Contractor’s Manual for Marketing for Black Friday and the Holidays

It is almost time for holiday shopping! This huge marketing event starts with Black Friday, which brings you the best sales numbers and the most profit and revenue for your business. In 2021, Americans spent around 9 billion dollars just for online purchases during Blak Friday. The big sale kicks off with Black Friday and can be extended or followed by Cyber Monday, where you can throw bigger sales and discounts. Prepare to make this event a party for your customers and hype up things up for your audience whether you run an e-commerce, a local store, or a major reputable company. It might sound a bit tricky to start your Black Friday campaigns but don’t worry; buckle up because there are many ways to present eye-catching ideas and to beat up your competitors. We are going to give you 12 Black Friday marketing ideas that have already been tested, and they are the keys to your success and superiority in this crowded market.

 

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is the first Friday after Thanksgiving day and is known as the beginning of the holiday shopping season which is November and December. It is the most popular shopping event for customers and many retailers and businesses. In addition to their high profits and sales, as well as gaining new clients, they can also compensate for their losses during this marketing period.

 

When is Black Friday 2022?

Black Friday 2022 will fall on November 25. Many businesses may start their campaigns earlier to attract attention or give customers a sense of relaxation. Another thing they do is that they will raise the discounts as the hours pass so customers may hold on to their shopping cards which might add a few more items to their purchases.

 

What is Cyber Monday?

The name “Cyber Monday” actually refers to online businesses and eCommerce and it is the Monday after the U.S Thanksgiving. Today both in-store and online businesses use Cyber Monday and retailers developed shopping websites to compete for the event and also black Friday and Cyber Monday somehow merged as a whole event to continue the marketing for the 2 days in between. The term “BFCM” is relevant now and every business keeps the sales till the end of the entire market but creating different ideas like limited discounts or spending rewards.

 

When is Cyber Monday 2022?

It is going to be on November 28 and customers definitely want to see it as an extension to Black Friday or maybe want their shopping cards coordinated.

 

A Little History on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Black Friday History

The real history of this marketing event may not sound very appealing because it actually comes from real robbery and chaos. It all started in the 1950s in Philadelphia, United States. The Saturday after Thanksgiving was the big football match between the city’s Army and Navy college teams which attracted many sports enthusiasts and tourists to this city. To the extent that the city became too crowded and the Philadelphia police had to control a large amount of commotion and traffic. Meanwhile, shoplifters took advantage of the chaos and started the robbery. This whole situation created hell for the police and forced them to work extra shifts so they used the term “Black Friday” when such crimes and events took place.

But usually, the common story that is told is that some retailers faced loss during the entire year which they used the term “in the red” for and gained profit during the holiday shopping season and referred to it as “the accounting went into the black”. However, this story is not that accurate and valid because the real deal happened in Philadelphia.

As time went by, business owners tried to change “Black Friday” into something positive like at some point, before the event being common in other states, they tried to change it to “Big Friday ” which was unsuccessful. Eventually, in the 1980s brands and retailers found ways to recreate the name of the event and showcase it as something positive and profitable. Little by little, the dark history of Black Friday was forgotten and the whole story of “red to black” took its place. Now it has turned into this fun worldwide shopping day and later on, became followed by Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.

How did Cyber Monday Happen?

This movement started back in 2005 with a good cause. Basically, the Thanksgiving weekend can kind of turn into a mess. Well, we are mostly talking about the time before e-commerce was relevant. So, in order to not miss the Black Friday market, people had to leave their family feast and quality time to rush into the Black Friday sales and bargain market which was more like a war zone and people had to fight their way through it to get the holiday discounts. Moreover, customers hate waiting in long lines and wasting an entire day. So instead of entering this world of madness, people started to think more about online sales and now they can have the weekend for themselves and get a good rest to wake up on Monday and start browsing the web and surf the internet to receive the best online deals and discounts. Free shipping strategy also became relevant at the beginning of this event and resulted very well as an incentive. Cyber Monday usually brings better offers and discounts to the table because businesses want to hold the interests of customers high during the two days of sales and keep them shopping till they get the best offers in the end.

