2021 seems to have sped by and suddenly we have found ourselves at the end of the year with key sales dates like Black Friday, Christmas, and New Year just around the corner.
Making sure that you make the most of these events can be overwhelming and you may not quite know where to start. Not to worry, we are on hand to help you come up with some great ideas and to help you to plan for success.
Why should you organise marketing activities for Black Friday?
Black Friday is an incredible opportunity to raise your brand awareness, increase sales and generate leads that can last for months to come.
In 2019, retail spending on Black Friday totalled £8.6Bn, and if you aren’t marketing during this time, you are therefore missing out on a slice of that £8.6 bn pie.
In many cases, your competitors may be aware of this and have plans of their own, making it important for you to come up with a variety of ideas to help you to stand out from the crowd.
Even for organisations that may not be retail-based or simply want to raise awareness, there are certainly some great ways to put on a show for Black Friday that align with your marketing goals.
How to market effectively for Black Friday
Prepare early
Given that you only have a weekend window to market your products or brand, the more planning you can do, the better. This is also a key way to build anticipation for your coming event, sale or publicity stunt.
It is a great opportunity to tease on social media or with leaflets, run adverts to build up your mailing list or increase your followers to reach a maximum audience on the day.
You may also wish to sort your CRM data or segment your customers for maximum targeted impact.
Encourage your customers to take action
By nature, Black Friday sales don’t last long, and therefore you need to communicate urgency to your customers. But don’t stick to the old tropes.
A 2017 study suggested that ‘Hurry’ and ‘Time is running out’ were not effective email subject lines, instead of using lines such as ‘Challenge yourself’ communicated an existing relationship and gave encouragement without being outdated.
Countdown timers and limited time offers can also be effective and if you have a new product, why not do a flash 10% off sale?
Take the opportunity to draw your customers back in with retargeting
Retargeting is when you monitor your website visitors and target them with advertisements when they are yet to take action on your website, such as downloading a PDF or completing a purchase.
Some studies have even suggested that retargeting a customer can increase conversions by up to 150%. It is also a severely under-used form of marketing, an area where you can increase sales and beat out your competitors.
Whether you use display ads or a follow-up email with an offer, it is certainly worth investing the time in your already-warm customers.
Top 3 Black Friday 2021 marketing tips and tricks
Keep the party going… or start it early
In the run-up to Black Friday, many businesses offer sneak peeks into their sales – whether it is hinting at which products may be on offer to sending special promotions for loyal customers.
You can even extend a sale or feature ‘last chance’ offers to boost sales.
Ensure your site is friendly for new visitors
Black Friday may bring in a swathe of new visitors to your website, so make sure it is user-friendly. Sites that have an easy user experience (UX) can make the customer journey smoother and help your business achieve its goals.
When new users land on your site, the likelihood is they will leave quickly if it isn’t clearly laid or user-friendly. Features that help customers find the products or services they are looking for such as categories or ‘customers who viewed this product also viewed’ can help them find their way.
Flip the narrative entirely
If it fits your brand identity or you want to simply raise awareness, it can certainly pay to completely flip the script and do something entirely anti-Black Friday altogether.
Some companies even close for Black Friday to help their staff avoid the rush, and some companies have even raised prices during this weekend event.
If you want to know more about this, check out our blog on the Best Black Friday campaigns.
If you need help with your Black Friday marketing plans or your long term marketing strategy, please get in touch with our team. Give us a call on 01452 729 953 or drop us an email at hello@brace.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.
