2018 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Marketing Survival Guide
Not in retail? It’s not a problem this year. If there’s anything studies show, it’s that people can never be too tired to shop. Black Friday started as post-Thanksgiving shopping chaos before the holidays, but today it has morphed into an actual frenzy shopping period all around the world. For every business, this is an opportunity you can’t miss.
Online shopping on Thanksgiving and Black Friday went up to $7.9 billion in 2017, almost an 18% increase from last year. Graphs that illustrate this data have a very appealing upwards growth tendency, which is a gold mine for marketers. We’re here to help you figure out how you can take advantage of this time of the year and boost your business with some of the best tricks based on the things we learned from last year.
2017 Black Friday and Cyber Monday stats:
We kick off our marketing plan of attack for Black Friday and Cyber Monday with some very appealing stats from last year, and some very surprising data that shows everyone where they should be aiming and whom they should be targeting in 2019.
– Federation predicted 164 million American shoppers participating in the online shopping frenzy, but the number was actually 174 million
– Internet sales on Cyber Monday last year went up to $6.59 billion
– Thanksgiving shopping revenue was $2.87 billion, while Black Friday revenue was $5.03 billion (unexpected turn of events)
– Amazon took 55% of all online orders
– Fun fact: millennials are the main online spenders (between the age of 24 and 35). The average amount spent per person is $419.52
– The previous fun fact was possible because of a mobile outlet
– Needless to say, mobile overtook desktop sales
What the stats really mean:
In 2018, every business should ask themselves what’s the right target market for their products and services. Does it make sense to target millennials that spent heavily during this period? You also have to take into consideration that perhaps a mobile-based campaign is a better investment of your time and resources.
There’s no such thing as launching a campaign too early. Preparing early is simply a must in today’s world. Executing an effective marketing strategy for Black Friday and even Cyber Monday can be pivotal for every business. We can learn from the past, extract the essence of market tendencies and really start planning for Black Friday and Cyber Monday with an updated strategy. Here are some ideas:
3 basics for a successful Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaign
Insights, analytics (and some data): Study the past. How can analytics from last year be insightful to you? See what worked, what didn’t, and what you can improve on this year. Set goals and put a system in place to execute your strategy this month.
Trendy marketing stuff: What’s going on around the world? What are some offers that are working and aren’t? What are the current trends and effective strategies? You have to be aware of the market tendencies and try something new and different. You’ll find more tips on this topic in the next part of this article.
Preparation for an inflow of clients: One of the biggest mistakes you can commit is underestimating how much traffic your website will receive in this period. Having a website that crashes certainly won’t benefit the business, so you’ve got to prepare for this before the campaigns.
Preparing your website for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
So you’re not in retail. This means your website is going to take all the heat. We don’t mean to make you paranoid, but you’ve got to cover the basics to prepare for the potential madness on Black Friday and Cyber Monday (and even some time after that).
Early bird alerts
People are on the lookout as early as October. Let your customers and followers know what’s coming, without giving away too much, that you’re going to be doing something big. It goes without saying that the price points for products and services have to be significantly more attractive than your current offers because let’s face it – it’s Black Friday. Customers expect you to go all out.
Check the site speed
This is something so basic, that it can be easily overlooked. You have to make sure your website can handle the capacity on the day before and even days after Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Server load capacity
If you have any downtime, you’re losing a very significant number of customers. Test your server load capacity with online tools, no matter how big or small your campaign is.
Backup everything
You have to be prepared for anything. Codes, offers, copy, images – you can never be too careful. All these tips are just precautions that are good to keep in mind just in case something goes wrong. It’s also true that you can never be too prepared.
12 Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing ideas
We’re looking for something different, something you can do this year that hasn’t been done before. Here are some of the best ideas from around the web:
1. Start before everyone else
The peak of online shopping actually happens between November 22 and December 4th. It’s a good idea to really stay ahead of the game and hint at your offers way beforehand. People shopping for Thanksgiving are also thinking about Christmas and take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday for that reason. Consider being an early bird yourself to tap into the demand for goods and services at this time.
2. Create hype
Creating hype is all about starting early. You know better than we do what you can offer that will be irresistible in your customers’ eyes. Focus on how you can prepare ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday with not just emails but reminders and pop ups about what’s coming soon. A timer is another good idea. Reach out to Facebook fans or people that bought form you previously to get the loyal customers excited in the first place. Which brings us to the next point.
