The festive season and the holidays are times we all look forward to. Not only does it mean refreshing time with family and friends. It is a great time to cop items on the wish list, thanks to surprising, immersive deals, prominent with the holiday season. Well, one cannot talk about festive season deals without the mention of Black Friday. As a business, it is one of the best times of the year to entice the customer and ramp up sales. In fact, it is estimated that nearly 13% of all retail sales in the United States occur between Black Friday and Christmas. According to the  Adobe Digital Economy Index, consumers spent a whopping $204 billion in the 2021 holiday season (Nov. 1 to Dec. 31).

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday refers to the day right after Thanksgiving Day, known for the crazy deals in-store and online merchants are willing to offer. Black Friday opens the stage for the holiday shopping season. It being the start to the merry season makes one wonder why the grim moniker ‘black’. Legend has it that the name was coined by the Philadelphia police, who felt that the day was symbolic of long hours of ugly traffic, bad weather and endless miseries.

A few years back, before eCommerce became the craze of the time, stores would open as early as 5 am, and people would come in droves, causing a frenzy and crazy human traffic. According to the 2023 Black Friday trends, 65% of customers intend to shop online rather than offline this season. If you take a look at the statistics given below, nearly 84% of shoppers wait for Black Friday in the United States. It is, however, not automatic that having a sale on Black Friday will translate to conversions and high-profit margins for businesses.

Source: ThinkWithGoogle

How Early Should You Start Your Black Friday Promotions

You are perhaps wondering when it is best to start your Black Friday sales? Well, the short answer is that it depends on your business. Generally speaking, though, many businesses tend to start in early November to attract those early shoppers. You can also choose to start your sales campaign from Thanksgiving day to Cyber Monday if you are selling online.

It is also worth noting that you will need to leverage creative marketing strategies that distinguish your business from the sea of others offering attractive  Black Friday discounts and sales. That increases the likelihood of catching the eyes of prospective customers. Here are some killer tactics you should roll out to make the most of Black Friday:

17 Black Friday Marketing Strategies

1. Leverage Social Media

There is no denying the incredible powerhouse that is social media in the digital marketing landscape. Remember, there were an estimated 4 billion active social media users around the world in 2021. By 2025, it is projected to touch the milestone of 5.42 billion. This is why putting strategies in place to entice Black Friday shoppers on social media is a great way to promote sales. For starters, use your feed to announce the mystery deals and give in-depth details of oncoming promotions. For example, you can run giveaways on social media. You could ask people online to follow your social media accounts, tag friends and enter into a draw with a chance of winning something like an enticing voucher.

Source: Statista

Engaging with your audience on social media builds anticipation which is a crucial element of growing traffic on Black Friday. Ensure that you can answer questions to any clarifications from your customers.

This will certainly help you make sales and avoid frustrating customers.

2. Optimize your website

Yes, you have crazy deals. No, that is not enticing enough to make prospective customers waste their life away waiting for your site to load. Account for the influx of people, synonymous with black Friday and make the necessary adjustments to cater to that. Optimize your website for online shopping by making navigation as seamless as possible.

You need the right keywords for your product descriptions and web content to make it easy for customers to find stuff. For instance, if you own an online gift store. You can use the keyword “Best gifts for men” (as shown in the picture below) to target the right audience.

It is also worth streamlining your site for mobile friendliness. Keep in mind that most people use their phones to do holiday shopping, and you cannot afford to lock them out.

3. Make the most of chatbots

Customer satisfaction is always king in driving sales. Customers tend to have a soft spot for stores that value them enough to offer help on FAQs, returns, shipping, and other concerns. Generally, customer support is an area that could use a bit of automation, especially during the holiday season when people are flocking to stores in magnitudes. And that is where chatbots join the conversation.

Chatbots platforms make it possible to offer 24/7 support on frequently asked questions. They take over some of the simple work like allowing the customer service team to dedicate more time to what requires much of the heavy lifting.

4. Build an Email list

Well, email marketing is another strategy that moves the needle significantly in a wholesome digital marketing approach. The average ROI through email marketing is $36 for every $1 you spend. Simply put, it has one of the best ROIs compared to other marketing strategies.
You can also use email marketing for your Black Friday marketing strategy. Don’t forget existing customers! Show appreciation with a separate email offering them a pre-sale opportunity or a special discount on their favorite perfumes, santal 33 dupe or another.

For starters, grow a Black Friday email list to help you get more people interested in your offering on the actual day. Consider working with a few nice email marketing templates catered to new customers to increase the likelihood of having more people knocking on your door on Black Friday. Be sure to include a succinct Call to Action (CTA). You could also go the extra mile and incentivize purchases with additional perks like free shipping, discounts and gifts. For example, you give out a discount to your existing customers as a way of appreciating them.

