How Higher Eds are Sharing the Love on Valentine’s Day

Posted: February 14, 2014

Valentine’s Day day has always held a special place in my heart. Many will argue that it’s a holiday created for the sole purpose of boosting chocolate and flower sales. I tend to disagree. I think it’s a day to remember the ones you care about let them know how much they are appreciated. Whether it’s a spouse, significant other, friend, family member or co-worker, they all deserve a little bit of love.

As a marketer, I understand that Valentine’s Day presents a great opportunity to connect and engage with your target audience. After a little digging, we found some higher ed institutions that are going head-over-heels on Valentine’s Day and taking some pretty creative approaches to building brand awareness in the process.

Notable Higher Ed Lovebirds:

Bentley University is promoting the hashtag #BentlyLove on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Vine. Students, faculty, staff and alumni are encouraged to post photos of what they love about Bentley. Photos posted between Feb. 10 and Feb. 17 will be considered for the following superlatives: most loveable, funniest, best alumni submission, best faculty/staff submission and best student submission.

North Carolina State University Alumni Association is in search of the cutest Wolfpack couple. Students, faculty, staff and alumni can participate, along with NCSU fans across the country. All participants need to do is post a photo of themselves and a another fan showing off their Wolfpack pride with #NCStateValentine. Couples can include friends, family, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives and even pets. The pair that is selected as the cutest Wolfpack couple will win a prize courtesy of the Alumni Association. All of the top photos will be posted to an exclusive gallery on the alumni Facebook page.

Oklahoma State University connected with prospective students by offering a chance for Pistol Pete (shown above) to visit one lucky high school student on Valentine’s Day. All a prospective student had to do was use #ILoveOKState on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to be entered to win. Several runners up will receive a prize pack from the university.

We’d love to hear what your institution is doing to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Leave a comment below or contact us we’re always happy to chat. Whether it’s flowers, chocolate, or a catchy hashtag, we hope you’re spreading the love. From everyone at VisionPoint, have a very happy Valentine’s Day!