The busiest shopping day of the year is fast approaching. According to the Shopify website, merchants there too took in over 1.5 billion dollars for the same period last year. And this years’ sales are expected to exceed those numbers.
More and more shoppers are choosing to skip Black Friday’s notoriously long lines at brick-and-mortar stores in favour of online shopping.
And that spells a potential increase in revenue for almost any eCommerce business. And since Black Friday has been set aside as a major event for online retailers, naturally, competition is always fierce.
But don’t let the intensity of the competition scare you away.
Armed with a solid Black Friday marketing plan, you, too, can join the premier eCommerce brands and watch your sales explode.
Remember, your Black Friday marketing strategy should begin long before Black Friday arrives. Fortunately, we have developed a plan called, “The Seven Brilliant Marketing Strategies,” and we’d like nothing better than to share it with you so that you can prepare yourself and win big this Black Friday.
Here’s how to get started:
(1) Experiment with timing: The thing that usually trips up most online store operators when it comes to their Black Friday strategies is that they allow themselves to become complacent. Now, there’s nothing wrong with holding on to a model that is working and consistent, but Black Friday is a different animal.
For example, many shoppers are rendered numb by the sheer deluge of ads that, over time, it is hard to differentiate one from the other.
So, how early, or late, should I start running ads? Well, I would go with an early start, but that decision is ultimately up to you.
Should I go big, or small? Everybody is doing Black Friday, it seems: Fortunately, there are some innovative ways to intercept potential customers before they are lured away by the eCommerce giants of Black Friday.
The typical Black Friday emails are made up of a brief statement and a CTA. however, you can be smart and use the rest of the email to broaden its scope by providing additional information about the products you sell. This way your customers will have a better idea of what they want before they click on the CTA.
This is an excellent way to hook potential customers who are undecided about what they want.
It is no secret that most Black Friday shoppers are on the lookout for bargains. Therefore, you can expect them to be focused more on products that fit their budget, rather than name-brand or limited edition items.
Last-minute bargains: it is relatively easy to catch the early-birds and realise an increase in sales that way, but catching latecomers is another matter.
And since most shoppers associate the words “Black Friday” with great deals, you can still catch the latecomers with special offers that imply they’re too good to miss!
In effect, you will be resurrecting Black Friday all over again. For example, you can run a “limited time” sale offering 30% off all products and bill it as Black Friday in a such-and-such month.
So, if you’re reading this article outside of the normal Black Friday season, and you want to stand out from the crowd, then you take advantage of what you’ve learned by running a Black Friday event right now. Talk about an attention-grabbing ad!
Make your sales eye-catching
Just because your store doesn’t have the best deals, not the fastest delivery system, doesn’t mean you can’t claim that you do. Believe me, you won’t be the only one.
Retailers are already engaged in a fierce battle for potential customers, that tension is ramped-up a notch on Black Friday.
And yet, the heated atmosphere provides you with a great opportunity for you to make your eCommerce site stand out from the rest on Black Friday.
Use the element of surprise
Everyone loves surprises, but did you know the surprises could be a powerful marketing tool when used the right way.
Almost every other online retailer tend to kill the element of surprise by including info in the subject line, like discounts, that they could’ve used as their Black Friday surprise. However, there are a few who have mastered this technique.
They are the ones whose emails stand out, even in cluttered inboxes, and get read even on a day like Black Friday.
Admittedly, consumers have grown coyer, and have learned over the years to be on the lookout for those inevitable discounts following Black Friday. So, if everybody else is doing it, what makes you unique?
Make your subject line stand out
Black Friday should not be viewed as a discounting war, but a battle for attention-getting. So if you want to be victorious in this war, the first order of business is to get your emails noticed in crowded inboxes. And that entails composing well-written, attention-getting email subject lines. On Black Friday the typical inbox is inundated with similarly-looking eCommerce emails. That is why smart online retailers choose to play the game by a different set of rules.
Thus far we have discussed ways to promote your products on Black Friday. But what if there was no Black Friday? Imagine seeing that subject line staring them in the face the moment they open their inbox. This is a brilliant strategy whether you’re running a Black Friday sale or not. You just know they won’t be able to resist opening this email.
Redefining Black Friday
Almost every retailer uses the same strategy for attacking Black Friday: Discount the products, send out tons of emails, then sit back and wait for the results.
But, why not try something a little more novel, like subtly letting them know you donate part of the proceeds you make from the product to fund a project that is working to clean up the oceans? You have created an emotional attachment. Thenceforth, they will view their purchases as contributing to a good cause.
Make your next campaign too tantalising to resist
The buildup to Black Friday begins way before it gets here, and neither does it ends with Friday either. So if you want to continue making money while customers are in the spending mood, entice them with a bold subject line announcing the beginning of your After Black Friday Sale.
You might also want to consider including reminders that Cyber Monday is right around the corner, and Christmas is not too far off. You might want to consider introducing any holiday using the same strategy. Be careful not to overdo it, though. You could run the risk of losing credibility.
Conclusion
Whether it’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or Christmas that you have your sights on, you now have an arsenal of tools that will show you how to stand out from the competition and make you a winner.
Remember, make your Black Friday emails enticing without giving away too much. You don’t want to drive your prospects into a frenzy like some other online sellers.
Give these secret, win-win strategies a try this Black Friday and you’ll see the difference immediately.