Black Friday Marketing Ideas
The holiday season is in full swing, and we’re getting ready for another exciting shopping season. Black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving) is well-known as the busiest shopping day of the year–at least it has been since 2005. According to Wikipedia, in the early 1980s “retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss for most of the year (January through November) and made their profit during the holiday season, beginning on the day after Thanksgiving. When this was recorded in the financial records, once-common accounting practices would use red ink to show negative amounts and black ink to show positive amounts. Black Friday, under this theory, is the beginning of the period when retailers would no longer be “in the red”, instead of taking in the year’s profits.” So there you have it, a little bit of background into the phrase we all know so well now. With that, let’s talk through some marketing ideas to get your small business off to a running start this shopping season.
Black Friday sales are a great way to raise awareness of your brand, be it online or in a physical location, since more folks will have the chance to learn about your business. For that reason it’s also a perfect method to attract brand-new customers (who will hopefully become repeat shoppers). Of course a Black Friday deal will increase your sales numbers, but it can also be a way for you to clear out excess inventory prior to the start of a new year.
Start it Early
Everyone anticipates a Black Friday sale, but what if your sale extended to the entire week? Black Friday sales that “start early” are a hit because they entice customers to get a head start on shopping. Plus, there’s less competition with the businesses that are only running their sales on Friday–making your business top-of-mind.
Take it to the Weekend
If starting your Black Friday sales early isn’t feasible, there’s also the idea of a Black Friday Weekend that extends into Cyber Monday. Having a weekend sale will cater to those customers who are less able to shop during the week (perhaps because they are working, or getting ready for the big meal on Thanksgiving day).
Get Going with Social Media
We all know the importance of a great social media strategy, and these platforms are even more important come holiday shopping season. One of the quickest, cheapest ways to get visibility for your promotion is to post about it on all your social channels. And we’re not just talking once: be sure you’re regularly touting your Black Friday sales leading up to the big day.
Add Fun with Flash Sales
Flash sales are when a company offers great deals on their product(s) for a really short period of time–they’re “gone in a flash,” essentially. According to popupsmart.com, “56% of businesses receive higher click-to-open rates from flash sales emails compared to their yearly rate.” The site also notes that the shorter the sale, the better the results. Sounds like urgency really does create need!
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