 

Black Friday is Now a Global Event

So far, we know that Black Friday is an American market after Thanksgiving day, but now it is globally relevant and is an annual shopping event in many countries around the globe such as Germany, Australia, and the United Kingdom. With the popularity that e-commerce has gained throughout the years, Cyber Monday is as famous as Black Friday worldwide and countries use it as an extension to continue their sales of Black Friday.

 

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Statistics

As the stats speak, 2022 is going to be all about online shopping. In 2021, Americans spent $8.9 billion in the Black Friday market online. During the Covid-19 pandemic, online businesses thrived where in 2020 the Black Friday market in America hit $9 billion $7.4 in 2019. In the UK, people spent $9.42 billion pounds in 2021 Black Friday sales. All of this made many stores start online trading as well in 2022 and the online traffic went up like crazy from the pandemic.

On Cyber Monday of 2021, online orders went up to $10.7 billion. Yes a lot higher than Black Friday because the discounts are bigger and time is much more limited. 2020 holds the highest record while shoppers spent $10.8 billion, which was a mind-blowing jump from 2019 where the amount spent on Cyber Monday was $9.2 billion.

 

Black Friday Alternatives

Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday is the next Saturday following Thanksgiving and the day after Black Friday which is basically another American holiday shopping. This day was originally created in 2010 to support the local businesses by shopping in local stores during this day. It is also a way to help the climate and reduce carbon dioxide as people only shop in their neighborhoods. So right now, it’s an annual shopping tradition where people help the local market boost their sales and stay in business.

When is Small Business Saturday 2022?

For this year, the small business Saturday will be on November 26, 2022. Brands use this day to increase the hours of their Black Friday markets or bring up last-minute sales.

Giving Tuesday

Yes we know everyone wants to shop and get a good bargain in this season, but bringing a generous spirit is always a great idea. Customers will support a business much more when they know about its donations and charity work. Apart from that, it is one day of the year people want to give back to their community and donate so if you stand up and publicly announce your donations and charity work through your sales, you will definitely build a trustworthy market and spread brand awareness. In 2022, Giving Tuesday will be on November 29.

 

Preparing for Black Friday

You should be excited about the huge marketing event as your business is going to thrive during this period but it can be overwhelming as well. So you have to be fully ready and get your website together before your big launch. For example, if your website crashes during the sale hours, you will lose the market immediately and all your ideas will go right into the trash can. Here are some necessary preparations you have to do for your BFCM campaigns so you will be locked and loaded for the competition :

● Prepare to handle the traffic

Be aware of upcoming website traffic. Your discounts and sales are going to be open for anyone and you know it is a crowded event. So you must prepare a stable and fast server that can handle lots of visitors and payments quickly.

● High-speed website

Your website performance is indeed the most important part of the launch. Your site’s speed brings you really great customer satisfaction. When your site is able to load pages quickly, clients are more willing to shop for related or similar items.

● Make perfect product description

Make sure to get your SEO-optimized descriptions for the codes and discounts. With full descriptions of your items, your customers are going to put their trust in your business and it will be much more convenient for them not to calculate every discount because everything will be crystal clear. You can also fully explain the benefits and features of every purchase which has a huge positive impact on your customers.

● Check your warehouse

You have to check the availability of your products and get the exact numbers on the paper. If you have a large amount of one item you can count on it as your best seller because it is going to get the biggest discount. Also when you are aware of your inventory, you know the items you are short on so you won’t plan a big part of your Black Friday sales on them.

● Mobile display

Tons of people only shop online with their mobile phones. Something like 70%. So prepare your website to run well on smartphones and tablets.

● Prepare high-quality images

Since online customers can not see the product in prison, you can use high-resolution images to make an impression. Make sure the files are not too hard to load for people and are super clear with great lighting.

● Return policy

Make your customers feel comfortable with easy returns. Set up this option on your site and also highlight it so your customers will shop with peace of mind.

● Create your calendar

After you make up all your marketing ideas, it is time to set up dates and hours on a calendar and after it is fully arranged, you can release it earlier, not with little secret details, on your website.