5. Have memorable deals

It’s Black Friday, so every store promises the world. Great deals and fast delivery are plastered all over stores. Making such claims may not set you apart from the competition. What will, however, be going the extra mile.

Sweeten the deals and add to the fun by offering hourly discounts and treasure hunts. That injects more fun and increases the chances of more people visiting your store.

6. Expand your reach using Hashtags

Using hashtags enhances visibility and promotes discoverability during Black Friday. Dedicated hashtags expand reach by allowing you to appeal to customers on the hunt for specific Black Friday deals. The Black Friday deals will open their eyes to your business, but the ingenuity of your products may keep them long after the holiday season, increasing your customer base.

Source: napoleoncat

7. Offer gifts with purchases

Why not throw in something extra to incentivize your target audience to spend their dime on your store? People love gifts and will not hesitate to purchase from stores offering them on Black Friday. That said, you should not shoot yourself in the foot by giving gifts you cannot afford. Offer things that do not eat much into your profit margin if you gifted them.

8. Hype the sales and discounts beforehand

You want to create hype around your offerings to magnetize customers to your business come Black Friday. Shout from the rooftops (Read social media platforms) about the oncoming deals to foster customer interest and anticipation for Black Friday, increasing potential sales.

9. Reach out to customers from the past

Black Friday is the best time to remind customers of the items they left in carts. Barriers like the price may have prompted willing customers to leave things in the cart. But with Black Friday offers, they can come back and get what they were interested in at a steal. Make the most of the holiday shopping season by remarketing products to people that showed interest in the past.

10. Collaborate with influencers

You can also elevate your online presence and increase your reach with the power of influencer marketing. One marketing survey conducted with German consumers found that 58% consumers follow influencers because they like them. One general population survey conducted in Sweden, Germany, and the UK found that consumers tend to take opinions from influencers to purchase products.

In this regard, you can partner with influencers with a trusted following to create interest in your product and promote sales. You can find the best creators and influential voices in your niche and beyond. The idea is to find the people that your target audience will trust and use them to amplify your messaging. They will also help in crafting content that will resonate better with their audience.

11. Have a catchy Black Friday slogan

Nothing makes your store more memorable on Black Friday than a great slogan. Create catchy phrases to keep you top of prospective customers’ minds. Create one that resonates with the holiday season to get people excited to go deeper into their wallets and shop till they drop.

12. Have test runs before Black Friday

The proof is in the pudding. Any marketing strategy is only as good as its execution and ROI. You may plan ingenious marketing strategies but fall short in the execution stage. The best way to know how your plans will work is by conducting test runs. That way, you can identify shortcomings and tweak a few things to create an effective strategy on Black Friday.

13. Optimize Your Offers for Mobile

Again, shoppers are now using their mobile phones more than ever. In 2021, it was estimated that 43 percent of online sales during the holiday season came via smartphones. This should tell you why you need to tailor your Black Friday online shopping experience for mobile. Ensure that you have a mobile-friendly website and landing pages for any offers you are giving out. You can also create a tailored app to boost the mobile shopping experience.

14. Referral Awards

You can also reach out to more customers by enticing your existing customers to actively promote and refer others. One study did an analysis of 10,000 accounts over a 33-month period and found that customers who come through referrals generate higher profit margins. They also tend to be more loyal and show a higher customer lifetime value.

You can give out tailored incentives to customers who refer you to other customers this Black Friday. For example, you could give an existing customer a cash reward, equivalent to a percentage of a referred friend’s purchase.

15. Flexible Return Policy

One other proven way to attract more new customers is to have a flexible return policy. It is estimated that 66% of shoppers read your return policy before they make a purchase. Customers tend to buy from brands that are transparent and flexible with their return policies. So, you are better off letting them know that they will be sorted out in case a Black Friday purchase doesn’t work out.

16. Bring in New Products and Services

You can also use the holiday season to launch a new product or service to the market! You can take advantage of the buzz to reach out to buyers who are often eager to make purchases. It is the time of the year where customers are willing to try out new products.

17. Follow up with customers after Black Friday

Don’t forget to think about going after customers even after the Black Friday sales. Of course, you want to retain most of the traffic and customers after the season sales.

One of the best ways to retarget your customers is to build an email database, then you can send followup mails after the orders. This exemplifies good customer service, plus you can follow up for reviews to bolster your social proof that will attract other customers in future.

Final Words

Black Friday screams good news: not just for customers but also for businesses. If you have a business venture, Black Friday can be a ripe time to introduce more people to your offerings and build a loyal customer base. But that only works if you employ the best strategies to make the most of the buzz!

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