The Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend is a wild time, especially if you’re a brand marketer. Each year it brings a new set of hopes, dreams, and challenges. Challenges like:
- How will we reach our customers?
- How do we drive sales through search and social?
- How much should we spend?
Don’t worry; we’re here to help. Read on for expert digital marketing tips that will help your brand break through the noise and bring in those cyber sales.
Sections
1. Plan to spend more than usual
With inflation on the rise and competition higher than ever, brands will be fighting to get their deals out there this year. Retail ad spending saw a huge jump in 2021 over 2020, and this year is expected to be no different. Budget more than you did last year, and plan ahead to avoid any gaps in your campaigns.
Remember: Because Google and Meta use machine learning to optimize your campaigns, even small changes can cause a campaign to pause. Triple-check your campaign’s targeting criteria and budget, and submit everything for approval well ahead of the big weekend.
2. Prep your Google Ad campaigns
Give your Google Ad campaigns some extra holiday sparkle. For search campaigns, use promotion extensions to further highlight your deals. These extensions add an extra line with bold text calling out your sale.
Have your retargeting display campaigns ready to go as well. It’s common for people to browse and shop on several sites during the Black Friday weekend, before returning to finally check out. Ensure they come back to you by reminding them of what they left behind in their cart.
3. Optimize your Instagram shop
When it comes to social media, Instagram still has the biggest sway over consumers’s purchasing decisions. Nearly three-quarters of people say they’ve made a purchase decision based on something they saw on Instagram. The platform has more than double the influence on shopping habits than its next biggest competitor, Facebook.
Make sure your Instagram shop is ready for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday rush by:
- Reviewing your store data to ensure all SKUs, images, pricing, and more are correct
- Driving more traffic with Instagram shopping ads
- Offering Instagram-only deals
- Curating collections to help people shop, highlighting gift ideas and deals
- Tagging your products in posts and Stories throughout the weekend
Get more Instagram marketing tips here.
4. Experiment with livestream shopping
During the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, consumers are bombarded with ads and organic content from brands. You know who stands out among the noise? That’s right: influencers.
Partner with influencers on a livestream shopping campaign. The influencer’s endorsement of their favorite products from your brands builds trust, while the livestream drives urgency – a recipe for BFCM success! Plus, the influencer benefits by giving their audience exclusive access to limited-time deals, available only during the livestream.
The U.S. livestream shopping market is expected to hit $20 billion this year, and skyrocket after that. Get in on the trend early while the competition is still low.
While TikTok has announced the triumphant launch of live shopping in the U.S., they’ve stayed mum on who will be eligible to use it, leading us to believe that it may only be available to big brands at first. Still, keep an ear out in case that changes.
5. Keep shoppers coming back with new deals
With inflation causing people to tighten their wallets, shoppers are more price-conscious than ever. Win them over with saleworthy deals.
Keep shoppers returning to your brand with daily deals, which you can promote via social media and your email newsletter. Pro Tip: Encourage people to sign up for your newsletter for a welcome discount plus access to new deals as soon as they’re ready.
Spread the love by offering deals for different product categories or different gift recipients, or go traditional with percentage-off or dollar-off deals. Get creative by offering free gifts with purchase, or double (or triple) the loyalty points.
Looking for deal inspiration? Check out our list of 8 Black Friday promotion ideas.
Ready to crush BFCM?
Of course you are! Get ready with our free BFCM Advertiser’s Checklist. You’ll get expert tips for boosting sales, managing the mania that is BFCM, and more. Download your copy now.
