Whether you have a brick-and-mortar or online store, there’s no doubt you will want to be ready for Black Friday (11/24), Small Business Saturday (11/25) and Cyber Monday (11/27)-the biggest sales days in the United States. Last year, Black Friday online sales hit a record $9.12 billion and sales continued to impress on Small Business Saturday with an estimated $17.9 billion.
Taking advantage of these once-a-year sales opportunities means it’s time to create a plan to set your business up for success.
Here are five marketing ideas to make the most of the Holiday sales season.
Send emails with exclusive subscriber deals
Email marketing is a prime way to drive holiday sales interest, with 80% of small retailers using it as a primary acquisition and customer-retention tool. This year launch a Holiday email campaign and offer your email subscribers a special deal for being part of your email list. Build your list at least a month in advance by including a form on your website with a discount incentive for customers to submit their emails. After you’ve built a list, send a weekly email that informs customers about your product and teases exclusive deals available via email. The week of Black Friday and Small Business Saturday reveal the deal or coupon code with shopping links back to your site.
Create strategic social media posts
Seventy-seven percent of small businesses already use social media to connect with customers and these channels can be a powerful tool to drive holiday sales. Create one or several posts promoting Black Friday or Cyber Monday specials and use photo carousels to showcase top products. Your posts should emphasize urgency and make potential buyers feel like they don’t want to miss out on the big sale. Post each week to create anticipation and encourage customers to mark their calendars for the big event. Additionally, use relevant hashtags for the channel so your content reaches the right people. If you find you’re not getting significant reach or impressions on your organic posts or want to draw in new customers on a larger scale, it may be time to create a social media ad campaign.
Partner with an Instagram or TikTok influencer
Influencer marketing has proven a worthwhile marketing tactic, with brands on average earning $5.78 for every dollar spent. Instagram and TikTok are the social media channels where influencer marketing has proven to have the highest return on investment, especially with Gen Z and Millennial customers. When partnering with an influencer be sure to choose one that aligns with your brand and whose followers fit your customer profile. The influencer can review your products and promote your Holiday promotions.
Hold a Flash Sale
Flash sales offer substantial discounts for a limited time. They’re popular and very effective for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. The goal is to give a steep discount that leads customers to impulse buy, increase short-term sales, or to sell overstock. The timeline for a flash sale is much shorter than a normal sale and usually involves a more limited selection of items. Choose attention-grabbing products for your flash sale, select the duration of time you want to hold it for, and then promote it on social media and via a subscriber email.
Share a gift guide
Customers often take advantage of Black Friday and Small Business Saturday deals to start their holiday shopping, since it’s less than a month until Christmas. Appeal to gift-givers by creating a holiday gift guide that helps to take some of the work out of shopping. An effective gift guide curates products for certain occasions, people or interests, for example, a gift guide for “him” or “her.” Your gift guide should be separated based on different attributes, audiences and prices. Gift guides can improve the buying experience and help ease customer anxiety over the many options available.
Having a small business can be a dream come true and making the most of marketing efforts this season helps keep that dream a reality. A business insurance policy is crucial to protect your dream. To learn more about how FBICI can protect your business contact your local agent.
Disclaimer: The information included here is designed for informational purposes only. It is not legal, tax, financial or any other sort of advice, nor is it a substitute for such advice. The information may not apply to your specific situation. We have tried to make sure the information is accurate, but it could be outdated or even inaccurate in parts.
Sources
NPR
U.S. Small Business Association
Adoric
Forbes
Influencer Marketing Hub
Active Campaign Clover
