Creative Black Friday Marketing Ideas
It is exciting time of the year when the BIGGEST shopping affair is just around the corner. Whether it’s Online Retailers, Online Store Owners, or Small to Medium-size Businesses, Black Friday has got everyone hooked and crazy. And there sure is a reason to be as this event surely leads to remarkably increased sales if planned and executed perfectly. You can be a part of all this too. You, too, can increase your sales and grow your customer base, making the most of this grand event.
The day after American Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. This day is the beginning of shopping for the Christmas holiday season. Black Friday was first observed in the state of Philadelphia. Originally Black Friday wasn’t all about shopping as it is now. The Black Friday term was introduced in 1961.
On this day, Black Friday, retailers carry out extra measures in promoting their products and brands. Many ecommerce stores cut down product prices offering sales to attract consumers to buy their products.
Gradually, a one-day Black Friday event became a shopping event for the whole four days that starts from Black Friday and ends on Cyber Monday. So what used to happen just on Black Friday now happens for four days, that is, the Sales, Discounts, and of course, a lot of Shopping.
As an online retailer, it’s up to you what marketing strategies you apply for this four-day event and how you sketch the attention of potential customers.
Due to Covid 19, there was confusion among the general public regarding Black Friday 2020. Many questioned on social media sites regarding the cancellation of Black Friday 2020. 2020 has been difficult and different on many levels. It was the year when we saw people shopping more via ecommerce sites rather than heading outdoors due to Covid 19. Hence it is safe to say that consumers would prefer shopping more online during this year’s Black Friday too. As an online retailer, you should make the most of this opportunity and publicize your products and brand.
Here are some of the marketing strategies that you can apply to your business to be a part of this four-day shopping affair:
Prepare your Website
There is little use in applying marketing strategies to your online business if your website isn’t prepared. Firstly and most importantly, your website should be prepared to handle more visitors.
The speed of your website is a significant factor in generating sales. Over 50 percent of your website’s visitors may leave your site if it doesn’t load in less than three seconds. You can test your website’s loading speed via Google’s PageSpeed Insights or/and GTMetrix. These tools offer methods that you can apply to your website for its rate and other optimization factors.
Product descriptions matter more than you might think. Update your products’ descriptions and make your products irresistible to your consumers. Some of the ways that you can apply to make your product descriptions attractive to consumers are:
o Use attractive words that sell.
o Optimize for search engines.
o Excellent Product images.
Make a Plan for Sales and Discounts
You have to plan out early regarding the products you want to offer at the discounted price and those you don’t. You don’t have to discount each product in your online shop.
Decide how much discount you want to offer and on what products. The prime purpose of having sales or offering discounts is to encourage your consumers to buy more from you. So consider offering a discount on those products that will push your consumers into buying more products from you.
Offer (and Advertise) MEGA Discounts on your Products
Almost all businesses apply this Black Friday marketing campaign, and you shouldn’t be left behind. After planning out how much discount to offer on what products, advertise your mega deal offers on all social media sites. Perhaps, you can consider going live on Facebook to talk about your products and Black Friday sale. A study once stated that going live on Facebook and engaging with people and talking to them about your products and brands leads to increased customer base and hence sales.
Use trending hashtags for Black Friday sale on social media sites such as #BlackFriday2020
Add information about the products that are offered at discounts on your website, that opens up soon after your consumer heads to the after-login page.
Use catchy advertising slogans for Black Friday to get attention to your website, such as:
“Get 50% off until Cyber Monday.”
“Shop till you drop.”
Increase your Advertising Budget
If you expect more sales on Black Friday weekend, then it is justified that you increase your advertising spend. This will increase your site’s traffic as more potential consumers visit your store and hence your sales will rise as well.
Advertise your discounts and deals on Facebook and if you already do that during the year, consider increasing your expenditure a few days more from Black Friday. This step will allow the ad to be optimized for conversions. Black Friday weekend is about offering your products at a good price at the right time. A good discount offer will attract consumers, so it’s wise to promote your best selling products.
