restricted to the types of business that we can operate during this time! To top it all, Valentine's Day is on a Sunday this year! Some might say "let's forget Valentine's Day this year" however, if recent balloon sales are anything to go by, it could be a bumper year!

Being prepared is the key to success:

1. What will you sell?

It is very easy to get carried away and offer many options, but to be honest, it is much better to keep it simple and offer a limited range with varying price ranges. How you deliver your balloons will determine what size of arrangements you will offer; there is little point offering bouquets of twelve Red Hearts, if you don't have a large delivery van!  Check to see what you have left over from last year, and be sure to feature some current trends too - check out all the new and exciting Valentine's balloons in the Qualatex Valentine's catalogue. 

Think Pink! Is a top tip from Tope Abulude, CBA, of Balloon Inspirations, in Essex U.K. "I use as much pink as I do red, and air-filled Qualatex® Deco Bubbles... Simply so I can immediately convert my designs to Mother's Day as soon as Valentine's Day is done. I guess for me it's being able to create arrangements that I can still sell after Valentine's."

Designed By Kerry Ferguson - Pioneer Europe

2. Use exciting and descriptive words

Make your design sound exciting! Give each design a name, as it's much easier for customers to select by name rather than description. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

- Amore

- Pink Romance

- Love you More! 

- Love is in the Air

- Me to You

For those of you who offering designs with added value, such as putting balloons inside balloons or adding personalisation or little details like bows, remember that these are all "Lovingly Made by Hand or Hand-Crafted with Love by Us!" 

3. Adding Extra's

4", 9" and all the lovely air-filled mini shape Microfoil balloons are a great add-on to any design or delivery! They can be prepared now, because once they're inflated and heat-sealed they will last forever! Make sure that you take a good picture of your design with the add-on included so that you customers can see what they are getting... a picture is better than words! 

4. Things to be aware of...

Helium does not like the cold weather, so be aware that when you take helium balloons outside they will start to deflate! This is nothing to be worried about, they will re-inflate when they are reintroduced into the warm, but it's always good to know and maybe to make your customers aware of 💕

5. Marketing is key!

Is your Facebook Business Page Valentine's ready? Start by changing your cover banner! If you are not confident enough to make your own, why not use a ready-made cover from Qualatex! I love both of these, and you can find them by visiting Qualatex.com or simply click HERE. If you prefer to make your own, try www.CANVA.com, it's very easy to use and you can get great results! 

I love this animated version too... very eye-catching! 

Do you have good photographs of the designs that you are selling? It is truly important to have good visual images, as they are the factor that will help you capture the sale! 

If possible try and take a photo of your design with a plain background, but again, you can use CANVA to change the background if you want it to be completely white or if you want to include your own background added! 

This is a before and after shot of one of my designs that I have used
CANVA background remover... it takes seconds!

Another option for those feeling a little more adventurous, is to turn your images into little animated videos!

If you have never used CANVA before and would like to know more, check out this blog post that will hopefully give you all the help that you need;

How to Create Inspiring Instagram and Facebook Posts for the Non-Designer - Part 2

If you have never used Facebook paid advertising, I strongly recommend that you give it a try. You can make it specifically targeted to your local area, as well as your audience and you can choose exactly how much you want to spend... it's inexpensive, and very effective!  

Don't forget those all-important #hashtags 

Here are a selection of popular Valentines hashtags that can be used on your Instagram and Facebook posts

#valentines #valentine #love #handmade #valentinesgift #valentinesgiftforher #valentinesgiftforhim #valentinesgift #valentinesday #valentines2021 #valentinesathome #valentinesballoon #valentineballoon #balloondelivery #supportlocal #supportlocalbusinesses 

And don't forget to hashtag your town or any of the places that you can deliver to! 

For those of you who struggle to find the right hashtags to use, check out http://best-hashtags.com/hashtag/valentine/

These are their most popular Instagram Valentine's hashtags: 

#valentine #love #valentinesday #valentines #gift #birthday #valentineday #valentinegift #handmade #gifts #like #art #anniversary #fashion #flowers #kadovalentine #kadoultah #bouquet #giftideas #instagood #valentinesgift #buketbunga #chocolate #florist #valentinesdaygift #photography #wedding #heart #follow 

I hope these tips are helpful! Valentine's Day this year is a little bit unknown, but as I mentioned at the start of this post, if general balloon orders are anything to go by, it should be a good one! People are not going out to buy cards, flowers or other Valentine's gifts, so if you get your marketing right, there is no reason why the orders should not come through!

Wishing you a very successful Valentine's Day! 

Happy Ballooning! 

Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler