The day is swiftly approaching, along with that terrifying and yet thrilling excitement that it carries with it. It’s Black Friday, and you need to have a strategy in place for your marketing if you want to bring in the sales.
Whether you’re a local brick-and-mortar operation, a strictly e-commerce business or a little bit of both, you can drive traffic and create a friendly atmosphere for your buyers with the right promotional materials. We’ve got the low-down on marketing for this retail holiday, so you can go into Black Friday cool, confident and ready to surpass last year’s revenue!
Brainstorm With Your Team
First things first: the planning stage. Gather together a team and create a strategy for every aspect of your promotions. What discounts will you be offering? Will there be any early bird specials to keep track of? What avenues will you use to spread the word? These are the questions you need to answer before you can begin to create your materials.
Make a calendar that has specifically marked dates of when each promo starts and ends, along with when you need to release the marketing for each sale. Laying all your deadlines out in one place will ensure that you’re on track every step of the way!
Create Shareable Images
Next, you’re ready to start forming the marketing itself. Use Easil templates to create an image that is catchy and shareable, so that it can be either printed or spread via social media and email.
Choose a framework that fits with your branding, but don’t worry if some aspects need to be tweaked – you can adjust any detail that isn’t quite right. Make sure your ads include the type of deals you’re having, along with start and end dates so that your customers are in the know. Then, add your own photos and graphics or use stock photos, and rearrange your text so that it fits perfectly and doesn’t overwhelm your images. Select bold fonts and eye-catching colors so that your ad grabs attention and invites people to share the image with their friends.
Boost your Black Friday Marketing with Social Media
As we mentioned in the last point, one of the best ways to get your promo out there is via social media. Make sure your ads are formatted to be social media friendly (you can adjust this in Easil by selecting the appropriate size format). Then, share across a variety of platforms to get the most exposure. Be sure to invite feedback and comments on your ad, or ask a question that gets people engaged and excited. This is a great way to create buzz and up your views!
Also, don’t forget to use Pinterest – many marketers neglect this platform, but you can really stir up interest by inviting people to pin your products for their shopping lists. This helps your fans to keep your products in mind come the holidays, and brings your brand to the forefront.
Ramp Up Excitement with Giveaways
Want to really get your followers stoked for your upcoming promotions? Offer a giveaway! Prior to Black Friday, create an ad and ask people to like your brand and share your post, and then choose a winner from that pool. Nothing is more enticing than free stuff, so this is an easy way to promote yourself. It also helps you gain followers as people “like” your brand page, ensuring that you have a wide audience with whom to share your subsequent Black Friday promos.
Use Printed Flyers
Do you have an actual physical store in addition to your e-commerce site? Then you don’t want to neglect using printed materials in addition to your digital promos! Postcards or other mailers are still a great way to bring in crowds on Black Friday, especially if you make it an exclusive deal for loyal customers and ask them to bring the card with them to redeem.
You may even want to print up some flyers to hand out as folks enter your store. These can inform your customers of all the deals you have running, so in case you’re short-staffed and don’t have anyone to explain the promos, your buyers aren’t left in the dark. You can print off flyers and mailers directly from Easil, so as soon as you’re finished designing you can order as many prints as you need to be completely stocked for the big day.
Bring on the Banners
Go big or go home on Black Friday! A large, printed banner is the perfect way to let everyone know what the deals are. It’s bold and unmissable, and if you’re surrounded by other shops it’s a great way to stand out from the crowd. Design a banner that fits with your other print or social media marketing, then if you need some additional touches, print some posters for windows or hanging up behind counters.
With these tools in your marketing arsenal, you’ll be ready to take Black Friday by storm and have the best holiday season yet!