Offer deals and Product Bundles
Many online retailers offer deals for a limited time. Limited time creates a sense of urgency and pushes consumers to buy. Many times the deals are a surprise, and they keep changing to encourage return customers. You can also offer Black Friday deals as well as a deal an hour/day. For example, you offer 25% off every product while providing a 50% discount on a particular product for an hour (a deal an hour). Make sure to create a flashy banner about the deals that pop up whenever someone visits your site.
While a deal an hour sounds like an amazing marketing idea, it may not be the best idea for you if you are currently managing your online shop alone. Managing such a deal requires a team to handle consumer inquiries, orders, and posting information about the deals on social media.
Another great marketing tactic is to bundle some products into one unit and sell them together at a discounted price. Or you can offer products in gift/surprise/mystery boxes. These boxes will each have several products from your shop that the consumer won’t know before purchasing. This is a great idea for online businesses that want to grow as it allows the profits to spread across many products.
E-mail Marketing
One way to promote your products and increase sales is by Email marketing. Email marketing is very effective; hence it should be used for Black Friday. If you still do not have an email list, then you can start running advertisements to build your email list for the Black Friday weekend.
Customers that have purchased from your online store since the last 30 days are essential as they may still remember your business and products, so it’s important that you get in touch with them via email for Black Friday. Offer them a special VIP discount for being your previous customers. You can send emails about your Black Friday deals and your products with their images to new customers.
Make extra efforts in creating awesome Black Friday E-mail Subject lines. They shouldn’t be too promotional to end up in the spam folder and not too dull either.
Bring in new Products
Now is the best time to add new products to your catalog. The regular customers get excited and surely check the site to know more about the new products that are offered. The new products would not require an additional promotional or advertising budget as they will be introduced during the holiday season and would get advertised without extra cost. Some online retailers also introduce products that are exclusive for the Black Friday holiday. Customers buy these products ASAP as they won’t be available afterward.
Offer Reward Points
You can offer rewards to your customers for a minimum amount spend. For example, companies reward consumers’ points for every purchase. Then when points reach a certain limit, the consumers are offered a gift.
Free Shipping!
Consumers love free shipping. A recent study stated that approximately fifty percent of people would prefer buying an item if it has free shipping. Be ahead of your competitors by offering free delivery as well as same-day delivery. Consumers like early delivery too, and this step is sure to give your sales a boost.
Donate to a Charity
Many stores offer some percentage of their profits to a charity. This is a great marketing idea as it not only helps in attracting consumers, but it also creates a positive perception of your brand to the customers. There are numerous charities to opt from, and is not a difficult task. Some brands opt for donating to the healthcare system while some are keener on donating to the environment/planet.
Offer your Customers something Different
As a business men you can brainstorm ideas with your team and try to offer something different to your consumers. Perhaps you could offer a complementary gift wrapping service , of the products bought, if your customer wants to buy a gift for someone.
Customers love experiencing something unique so take this Black Friday season as an opportunity to offer them just what they want. Rather than offering discounts, offer your consumers a unique experience. For example, Barns & Noble offered their customers books that were autographed by famous authors exclusively for the Black Friday Sale season. This marketing tactic turned out very successful and the company plans to carry it out again.
Collaborate with other similar Businesses
Make a team and work with other businesses that complement yours. For example, if you sell gift items you can team up with brands that offer gift packaging materials.
Get a Landing Page Ready!
As an ecommerce store owner, ensure that you have at least one landing page that welcomes the visitors to your Black Friday sale. Create eye-catching banners to inform visitors about your Black Friday Deals and how they can avail them. Make sure your landing page stands out. Moreover, if you are selling your products on multiple platforms, ensure that you are using all the promotional tools that are available at each platform for promoting your Black Friday marketing campaigns.
Conclusion
There are so many Black Friday Marketing Strategies that you can pursue to promote your brand and products, it is totally up to you which one you do. Moreover, nobody knows your business and customers more than you do yourself. You will come up with the best marketing strategy that will boost your sales and promote your brand. Get prepared for Black Friday as well as Cyber Monday and start working and planning right away.
Wishing you the best Black Friday sales and happy holidays.
