Thanks to the boom in online shopping as a result of the pandemic, this year’s Black Friday, November 26, along with Cyber Monday, November 28, is predicted to be one of the biggest sales seasons ever for Australia. Consumers are already bracing for the torrent of emails and text messages that will be competing for their attention. Here’s how to capitalise on the online market and cut through according to business consultant Olivia Jenkins of Olivia Jenkins Consulting.
Around 8.9 million Australians will take part in Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year with a predicted $3.8 billion to be spent on deals with consumers eager to splash some cash post-lockdown. If you haven’t prepared for this major event, it’s still not too late to get in on the action or fine-tune your strategy.
5 Black Friday tips you need to know
1. Make your Black Friday offer simple and compelling
Many brands make the mistake of creating complex offers that customers don’t understand which drastically reduces the results of the campaign.
The most successful cyber weekend campaigns tend to be a storewide offer of ‘up to X% off everything’ or a spend and save which encourages customers to increase their order value and unlock further discounts.
When creating your offering, consider your product margins and how to strike a balance between running a strong offer and retaining enough margin for the event to remain profitable.
Once you’ve locked in your offer, make your customers’ journey easier by creating a landing page that’s specific to the sale and branded with cyber weekend creative in line with your campaign. By creating a dedicated page you create a stress-free experience for customers to find what they’re looking for. Plus, it has added SEO benefits!
2. Invest in lead generation early
This will help supercharge results if you have a larger database to reach for campaign activation. Don’t leave lead generation to the last minute or you’ll be relying on your existing customer base to drive the majority of your Black Friday revenue.
If it’s too late for this year, next year run a competition or giveaway around 6-8 weeks out from your planned campaign dates to drive up email addresses and phone numbers for email and SMS marketing.
Advertise this through Facebook ads for sign-ups ahead of the sale. Brands that have a strong customer acquisition strategy are usually achieving extraordinary results.
3. Go all in for VIP customers
Ask yourself what’s in it for customers if they provide you with their email addresses and mobile numbers. Treat these customers like gold and create an experience where they unlock MORE savings or early access to your Black Friday campaign ahead of the public.
This is one of the most important incentives for being an email subscriber and not unsubscribing during the year – reward your VIP’s for being loyal customers as much as you can.
One strategy could be to deliver a custom catalogue ahead of the sale to clearly explain what offers will be run on the day so customers are prepared for the event. Or only offer discount codes via email marketing and to change the pop up on your website to “subscribe to reveal codes for Black Friday” so VIPs know they have to be on the list to get access to offers.
4. Don’t be afraid to go early for ‘Black November’
Consider going in early in the month with offers. Many customers will be overwhelmed with offers on Black Friday. Some households also may not want to purchase more on Black Friday if they’re already spent with brands who’ve reached out early.
The costs of media buying are often more expensive during the main event. By going early, you could potentially save some advertising budget.
5. Integrate your Black Friday marketing communications
Deploy a powerful, seamless activation by integrating marketing communications across website, email, social media, advertising and influencer marketing to create Black Friday buzz.
Use the same creative across all platforms so customers see your brand everywhere. Black Friday is all about the touchpoints so you can maximise sales and results.
It’s a good idea to add countdown timers to all email communications and website landing pages to drive urgency around offers expiring soon. This will encourage customers to act quickly to avoid missing out on special promotions.
If you’re investing in influencer marketing, boost word of mouth referrals about special offers and encourage any fence-sitters to purchase while products are on sale.
Finally, ensure your Black Friday copy and creative for Facebook advertising is strong and will be loud enough to stand out in your customers feed. Look to animate the borders of your campaign imagery with “CYBER WEEKEND” or “BLACK FRIDAY STARTS NOW” messaging to capture attention.
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