Did you know it’s estimated that at least 25% of all retail sales occur from Black Friday to Christmas in preparation for the holidays? This means Black Friday is NOT a day that businesses can afford to skip. Planning ahead to create an effective marketing campaign is important to avoid feeling rushed or missing out on the chance to reach new customers!
Black Friday gives businesses that chance to gain new customers who have been eyeing their products or services for a while but need that added push of a limited discount. Starting early (but not too early) builds customer anticipation while boosting brand awareness.
Get ahead of your competition with these Black Friday marketing strategies:
Get Super Clear On Your Offers
One of the most stressful moments for a business owner is trying to run a sale and not having a clear idea of their end goal. Do you want to clear out old products? Advertise a new service? Black Friday is a great time to sell out old stock or introduce new products or services at a limited discount rate. You can attract new customers while servicing your loyal customers, but planning ahead is key!
Use Social Media To Promote in Advance
Enticing shoppers who plan ahead is just as important as enticing last-minute shoppers, and using social media is a great way to target both. Giving sneak peeks of what you’ll be offering will increase interest before the sales even drop!
Using social media features like countdowns, link attachments, and collaborating with influencers will keep people hooked until the sales begin.
Use Your Newsletter Subscribers
While social media is a great way to reach people, email marketing is a great marketing strategy. Send out an email blast early to get ahead of your competitors so your customers have your business in their minds when planning their spending. Including exclusive email discounts to subscribers will have them eagerly awaiting your name in their inboxes!
Use SEO to Your Advantage
Make it easier for customers to find you every year by having a permanent landing page for Black Friday sales. Creating a brand new page each year will reset your analytics and chances of appearing on search engine pages. Having a search engine-optimized landing page that stays up year-round will boost the chances of new and loyal customers finding you.
Bundles and Mystery Boxes and Discounts, Oh My!
As Black Friday has evolved, so has the way that businesses can sell. Having different sales strategies can help you attract new customers or cater to loyal customers, but you have to be smart with your offers.
Mystery Boxes – A great way to entice new customers to try your products or services, while clearing out old stock is using mystery boxes
Bundles – Loyal customers love a bundle option because they can get their favourites and try something new while saving money
Discounts – Create a sense of urgency with limited discount codes that expire hourly. This will keep people glued to your social media pages while they fill their carts so they don’t miss out
Extend Your Sales to Cyber Monday
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the next best Thanksgiving pairing since turkey and stuffing! While Flash Sales like limited discounts are great, having special sales that last through the weekend can help engage customers who may need a bit more time to decide.
Focus on Customer Experience From Beginning to End
Many businesses focus solely on selling to their customers, but drop the ball afterwards and end up losing those customers they worked so hard to attract. Be clear with customers about possible extended shipping times, and consider using a customer support team to handle requests during a busy time. Optimizing your website performance is something else to consider – nothing turns customers away from a sale faster than a website crashing!
When it comes to Black Friday, businesses with e-commerce websites (and retail stores) need to take advantage of the opportunity to reach new customers while attracting current ones. Preparing early, offering great discounts, and focusing on customer experience will help your business have a successful Black Friday!
