The term “Black Friday” was first used to describe a Friday stock market crash. America’s biggest shopping day used to be called “Big Friday.”
However, police nicknamed Big Friday “Black Friday” after shoppers caused multiple traffic jams. The name stuck even though retailers didn’t care for it.
Despite its rather inglorious name, Black Friday became popular in the United States and worldwide. It has been America’s biggest shopping day since 2001.
Even so, it could be more than a one-day event for your business if you plan it right. Properly leveraged, Black Friday can boost site traffic and sales in the long run. It also has the potential to build brand loyalty that will grow your customer base.
What does a successful Black Friday marketing campaign look like? This is a question that only you can answer. You alone know what your goals are and what they will look like when you reach them.
Even so, the pointers outlined below apply to companies of all sizes and industries. Read on to find out how to increase your odds of a successful Black Friday 2023.
Start Early
Maybe now isn’t yet the time to begin flooding customers with your Black Friday ads. However, the earlier the better to start planning and preparing your campaign.
Do you know what audiences you want to target? If not, do some research to determine who would be most interested in what you plan to offer.
Does your marketing budget include money for Black Friday advertising? If not, see how much cash you can afford to spend on Black Friday marketing. You’ll also want to decide how to spend your money in a way that maximizes results.
Will you need help from third parties to execute your Black Friday marketing plan? If so, find the professionals who can help you right now. You don’t want to be caught short-handed at the last minute.
It’s also a good time to look for micro-influencers to promote your brand name. These individuals tend to have a good conversion rate. They’re not expensive; in fact, you may only have to supply a free product in exchange for a review.
Procuring the products you want to offer for sale is also an important aspect of early planning. You don’t want your team to be overwhelmed by angry shoppers who can’t buy your goods. Such customers will likely ensure that your business goes viral on Black Friday for all of the wrong reasons.
Prepare Your Website
In 2021, online traffic went up by 37 percent on Black Friday and 21 percent on Cyber Monday. Is your website prepared to handle an influx of visitors? If not, now’s the time to set up stable, reliable web hosting.
View your website on various devices to make sure that it’s responsive and loads fast. If it’s too slow, you’ll lose shoppers to your competitors. People won’t wait for your site if they’re worried about other deals passing them by.
You’ll also want to make sure your site is optimized for mobile devices. It needs to be easy to view and navigate on any screen. This boosts online sales and even improves your standing in search engine results.
Check your online store to ensure that it’s optimized and compelling. Are there attractive photos of your products from various angles? As the old saying goes, “A picture is worth 1,000 words.”
Use meta tags for all of your product images. It’s a free, effective way to optimize your site for search engines.
Do you have online product reviews? If not, consider offering current customers a freebie or discount in exchange for an honest review. Positive reviews will build trust in your brand and help you attract new customers.
Create A Black Friday Landing Page
A compelling Black Friday landing page can help customers find good deals on your site. It can also help you stand out from the competition by promoting your unique selling points.
What sets your business apart from the competition? Do you offer something unique that people can’t find anywhere else? Are you the cheapest, most luxurious, or most eco-friendly?
Another way to stand out is to commit to giving a percentage of your profits to charity. Choose a cause that your target audience can understand and get behind. Tell people about it on your landing page.
Finally, make sure your landing page has a clear call to action. People ought to be able to see at a glance what you want them to click on. The links should lead to specific e-store pages where people can buy what they want.
Build A Sales Strategy
What types of deals do you want to offer Black Friday shoppers? Discounts are great, but they’re certainly not your only option.
Other great deals include BOGO offers, giveaways, sweepstakes, and coupon codes. Extra perks and amenities can be great bonuses for people who buy a service. Offering freebies is yet another effective way to stand out.
Take some time to consider what will appeal to your target audience. You could even post a survey on your social media account and ask people what they’d like best.
Another good tactic involves letting your audience choose between two discount options. Some, for instance, may appreciate 20 percent off their entire order and others might prefer a $10 off coupon. Presenting a choice shows consumers that you care about meeting their needs and wishes.
Free shipping is a must and should also be included in your strategy. About two-thirds of shoppers expect it for every purchase. Around 80 percent of them expect it when they spend substantial amounts of money.
Strengthen Your Marketing Efforts
One important reason to start early is to strengthen your marketing efforts ahead of Black Friday. You want your site to be easy to find when people type in keywords related to your business. You also need to have brand recognition so that people will trust you enough to buy from you.