● Design one cool homepage or Slides

Your website’s homepage is the first thing your audience is going to see. So make a good one to display the BFCM deals to make an awesome impression.

 

12 Black Friday Marketing Ideas to be the Main Attraction

1. Gift Guides

Gift guides are boxes or collections of products that are made for special relations like gifts for friends, spouses or special events. We use the word guide because you should actually recommend it on your website and advertise it on the homepage to showcase your different products and create interest by reducing the general price or offering one or two free items. Show the list of gift guides on your site or send advertising emails to your customers. You can use other tactics on gift guides like:

● Show your best seller

Showcasing the best seller is always the top idea because everybody wants the best. Guide your customers with the statistics on popular products and persuade them it is nothing but profit for you.

● Suggest a related item

Seduce your customers into shopping more from you by showing them the related items. Make them feel like they need similar ones or their order is not perfect without them.

2. Flash sales

Flash sales are limited discounts or promotions. On Black Friday every single thing is discounted but with flash sales, you choose a very short period of time to offer a juicy discount. You can choose the best selling hour. Depending on your product and audience, choose a short popular period of time and throw the discounts. Many companies use the beginning hours for large discounts to receive customer data and show the bestseller item later.

3. Free Shipping

Free shipping is one of the most effective and successful ideas that increase revenue to a large amount. Explain the benefits of free shipping and use it for a limited time to attract more attention or present it as a spending reward. For example “purchases over $80 will receive free shipping.

4. Conditional Discounts

Conditional discounts can work like conditional free shipping. It all depends on the amount of orders. For example, you offer 10% discount on purchases below $50, 20% discount on purchases from $50 to $150 orders and maybe 35% discount on purchases over $150. Your customers will definitely set their eyes on the bigger discounts and add more items to their shopping cards.

5. VIP Discounts

Keep exclusive discounts for your long-term and loyal customers. Make a list of your VIP customers and send the email and present them their VIP discounts. This makes them feel important and seen even in Black Friday sales and they will buy products with huge smile on their faces.

6. Gift Cards

You can act smart and publish gift cards much earlier before BFCM. Advertise it as it is a fast way to purchase while the website is crowded. It is one popular move in this market if you give it the right value like you can set a gift card for $100 usable for $80 purchases. You can send them by email or make it an incentive and create it as a transferable gift so your customers can sell them to others and make a little profit.

7. Bundles

In this holiday market, you can bundle your best products together and sell them at good discounts. Bundles are usually very welcomed by customers because they are boxes of the best items or similar products. It also creates a sense of convenience for the buyers as they feel like they get the complimentary products together and they don’t have to search for them one by one.

8. Mystery Boxes

Everybody likes a little bit of gambling. That is the whole idea behind mystery boxes. Combine several products in a box and make one or two of them secret. It can be a promotion for a new product or tease your audience with an old popular item that is never going to come back. When you know different groups of your customers, you can target them with specific mystery boxes. Set a higher price than the actual value of the secret products and watch your sales explode. Make them in different sizes and put more secret items into the bigger ones to increase interest in them as they are more profitable for you.

9. Limited Edition

Limited edition items are great for both small businesses and big companies. Announce new products and show them as something exclusive and rare. This way you will increase the demand for the product and also it will give the customers the fear of missing out or the feeling that they need to hurry up to buy that product. It works really well if the new product has a very unique and rare color, design, shape, size or maybe smell. Your regular clients definitely want to add them to their collections so be sure it will be one successful marketing idea for you. It is a really common and profitable idea and huge companies use it. For example, take a look at limited edition Oreos. They release limited editions for a limited time for a special occasion like they changed the oreo colors to red, white and blue referring to the flag of the United States during the 4th of July.

10. QR Codes

QR code is a quick and easy way to let your customers enter or sign up for special discounts. It is a great idea as it is both good for in store shopping and online sales. QR codes can come very handy because it is a quick scan for a second and then the customers will directly access their chosen types of discounts and products. Set a price for the codes and send the advertisement emails to your listed customers and share them on your website for visitors as well.

