Holidays provide a great opportunity to switch up your social marketing strategy, and engage your audience with fresh and timely content.

Valentine’s Day is a holiday rooted in romance, and consumers are more than happy to spend their money to show their affections. According to research from the National Retailers Federation shoppers are set to spend almost $20 billion on Valentine's Day related purchases in 2018, and even those without a romantic partner are spending money by treating themselves to something special.

Given this, it may well be worth spreading some social media love this year. Here are three simple prompts to get you thinking about how you can tie your campaigns into the event.

1. Share Some Love

The truth is, not every company has a service that’s an easy sell for Valentine’s Day gifts - but that doesn’t mean you can’t capitalize on the season, and find new opportunities to engage with your audience. Let your customers know that you love them by providing themed content which provides value.

You could host a live Q&A, provide a limited time deal, or offer tips related to your business that people might find useful during this time of year. As long as your posts still match your brand personality, and remain authentic, you really can’t go wrong jumping in on some Valentine’s Day themed posts.

2. Embrace All Kinds of Love

While Valentine’s Day might have its roots in love between romantic couples, that’s not the only type of love that’s celebrated as part of the event.

According to research conducted by Bing, parents, children, grandparents, and friends all look for ways to express appreciation for one another around Valentine’s Day - some people even spend money on their pets for the holiday.

So don’t limit yourself to advertising just traditional gifts, like jewelry, flowers, or chocolates. While these will still be top sellers in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, they’re far from the only items people are looking to buy.

Take a look at Dunkin’ Donuts - they regularly advertise Valentine’s donuts that would make a great gift for coworkers looking to show appreciation for the people they work with.

3. Make Them Laugh

The truth is, no one wants to see endless ads showing couples getting engaged throughout the entire month of February. So try taking a different approach, and give your audience Valentine’s Day themed reason to laugh. Not only will this give them a reason to engage with, and share your content, but it can also be an excellent way to advertise a product that might be a hard-sell on the holiday.

For example, Ford saw their clever Mustang “speed dating” commercial go viral back in 2015. Instead of telling a traditional romance story, a woman takes several blind dates on a wild ride through a parking lot - hilariously frightening the guys by doing donuts, drifting, and speeding.

Or you could take part in humorous hashtag campaigns, like the Twitter favorite #RejectedCandyHearts. While the hashtag isn’t tied to any one brand, plenty of companies get in on the fun by creating humorous hearts that tie into their products or services - like NBC did to promote '30 Rock'.

Valentine’s Day provides a unique opportunity to get creative and innovative with your marketing campaigns, in unique ways. By embracing all kinds of love, getting generous, and injecting some humor into your campaign, you’ll be winning the hearts of your audience on all your social platforms.