23/11/2016
Two of the biggest shopping days of the year are on the horizon, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Despite my resentment that Britain has adopted yet another Americanism for the sake of commercialisation, I can’t deny it poses an unparalleled opportunity for B2C businesses.
Whether you’re looking to maximise profits or boost your brand voice this weekend, I’ve put together a list of easy marketing titbits that’ll be great additions to any existing campaign.
On Cyber Monday, create hourly deals that your digital customers can take advantage of. For example, every hour throughout the day introduce a new deal on a particularly popular product – on top of the standing Black Friday discount. Then shout about it across social and ping it out via email.
The hourly deals give you an excuse to continually post throughout the day with new content, keeping you in timelines and at the forefront of Black Friday thought. This tactic will keep customers coming back and means your top products will only be discounted for an hour on Cyber Monday.
Everyone loves a mystery, so why not incorporate it into your Black Friday marketing campaign for a substantial peak in sales? Promote a range of discounts available, 10%, 20% or 50%; £5 off, £10 off, free delivery (for your website) or get the cheapest product free. Get your customer to pull their mystery saving from Santa’s hat at the till or check-out page.
If you own a B2C business, Black Friday and Cyber Monday will see an increase in footfall and traffic. Easily capitalise on it by offering a deal for anyone that signs up to your mailing list – simple!
Getting people to sign-up to your mailing list is one hurdle, but getting them to stay is the next challenge. Reward your subscribers with an exclusive deal. Easy and simple, an old marketing tactic that still works.
Free shipping is one of the best offers for converting customers. Delivery costs could prevent your customers from completing a purchase that was initiated by a carefully planned promotional email.
Stop your subscribers from abandoning their baskets, offer free delivery on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are great opportunities for maximising sales, they’re also the perfect time to execute a marketing campaign that promotes your brand and invests in your company’s future.
It’s not just good karma, according to Cone Communications 89% of Americans are willing to switch to a brand that supports a good cause.
Plus, think of the word-of-mouth promotion and publicity. Patagonia are donating 100% of their Black Friday profits to grassroots environmental groups. As a result, after a quick Google search I found news reports on Huffington Post, Fortune, Treehugger (perfect audience for the brand), Forbes, Adweek, CNN, Fox, POPSUGER, The Drum – honestly, the list is endless.
Post top-tips for Black Friday goers, such as: the cheapest items on sale, products with the biggest discount, the most popular products, which items are selling out fastest or when the quietest time to visit your store is.
Twitter is the best place for this – make sure to include a #BlackFriday tag (or whichever is trending in your area). Better yet, search the hashtag and directly initiate conversations with potential consumers. People like to feel special, so find them on a relevant hashtag and invite them to directly message your account for an exclusive promo-code; I guarantee they’ll tweet about your generosity.
Just because your brand isn’t peddling a product, doesn’t mean you can’t harness the power of Black Friday for your own cause. State parks in America have adopted the hashtag #GreenFriday in retaliation to Black Friday and are offering free passes and free parking.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday revolve around offering your customers great deals; if your discount isn’t shocking, your consumers will find a shocking discount elsewhere. Get creative with your marketing strategy this week and you’ll be on the road to a successful season.
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