Optimizing your site for search engines will pay off when the big day arrives. There are many ways to accomplish this, including paid advertising and link building. However, one particularly effective method is content marketing.
Content marketing builds brand name recognition and promotes your business as an industry leader. This boosts your SEO and increases the number of people who visit your site. It often results in a higher conversion rate.
If your business doesn’t have a blog yet, now’s the time to start one. Make a schedule and create engaging content on a regular basis.
If you do have a blog, decide which keywords you want to target ahead of Black Friday. It’s also a good idea to check your stats to see what types of content your audience desires.
Social media content marketing
It’s not only your site that needs content. Your social media pages ought to provide engaging content as well. This material should not only inspire site visits but also be shareable in a way that boosts word-of-mouth advertising.
Text isn’t the only content option for your social media channels. You can also use videos, photos, and infographics. Visual content generates more positive responses than text.
Email content marketing
Come November, companies will start flooding consumer inboxes with Black Friday advertising. Your email messages need to stand out if you want to generate sales.
Your tagline should grab attention. It should build urgency or create fear of missing out (FOMO). Use the words “Black Friday” or “Cyber Monday” so that customers know the offer is time-limited.
Your email should include a clear offer. Customers need to know what they’re getting without having to visit your site.
At the same time, not all emails have to be promotional. Wish your subscribers a happy Thanksgiving; they’ll remember your good wishes and your business name.
Creating great content for your site, social media pages, and email list is a lot of work. Thankfully, you don’t have to create winning content while juggling all other aspects of Black Friday preparation.
WriterAccess has thousands of experienced, vetted content writers to help you out. It also offers AI tools to help you find the best writers for any project. Check out the free 14-day trial period to see how you can use the platform to its fullest potential.
Streamline Your Conversion or Sales Funnel
The summer months are a good time to analyze your sales funnel and conversion rate. If something isn’t working, you want to change it long before November arrives.
What is your bounce rate? If it’s above average for your industry, make sure that you’re using the right keywords in your content and advertising. You may also want to re-examine the target audience you’re trying to reach.
What types of ads bring in the most visitors? What is the conversion rate for these visits? Tons of visits won’t grow your business if they don’t result in sales.
What landing pages do customers visit before buying something from you? What information appears on these pages? You’ll likely want to build on this content to boost visits and sales.
What landing pages generate the greatest profits? It may not be the pages with the most visits. You can achieve better results by knowing what high-paying customers desire.
Choose The Right AI Tools
Now is also a good time to optimize your site with AI tools that improve the customer experience. A chatbot can provide immediate support whenever it’s needed. This will free your human staff members to complete other important tasks.
AI can also personalize a user’s experience by making targeted product recommendations. This helps customers find great deals without spending a lot of time on your site. It not only boosts sales but also customer satisfaction rates.
AI tools for shopping cart abandonment are particularly effective. They can remind your customers about the great offers they’re about to miss out on. You could also use these tools to provide extra discounts that will incentivize customers to make the purchase.
Create A Strategy For Building Brand Loyalty
Once you’re done planning for Black Friday, it’s time to look ahead a bit. How can you use Black Friday to turn new customers into loyal ones?
You may want to consider a loyalty program. You can give new shoppers points that they can exchange for discounts on future purchases. This will make people want to keep coming back to your store.
A thank-you email also goes a long way toward cultivating customer loyalty. Include a small free gift, coupon, or other special offer to show your appreciation. Make sure that your customers know how to reach you if they need assistance.
Encourage first-time customers to sign up for your email updates or follow you on social media. This helps you stay in touch with them. It also gives them access to helpful content and tailored product recommendations.
Decide ahead of time how you want to leverage Black Friday to expand your customer base. Remember, it’s up to seven times cheaper to retain current customers than to acquire new ones.
Get Help From The Experts
As you can see, there’s a lot to do if you want to make the most of Black Friday 2023. Starting early will help you take care of everything without stress or pressure. It will also let you test various strategies and find the best ones.
You may want to enlist help from marketing experts. Doing so will enable you to showcase your business in the best light on Black Friday. It will also lay the foundation for successful year-round advertising.
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Are you ready to break your Black Friday records and give your business a long-term boost? If so, check us out to see if we’re a good fit for you. We look forward to not only meeting your needs but exceeding your expectations.