3. Leveraging FOMO
Fear of missing out (FOMO) is no joke, especially on Black Friday. FOMO is the essence of this day and you can add some fuel to the fire. FOMO is the reason people check websites they usually don’t, upgrade technology when they don’t really new items and buy things they wouldn’t consider at full price. It’s about clever copy, but also a few tricks we’ll be talking about later on. Objective: inspire people to make impulsive purchases by tapping into FOMO.
4. Build on existing subscribers list
Yes, hypothetically you should be working towards this all year round, but it’s especially useful and true for the holiday season and the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. It’s the time when you can really take advantage and acquire new customers because if they buy once, chances are they’ll be back. Increase the urgency of your campaign but also change the copy of signup forms to highlight your offers this Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
5. Have a retargeting strategy in place
Every business should consider how they can reward loyal customers, but just as much thought should go behind offering perks to new ones. Not everyone is going to buy something exactly on Black Friday or Cyber Monday so have a retargeting strategy in place to follow up with visitors that don’t buy anything on those days.
6. Put together gift guides
This strategy is a classic for holiday shopping. Imagine if a new customer lands on your page and finds a guide that can help them buy gifts in bulk? Find a way to categorize your products according to potential demand and segments of clients. There should be something for everyone in your guide.
7. DIY your campaigns if you have to
Aesthetically speaking, it’s important to tailor your visuals to attract clients on social media, emails and your website. Crello is a great tool to help you create visuals based on already professionally designed templates. Simply customize them to fit your offers and use them for campaigns and social media if you’re pressed for time. Here is some inspiration.
5. Tune in with the analytics
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are a chance to gather new insights and study your market to make adjustments for the next year. Find out what went right and wrong using Google Analytics but also see how your regular traffic differentiates with the holidays one. These insights are important to perfect your strategy.
6. Email marketing blast
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are really the time to double down on email marketing. If you want to increase sales, invest your time and efforts into email marketing. This seems like an obvious tip but some businesses miss out on opportunities if they don’t work on building up a subscribers list which results in a loss of sales when you have no one to contact via email during this season.
7. Possibly a new landing page
If you’re reading this and are part of the early bird crowd that’s already ahead with your campaigns in motion, consider having a seperate landing page for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. A new landing page can give you the opportunity to gather more detailed insights into customer behavior during this crucial period in marketing.
8. Personalization is key this year
Personalization is going to be key in marketing next year. The ball is already in motion with small businesses striving for a one-on-one kind of communication with their clients. If you have the time, personalize offers for segments of clients or use the data you have to find ways to personalize offers for different clients.
9. Extending sales period (because you can)
As previously mentioned, sales period can start way before and end well after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Simply stating that sales are extended might lure new clients that receive emails and feel like they can still take advantage of discounts and offers.
10. Freebies on Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
If you have high margins, you can probably afford to give away something for free for orders over a certain sum. This is a great way to add incentive to shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday especially for those making big purchases. It’s a fun reward, and also a way to spread the word about your exclusive deals.
11. Printable gift certificates
Here’s a chance to get creative. This holiday season, you can encourage customers and visitors to buy gift cards that they can print for friends and family that can also shop online at your store with their discount codes. This works well if you’ve managed to acquire a customer that wants to share your products and services with other people they know that would enjoy them.
12. Copywriter tricks on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
The key for this shopping frenzy is to be brief. Be benefit-oriented with your copy. Instead of saying things like ‘Shop now’, say ‘You deserve this’. Personalize and appeal to individual clients. Keep it short and original but more importantly focus on using words to appeal to just one person instead of a crowd. Personalized messages appeal much more to new and prospective clients.
Photo collection for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Of course it goes without saying that every campaign has to have impeccable images. Aside from featuring your product, there’s campaigns that could use a little boost with the right thematic images. See our collection this year to help out with your Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing
Summing up your plan of attack
What marketers have learned, is that you really have to pay attention to market tendencies. We not only have to analyze our data to see what worked and what didn’t, but figure out what worked for businesses the previous year, to adjust and perfect strategies for the coming one. Be extra prepared this Black Friday and Cyber Monday with our tips and advice from professionals in e-commerce.
