Black Friday Marketing Do's and Don'ts: A Comprehensive Guide
The holiday season is just around the corner, and for marketers, that means it's time to gear up for one of the biggest shopping events of the year: Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM). To help you make the most of this high-stakes period, we've compiled a list of essential do's and don'ts. Whether you're a seasoned Black Friday pro or new to the game, these strategies will help you navigate the holiday sales frenzy.
DO:
Start Early and Build Your Audience: It's never too soon to start preparing for BFCM. Begin building your audience early, as costs per thousand impressions (CPMs) and leads tend to be more affordable in the months leading up to the holiday season. Consider launching traffic campaigns, prospecting conversion campaigns, and lead generation campaigns as early as September. These engaged audiences can later be retargeted more efficiently when the competitive sales period arrives.
Analyze Past Creative Success: Look back at your creative assets' performance during previous holiday seasons. What types of media have performed best? What content themes resonated most with your audience? Leverage the data from past successes to create your Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads.
Stay Current with Creative Trends: Keep your creative assets aligned with recent trends. For instance, user-generated content (UGC) ads have proven to be highly effective, with users being 4-6 times more likely to make a purchase after seeing one. Incorporate these trends into your holiday marketing strategy.
Allocate a Significant November Budget: Ensure you allocate a substantial portion of your November paid media budget specifically for BFCM. In some cases, successful brands have allocated up to 40% of their monthly budget to this five-day shopping extravaganza.
Use Retargeting: Implement retargeting campaigns to re-engage potential customers who have visited your website but didn't make a purchase.
DON'T:
Rely on Evergreen Creative Assets: Don't assume that your year-round creative assets will suffice for holiday sales. Your BFCM creative should clearly emphasize the promotion, feature holiday-themed elements, and create a sense of urgency.
Run On-Day Ads: Avoid running ads on the same day you intend for them to go live. Platforms like Google and Meta can take up to 12+ hours to approve and deliver ads. Instead, create assets in advance and use copy like "different deals every day!" to maintain flexibility throughout the promotional period.
Introduce New Products: While it may be tempting to launch new products during BFCM, users are typically looking for value in products they already know and love. Focus your promotions on existing products to maximize sales.
Complicate Promotions: Simplify the customer's purchase journey by avoiding complex coupon codes or convoluted promotions. Keep it easy-to-understand to reduce friction during the checkout process.
Rely Solely on Discounts: While discounts are essential, don't forget about other value propositions like free shipping, extended warranties, or loyalty program perks.
Incorporating these do's and don'ts into your Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing strategy can make a significant difference in your campaign's success. By starting early, analyzing past performance, and staying up-to-date with creative trends, you'll be well-prepared to capitalize on this lucrative holiday shopping season.