So how can you maximise content for Black Friday Sales? (Especially if you are just thinking about it now only 8 days before the big event!
Firstly, what is Black Friday? well, it's big post Thanksgiving sales period which carries on over the whole weekend now and into Monday (Cyber Monday) - Think of it kinda like the boxing day sales yet more extreme!
But Black Friday is now big all over the world (still not quite as extreme in the UK as it is in the USA) and an amazing opportunity to sell off old stock and free up some cash flow which can be heavily discounted especially to those looking for a bargain pre Christmas.
This next week is the perfect opportunity to SELL on social media. Where all year you're building up connections, trust and using the gentle we are here if you need us approach this week is your chance to flip that on its head and tell people to come and buy your discounted items! After-all that's what Black Friday shoppers are after. So take the next few days to get prepped and start putting together your Black Friday Content ideas to boost sales in your online store.
Let's quickly look at the facts, Did you know that 61% of shoppers will start the search for deals in the days leading to Black Friday and Cyber Monday? So this means you need to get your deals up now.
The top opportunity lies within your own community or social media following. Start to make creatives that give these people the discount first before the black Friday sale begins, give a slightly better deal and a discount code to those on your mail list or in your community and to customers. This will show your customers that for their loyalty they get rewarded the most. Create some graphics in Canva and build a mini campaign around your Sale.
The Gift Guide:
One piece of content that can really work for you is making a Christmas gift guide, this content not only works because people are buying in the BF deals for discounted Christmas gifts. Think: Gifts Under £25 for Girls This Christmas, Gifts Under £25 for Women This Christmas, you get the idea? For B2B you could create the ultimate Christmas gift guide for Managers, for co-workers, for accountants and so on. Include your own products in the list as well as from other, if you only have a few like us. Or if you have a lot of products you can make multiple gift guides easily with all your own products. These are shareable and searchable, showcaseable (I know not a word but rolling with it anyway) - You can include a pop up box with a BlackFriday code that people can use when they land on the blog to encourage them to buy. Or you can put the Sale price and call each post the ultimate Black Friday Sale Gift Buying Guide. Don't forget to include some tips and valuable information and not just a list of things to buy.
Release a new deal every hour on Black Friday:
Build up to this over the next few days by emailing your customer list and sharing on social media, explain that on Black Friday you'll be releasing a new deal on the hour every hour with a discount code! This is a great way to increase excitement among your followers and customers alike. Of course, they'll be a lot of noise during BF weekend and on Monday, so you really need to create some great graphics or video content to get the word out, possibly put aside some budget for facebook advertising to boost your message further.
Secret Stories:
It's no secret that Instagram is now one of the best ways to discover new products and new brands! So why not get creative with your black Friday deals by creating a series of stories. Hidden behind each story is a product (use the colour in tool to just cover enough to give a little clue about what is underneath) add the price, people guess and DM what they think the product is and you give them to code for a massive discount if they get it right, what a way to create some engagement and buzz around your products. Don't forget to tag people in your stories as they get the answers right, this way they'll also share and you'll get more eyeballs on your sale! Don't forget to create a story Highlight called BlackFriday or The BF Game! So it's there for the whole period for people to play. You can promote this on your grid and also via asking influential people in your network to share as well.
So there you have it! A few ideas to get you going. But the most important thing? Spend a few hours prepping with a sales goal in mind, and work out what you need to do to hit that target. Look at your insights, traffic and sales afterwards and see what worked and didn't, use this information to help with your strategy next time.
This short article was brought to you by Lucy Hall, Creator of the Social Media Planner.
