Preparing for Black Friday / Cyber Monday
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have changed for the better. Consumers are finding alternate means of getting their shopping accomplished without having to battle a crowd of maniacs running through the aisles looking for the hottest deals.
Shoppers are now choosing to do their Black Friday shopping from their homes, which means it’s time to start marketing your Black Friday deals online and we have some great tips on what you should focus on to get the most out of Black Friday this year.
The first thing you need to do is decide on your exact promotion(s). Many retailers offer massive discount to drive traffic on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. You need to look at your margins and decide what you can afford.
Don’t feel pressured to offer crazy sales like 50% off. 20-30% can be enough to entice people to buy your products if they normally don’t go on sale.
Protect Yourself and Your Customers
You need to review your policies. Many people will be purchasing from your site as gifts for the holidays. So many online retailers offer an extended return policy that leaks into January. Consider the following policies:
Ship Dates
With the rush, will you still be able to ship items on time?
Returns Policy
Many people will be purchasing items as gifts over Black Friday and Cyber Monday and expect extended return policies as well. Consider extending your return policy into January.
Free Shipping / Shipping Policy
What is your policy for shipping? Will it be the same, will you offer free shipping?
Once you have determined all your policies, you will want to highlight these on your website. Apply them to your standard policy page and consider highlighting them on your homepage.
Five Routes to Market Your Black Friday Promotions
1. Search Engine Optimisation
In such an extremely competitive area, you should really be thinking about SEO for your promotions NOW!
2. Email Marketing
High impact targeted email marketing can generate a substantial ROI% for Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
3. Social Media Marketing
Social networks are a great way of increasing brand awareness and awareness of your promotions.
4. Social Media Advertising and Retargeting
Having the ability to serve individual products offerings to shoppers you know have already shown an interest can provide a significant advantage for your business.
5. Paid Advertising - Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
Your PPC campaign should be created well in advance of Black Friday, ideally once you know the products and associated promotions being pushed.
Conclusion
Stand out from the crowd! Be adventurous with your campaign. There’s tons of businesses out there ramping up their online strategies for Black Friday/Cyber Monday, so what is it about your product or specials that stands out from the rest?
As your strategic digital partner, mtc. are here to assist you with all aspects of your campaign. Be ready before your competition and remember, the early bird gets the Black Friday worm!