With Black Friday and Cyber Monday right around the corner, you may wonder if your small eCommerce business should get involved in Black Friday Marketing. After all, these are two of the biggest shopping days of the year!
The short answer is: YES – your small business should absolutely participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But before you jump into any strategy or big Black Friday marketing campaign, there are a few things you need to know.
What’s the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Black Friday started back in 1952 and is on the last Friday of November. Traditionally, Bricks and Mortar Businesses would offer huge in-store discounts and deals, making it the busiest and most profitable shopping day of the year.
Cyber Monday was established in 2005 and occurs on the Monday after the US Thanksgiving holiday and Black Friday. It was created as a way for smaller retail businesses to compete with larger places, just all online. Cyber Monday is a day for e-commerce shops and service-based companies to offer discounts and deals.
Due to the pandemic and shift in how people shop and purchase, Black Friday has now extended to the digital world. Rather than being two separate shopping days, they merge into what we now call Cyber Weekend.
What You Need to Know About Black Friday Marketing For A Successful Campaign
Here’s what you need to know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing and how your small business can make the most of these big shopping days!
1.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday Marketing is all about strategy.
The key to a successful Black Friday marketing campaign is strategy. You need to plan ahead and figure out what discounts or deals you’re going to offer, how you will promote your sales, and what kind of marketing campaigns you will run.
Start planning your Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing strategy at least a month (or more) in advance, so you have plenty of time to prepare. And make sure you involve your whole team in the planning process!
Be sure to analyze what worked last year (if you participated) and what didn’t work. This will help form a Black Friday marketing strategy for this year’s promotion.
2.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday email marketing for a successful campaign!
Black Friday Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience and promote your sale. Plus, it’s relatively easy and inexpensive to get started. All you need is an email marketing service provider, like Mailchimp or Klaviyo, and an exciting offer to get people to subscribe to your list!
If you don’t have an email list yet, the perfect time to start building one is now! You can offer a discount or free shipping on orders over a certain amount to encourage people to sign up. Just make sure your sign-up form is visible on your website and easy to find.
Once you have your email list set up, start creating your Black Friday and Cyber Monday email marketing campaigns. These can be anything from a simple announcement of your sale to a more complex marketing campaign with several emails leading up to the big day.
What types of emails does your eCommerce business need to send?
There are several types of email campaigns you can run to promote your Black Friday or Cyber Monday sale.
1. Teaser Emails
These are emails sent a few days before your sale starts and give recipients a sneak peek of what’s to come. This is a great way to generate excitement and get people excited about your Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.
2. Announcement Emails
These are emails sent to announce your Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers and give recipients all the details they need to know, like dates, times, and discounts.
3. Reminder Emails
These are emails sent on the day or days of your Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale as a reminder to people who haven’t taken advantage of your offer yet.
4. Follow Up Emails
These are emails sent after your Black Friday, and Cyber Monday sale is over to thank customers for their business and give them a coupon or discount for their next purchase. No matter what type of Black Friday email marketing campaign you decide to run, make sure your subject lines are clear and concise, your emails are mobile-friendly, and your call-to-action is solid and compelling.
3.
Ensure your eCommerce website is ready for the traffic surge
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the busiest shopping days of the year, which means your eCommerce website will see a lot of traffic. Make sure your site can handle the influx of visitors by testing it in advance and doing any necessary upgrades or updates.
It would also be best if you have a plan to deal with any website issues that may pop up on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Have a team (such as the amazing team at eMrktg) ready to troubleshoot any problems so you can keep your site up and running smoothly all weekend long.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest shopping days of the year and kick off the start of the Christmas Shopping Period. By using the Black Friday and Cyber Monday email marketing tips above and participating in this massive sale, you will grow an engaged list and audience who WANT to buy from you come Christmas time. So, yes, you really should participate!