The holiday season is here! It is the time of the year when customers make the final purchase after adding things to their buying list all year round. While holiday marketing is fun, this could be the biggest sales moment for your brand if you effectively strategize your campaigns. Trust us, customers are not ready to put their wallets away just yet. There is still a plethora of sales chances for merchants to capitalize on in order to meet their revenue targets — and one of these critical dates is Black Friday.
The secret to sticking out in a sea of advertising is to plan a Black Friday marketing campaign. Consider this. Every store, whether physical or online, is an advertising opportunity. Customers are actively seeking them out. So, how do you catch their attention?
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It is well-known for cutting prices in both online and physical businesses, resulting in increased customer spending. It is traditionally the start of the Christmas shopping season and these are chances that your company should take advantage of.
In the past few years, e-commerce retailers are benefiting from online sales, even as global purchasing trends fluctuate in an unstable economy. According to a 2021 report, Shopify business owners jointly made $6.3 billion USD in global sales between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, a 23% increase over 2020. What’s more? The typical cart cost more than $100 USD!
In order to get started, all you need is a killer marketing approach to help you stand out.
Black Friday Marketing Strategies in 2022
When it comes to Black Friday marketing techniques, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. You understand your consumers and what works best for them. However, there are several tried-and-true tactics that might assist you with your Black Friday marketing approach.
1. Use digital marketing to highlight your upcoming deals.
Some customers enjoy the excitement of the holiday, while others prefer to plan ahead of time and take advantage of early bird offers. You could attract both types of customers by promoting your deals on social media. Here are some easy ways to do this:
- Tease out bargains on your feed by sharing mystery offers
- Share the specific details of your promos to ensure more sales
- Generate anticipation by releasing previews of special discounts
- Share countdown timers and other compelling material
2. Instill a sense of necessity
Write copies that express urgency to make people interested in your products on sale. Customers can be encouraged to act immediately and will feel obliged to take advantage of your Black Friday discounts if you provide a limited-time discount or exclusive access to sale products. This helps create attention, especially in the case of email newsletters. In fact, you could set up an email marketing campaign and watch your ROI skyrocket. On average, email generates a return on investment of $36 for every dollar invested – way more than any other channel.
3. Optimize your website for Google searches by customers
On Black Friday, eCommerce sites compete for a slot on Google's main page. To rank, your website must be optimized for online shoppers. One method is to select phrases that buyers are likely to search for while looking for holiday offers. Conduct keyword research and then sprinkle such terms across your site. Make certain that you seem genuine and avoid keyword cramming. Furthermore, you should ensure that your website is mobile-friendly since more and more consumers are doing their Christmas shopping on their smartphones.
4. Provide unique discounts to long-term clients
People enjoy being noticed, especially when they have a connection to your business. Black Friday allows you to express your gratitude to long-term consumers. Offering these consumers unique deals and discounts is a smart marketing strategy that may help you establish customer loyalty and promote repeat business. By demonstrating your appreciation for your clients' loyalty, you will encourage them to return on days other than Black Friday.
5. Consider selling directly on social media
People frequently utilize social media to study a product or a brand. Almost one in every two people has used Instagram to research new businesses, goods, or services. Everyone will be looking for bargains and promotions on Black Friday. You may put your items in front of your target audience by selling directly on platforms like Instagram. Selling directly on the app makes it much easier for your customers to convert.
Pro tip - Use catchy hashtags to make your posts more visible amidst hundreds of similar ads.
You may use Markopolo to schedule your shoppable Instagram posts ahead of time, allowing you to focus on other smart Black Friday marketing ideas. It would also help you fetch audience data, or choose from the available presets, ensuring you have your A-game on.
6. Expand customer relationships after Black Friday
It's fantastic that you can sell a large number of things on Black Friday, but the value of a consumer to your business rises with time. You can easily convert those one-time buyers into devoted, lifelong consumers by -
- Sending a brief thank-you email
- Asking them to fill out a customer service survey
- Reaching out for comments on their experience
By maintaining contact with your consumers, you demonstrate that your company values their business and is devoted to providing a pleasant customer experience.
7. Share referral codes and organize contests
Referral marketing can do wonders for spreading awareness about your brand. Distribute referral codes to your email list. As an incentive, give them gift cards or more discounts. Considering the holiday season, this strategy does the trick as a seasonal gift for your favorite shoppers while also impulsing them to bring more people on board.
Organizing contests may also increase traffic while generating leads and raising brand recognition. Provide a reward that your target audience desires and encourage them to enter the contest and share it with their friends and followers. Encourage your followers to tag their friends or repost your material to their stories to be eligible for prizes.
8. Offer minimum spending incentives
Minimum spend rewards are an excellent approach to boost conversion rates and encourage clients to spend more money with a company. Tiered awards can make it even more effective. Like, a consumer who buys $50 may receive a 10% discount, while a customer who spends $100 may receive a 20% discount.
Conversely, you could also provide minimum spend rewards on specific quantities. For example, customers who check out with a $200 cart, for example, may be eligible for free delivery.
9. Observe your abandoned cart rates
Have you ever done some virtual window shopping and been about to ditch your cart when you were interrupted by a pop-up? Whether it's a discount coupon offer or a survey about your buying habits, pop-ups can be incredibly bothersome, which is kind of the goal from a marketer’s point of view. Pop-ups are designed to catch your attention and decrease cart abandonment. Make sure your pop-up states your Black Friday-only bargain and gives them the final push toward the finishing line. Instead of pop-ups, you could notify them via email.
10. Create a gift guide
A gift guide is simply a handpicked assortment of your items, organized in a way that customers can easily comprehend. Feel free to experiment with crazy ideas because you do not know what would work best for your audience. It could be as simple as a “gifting guide for your father” or as wild as “what to get your fitness-freak buddy”. Gift guides aid in the promotion of certain items, increase traffic to your website or store and creates great enthusiasm for your business.
NB: This is the best part of any seasonal marketing strategy.
Conclusion
With these hacks, you are all set to ace your Black Friday marketing, but don't stop there. You'll also need to plan and prepare your Christmas plans as more parcels fly off your shelves onto buyers' homes. If you want to kick off these promotions with a boom, Markopolo is the way to go. Using our AI-powered platform guarantees reaching your audience in more effective ways. Check out how we can boost your Christmas advertisements by booking a demo session with us.
Also, if you're curious about the best Black Friday marketing examples, go through this post.