Written by: Jessica Fritsche

It’s Valentine’s Day, and people are expressing their love through flowers, chocolates, jewelry, and words. It may be a Hallmark holiday, but on days like today it’s important to communicate in just the right way to make sure you’re getting the right point across at the right time. You wouldn’t want your significant other to wonder where her valentine is, would you? (I’m still waiting, honey.)

When it comes to content marketing, every day should be Valentine’s Day—you need to make sure your message is worded just right, and targeted to your audience in just the right way. So how can you show your audience the love?

• Listen to what they want. I know that my husband pays attention when I mention things that I want or am interested in, because usually they show up later as gifts or topics of conversation. You should be doing the same for your buyer personas. It isn’t enough to gather assumptions about what they want to hear or know—you have to spend time listening to them by watching what they post about on blogs and social channels and studying their behaviors. When you listen, you’ll know exactly what they want and deliver it via your content.
• Get a little romantic. Everyone wants to be wooed, especially your audience. They have a lot of things competing for their attention, and you’re not the only company on their radar. So you have to do a little courting if you want to cut through the noise and rise to the top of their pile of suitors. Get creative with the ways you connect and use your communication channels to differentiate your messages from the crowd and catch your audience’s attention. Don’t be afraid to go for the grand gestures, either; for example, this Valentine’s Day Kraft launched the Voice of Love campaign through Twitter and a Facebook app. For every tweet that features the hashtag #VoiceofLove, they’ll donate 100 boxes of mac and cheese to the charity Feeding America, and participants have a shot at Ted Williams, the voice of Kraft, recording their Valentine’s greeting. Now that’s sweet.
• Seal the deal. Don’t turn on the heat with your audience and not follow through. Continue to engage customers beyond that special day or campaign, and prove to them that you really care about what they have to say. Shower them with gifts in the form of content. Think downloadable ebooks, research stats, and meaty blog posts that help them overcome challenges. Take your relationship public by highlighting customer stories on your website.

Remember, Valentine’s Day is just one day you can show your audience you love them—these tips are applicable all year long!