Those two words that are not for the weak…Black Friday. It’s almost here! Crowds will swarm stores at the mall and there will be lines out the door. Businesses start preparing their Black Friday Marketing campaigns months in advance. It’s the busiest time of the years for retail stores. Are you ready?
Start your campaign early
Slow and steady wins the race- we mean, wins the sales. Plan early and start early with your marketing campaign. Also, be sure to optimize your website well before your sales season, ensuring that your site is mobile-friendly and loads in a speedy manner.
Developing a sales and marketing strategy with your team should involve effort in all spheres of marketing: print, email, social media, and more.
‘Tis the season to give back
Pairing up with a local charity is a great strategy to both create better sales and better relationships with your community. Businesses may choose to donate a percentage of each sale towards a local organization’s efforts.
Some examples of a local charity or organization would include:
-arts education
-the local community center
-local animal shelter
-elderly facility
Create that social media buzz
Social media is your friend! Start posting about your campaign about 1-2 weeks beforehand, hitting #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday deals. Respond to inquiries through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with a pre-made list of answers to any question- better yet, implement chat bots to help ease off the burden of responding to many questions at once. Social media lets your customers know that their purchase and loyalty is important, while solidifying your brand online.
Give some love to your email subscribers
That subject line is prime real estate. People don’t want to open up your email and be reading for more than 1 minute- keep it short and sweet and include a special discount. Specify your call to action and offer exclusives like a raffle to win a gift card, gift wrapping, or faster shipping options.
Implement a sense of urgency
For online shoppers, a sense of urgency is key to drive up sales during the Thanksgiving weekend. By adding a countdown timer, along with campaign graphics, you push your customers to buy as soon as they can in order to receive their product faster. Align some incentives through your e-commerce site so they’ll be more inclined to purchase from you.