Black Friday is right around the corner and shoppers are already gearing up for the larger-than-life sales.
Of course, this year will look a little different due to the pandemic. Although malls have already reopened, most brands will likely hold their sales online to provide customers with a safer shopping experience.
And now that this American tradition has become a worldwide phenomenon, customers overseas are looking to get in on the shopping action as well and will be paying close attention to any online stores that offer international shipping.
As a result, eCommerce brands will need to consider how to best advertise their sales online, as well as the technical difficulty of reaching a wider audience.
In this guide, we’ll share some tips for planning your Black Friday social media campaigns.
Let’s go!
Get Your Social Media Profiles Ready
Prepare your social media pages now. Prioritize platforms that make the most impact on your business. eMarketer reports say Facebook drives the highest referrals to eCommerce sites, but Pinterest and Instagram also provide high conversion rates because buyers are easily influenced on these platforms. For eCommerce shops that want to reach younger audiences, consider experimenting with short TikTok videos.
If you’re new to these channels, work on your social media posting strategy to increase your followers. Then as the Black Friday sale approaches, get ready to post some teasers of in-demand products. Update your profile branding, such as your profile picture and cover photo, to create even more awareness and excitement. Create interactive content like polls to directly engage with your audience.
Leverage Instagram Shops
Instagram users tend to discover new products on the Search & Explore section or on influencer pages. Therefore, it’s a great idea to tap into the power of the newly launched feature, Instagram Shops. At the height of the pandemic, Instagram released this feature to allow businesses to continue their businesses online without added costs.
The shopping feature now makes purchasing products online easier since users no longer must leave the platform. They can browse product catalogs or check curated items in your collection. Sellers can even make a post and then link the relevant product through a tag!
Creating a shop is simple but it can take a few days for review and approval – so don’t wait until the last minute to get your shop going.
Utilize #Hashtags
This may be a tip that you’ve heard many times, but it can’t be overlooked. Hashtags are simple yet effective at drawing impressions, especially on a day like Black Friday when people are actively searching for deals on social media.
This sale season, you should include #BlackFriday #CyberMonday and #CyberWeekend hashtags on your posts and stories. Add these on top of your branded hashtags and offers like #FreeShipping or #BOGODeals.
Extend Your Promos To Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday is a more recent tradition that sees major online sales the Monday after Black Friday. It’s worth extending your sales until Monday, or even adding new offers, as people will still be looking for deals online.
Since the event is online-only, you can pump up your weekend social media posts with reminders of the amazing discounts they can still get on Monday.
Get FOMO Activated
Use Instagram and Facebook Stories to create a sense of urgency. Stories are effective at building a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) because they expire, so people are quick to check stories before they’re gone forever.
While running your regular social media posts, insert ‘product sneak peeks’ and ‘sale countdowns’ on your social media. This will keep your customers on their toes. You want to make them add the items on their cart and check out once the sale is on.
Let your customers know that the offers are available for only a limited time or while the supplies last. Build up the excitement and slowly reveal the deals as Black Friday nears its start. Support these FOMO campaigns with email marketing, and you’re sure to have customers ready to check out.
Got Freebies? Let Your Followers Know!
Everyone loves free stuff, so make it part of your social media strategy! Let your followers know you’re giving out gifts as part of your holiday sale. This might be that one push they needed to become customers from just mere followers.
You can also reverse this strategy by asking people to follow you so they can receive their free gift. By the end of the sale, you have reached your target sales quota and increased your followers!
Put Free Shipping On The Table
Discounts are a standard on Black Friday. Offering an extra deal will make it more exciting. Plus, customers are actually expecting free shipping offers at this time, since they’re shopping for more items than usual.
In many cases, a free shipping offer may also be a deciding factor for customers deciding between two similar offers. Just be sure your logistics are ready for this. You wouldn’t want to ruin a great marketing promo with failed deliveries.
Leave A Holiday Treat
Black Friday only marks the beginning of the holiday season, so give your customers a reason to shop again. With more customers, both returning and new, you can nurture loyalty by offering a promo exclusive to Black Holiday shoppers (or even new social media followers).
How? It’s simple. You can launch the campaign at least a week after the Black Friday sale. In your social media post, let them know you’re offering more discounts or adding more gifts to people interested or maybe for people who missed out on the previous sale. All they need is to know the promo code.
This is where it gets interesting. If they truly are curious, they would have to leave a comment with a keyword, such as “PROMO” or “HOLIDAY,” and get an automated private message.
With the modern technology available, setting up these automatic replies is easy. At the same time, you’ll enjoy stellar results including better engagement rates and increased ROI.
Crush Your Black Friday Social Media Campaigns!
Need an extra boost to ace your Black Friday social media campaigns? First Media may be exactly what you need. We’ve helped brands receive the exposure they needed through compelling social content and wide audience distribution. Explore what our expansive network of engaged audiences can do for you.
