If you’re a small business owner, there are essential days you can’t afford to disregard, and Black Friday is one of them. This event has become a huge money-maker for brands, so it’s not an understatement to say you should participate. However, before you start preparing for this unofficial holiday, you should have some Black Friday marketing ideas up your sleeve to ensure you attract customers to your small business. Otherwise, your promotions may get lost in the sea of deals that other brands are offering.
What is Black Friday?
Before this article dives into the good stuff, it’s important to start with the basics. What exactly is Black Friday? Simply put, this day is imperative in the retail industry and falls on the date after Thanksgiving. It can contribute 20% or more of annual sales, primarily because many people spend the day hunting for discounts to jumpstart their holiday shopping.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) suggests that in 2021, around 179.8 million unique shoppers made online and in-store purchases during Thanksgiving weekend, surpassing the NRF’s predictions by more than 21 million. Research also indicates that in 2021, shoppers spent $301.27, on average, from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday.
With so many shoppers willing to spend hundreds of dollars, your small business can do exceedingly well on Black Friday. On this day alone, you can:
- Attract new customers
- Build loyal customers
- Increase brand awareness
- Sell out of your inventory
- Generate sales
- Kickstart positive word-of-mouth marketing
Experiencing these benefits is a great way to end the year and enter the new year on a high note. But success hinges on whether you implement the right marketing campaigns.
The Top Black Friday Marketing Ideas
Now, it’s time to discuss the good stuff. If you want to see as much success as possible on Black Friday, there are ten marketing ideas you should consider to stand out from the crowd.
1. Use social media to advertise your promotions
One of the best ways to increase awareness of your Black Friday deals is with social media. There are more than 4 billion social media users worldwide, which is 59% of the total global population. That means you have a large pool of people at your disposal.
With engaging advertisements, you can get your promotions in front of shoppers and entice them to act. Just make sure your ads speak specifically to your target audience. Don’t try to appeal to everyone on social media. For your content to perform well, you must create social media ad copy and designs that address your specific audience and move them to action.
2. Utilize email marketing
Every Black Friday marketing strategy should include email marketing. According to eMarketer, this platform can provide significant benefits, with the ROI reaching 122%. That’s four times higher than any other digital marketing strategy, so if you want to increase sales on Black Friday, you should implement an email marketing campaign to promote your deals.
3. Give people a sneak peek
You don’t have to launch all your Black Friday marketing ideas in one day. In fact, you might benefit from jumpstarting your campaign earlier by giving people a taste of what to expect on Black Friday.
For example, maybe a week before Black Friday, you can show a few best-selling products that’ll be on sale or post a teaser video highlighting one of your product’s capabilities. Whatever you decide, you can give your audience a sneak peek with an email blast, newsletter, YouTube video, social media post, pop-ups on your website, flyers, podcast or radio commercials, or search and display ads.
4. Share a discount code with VIP customers
Do you have some loyal customers? If so, show them your appreciation by offering them a discount code via email. You can provide it a few days before Black Friday or the day of the event. Either option works. The most important thing is that your VIP customers feel like they’re getting the royal treatment by receiving a special discount code. When customers feel appreciated, they’ll be that much more likely to buy from you on Black Friday.
5. Provide an incentive to purchase
Incentives are always a great way to attract customers, especially when that incentive is a gift. If you want a full-proof Black Friday marketing idea, tell potential customers they can receive a gift with their purchase. To get customers to buy more than one thing, offer the free gift when their purchase hits a specific dollar amount. When people know freebies are available, they’ll be more willing to buy multiple products if necessary.
6. Create mobile-optimized offers
If there’s one thing you take away from this article, it’s this: you must optimize your Black Friday deals for mobile. The Pew Research Center suggests that 85% of Americans own a smartphone. Studies also indicate that in 2021, around one-third of U.S. internet users made a purchase each week using their mobile devices.
With smartphones becoming a critical part of people’s shopping experience, you can’t afford not to have mobile-optimized Black Friday deals. Everything from your landing pages to product pages for Black Friday should function and look great for mobile.
7. Promote referral codes
Referral marketing never gets. It’s a great way to attract new customers on Black Friday and reward loyal customers. All you have to do is create referral codes and send them to your email subscribers. In your email copy, tell everyone you’ll give bigger discounts or gift cards if someone uses their referral code on Black Friday.
8. Partner with Influencers
Influencer marketing is incredibly powerful if you have an online store, but it can also benefit small businesses that simply want to increase their online presence. Influencers have become a significant part of marketing strategies, with the overall market reaching $13.8 billion in 2021.
During the holiday season, you can use influencer marketing to promote products and deals to attract new customers. With a good influencer posting engaging short videos on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube, you can generate more website traffic and sales than previously imagined.
9. Build a sense of urgency
When it comes to getting people to buy, you must create a sense of urgency. This tip is copywriting 101. If you want people to make purchases, nothing entices them more than creating a reason to act fast. You can do this by setting a time limit on specific deals and telling people there’s a scarce amount of something available. When people see there’s a reason to move quickly, it’ll capture their attention and convince them to check out your Black Friday promotions.
10. Have a different promo every hour
Want to do something fun and unique for Black Friday? Then, this marketing idea is one you should definitely consider, especially if your small business has an established following. Offering a different promotion every hour will keep things exciting and fast-paced and give customers a reason to keep visiting your website to see what Black Friday deals are happening. You may also find customers buying products in the morning, evening, and night if they see different products on sale every hour.
Make Black Friday a Success
With so many people eager to shop on Black Friday, your business has the opportunity to increase sales, generate new customers, and solidify existing relationships. All you have to do is nail your Black Friday marketing campaign. With the right strategy, you can experience the success you seek.