11. Create Urgency at the End of the Sales

Make it known to your audience that they have to make every moment and hour count. Remind them that the BFCM sales are not permanent and give them a sense of urgency and use countdowns or reminders as the right tools :

● Countdown Timer

One great way to create this feeling is to set a big countdown timer on all of your sale pages to show how many hours are left. Like a banner or big clock that everyone can clearly see and be careful with their timing.

● Reminders

Send out reminders to your listed or VIP customers via email and inform them about the limited hours on the discounts and sales. Send out abandoned cart emails to customers to make them come back and close the deal.

12. Chatbots

Help out your customers as much as you can in this big shopping season. Customers love to consult with others or ask people’s opinions about their purchases. Well because of the limited time and discounts it is not really possible to do. They can’t just bring others to ask if this is going to look good on me or not. So install chatbots where your customers can easily assist with their orders and get their answers as fast as possible so they will shop faster and hopefully more. When you create this service on your website, you bring your clients a sense of security and assurance.

 

Your Strategies are also your Drawing Card

In addition to all the actions and ideas that you implement, you can have a great impact on your audience by using strategies that you do not announce and simply just do. Advertisement is your best weapon in this sales war so as you read on, learn to use it well. Here is a list of things you can do behind the customer’s eyes and make a good impression of your brand’s sales during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

● Social media ads

In 2022, your biggest platform for ads is social media. Doesn’t matter if you are a retail store or you run an e-commerce website. You must consider social media advertising as your first move because it is the best way of connecting you and your customers. Share your ideas from early on since everyone is kind of eager to see what a company will present during the holiday shopping season. Therefore, use your social media accounts and platforms to the fullest and share previews and exclusive content with your customers.

● Tease your audience

With quick ads that can be only one video or picture on the entire platform, or maybe just numbers, you make your audience want more and ask you about what is going on. Keep them guessing and make it seem a little mysterious to tease them weeks earlier than the event.

● Pop-up pages

Design huge banners that promise winning gift cards or flash sale discounts. Implement them as pop-up pages on your site but be careful not to add too many of them because it might get a little annoying. It is a great way to quickly draw some attention to your discounts or limited items.

● Use influencers

In the past 3 years, influencers became the new celebrities. They got huge numbers of followers and a dedicated audience. You can make a deal with them to advertise your products on social media or even give them a discount code or do a collaboration with them. A part of their audience may have never heard of your business but since they are huge fans of the influencer, they will purchase to support them no matter what.

● Let your customers sleep well

Who really wants to wake up early on friday? Oh and especially the Friday after Thanksgiving? Yes, nobody. So announce the launch party much earlier than the actual date and let your customers skip the early morning madness and get a good sleep. Any time around noon would be perfect. It’s when your customers had their breakfast and poured themselves a cup of coffee with no rush or fear of missing the opening of the sales.

● Email marketing campaigns

Start designing your templates months prior to the BFCM. If you have a considerable number of regular customers and their contacts and data, then perfect! Get your emails and templates ready by then and when Black Friday is close start sending them out and send the emails during the shopping period as well. You never know, one customer may see the first one.

● Team up

Having a partner in business is always a great idea. Now for the Black Friday market, it is somehow classy to team up with others. Because it makes the audience think you two have bigger goals than just selling and making profits. So you can as well do a partnership with a related business and advertise how much trust and love you have for each other and admire each other on your campaigns because well, people love to see a bit of kindness even during hunting for discounts.

● Charity

Make your customers order fast by adding a note at the last phase of their shopping. You can simply make a deal with charities or shelters and tell your customers something like: 8% of this purchase goes to charity. This will make your customers click fast to buy because they will probably feel like they are a part of some good cause.

● Only use mail list or registered customers

You can take a risk and make the event exclusive. Create bigger discounts only for registered customers and advertise this movement on your website. Close the Black Friday market on your site and only allow access to the registered users.

 

Ignore Black Friday somehow!

Choose another way to boost your sales during the Black Friday. You can stand up and talk about the disadvantages of BFCB for the customers and talk about its overconsumption. Instead of this whole market, announce discount sales for the entire month of November or October. For example, Deciem shut down their Black Friday market completely and called the sales impulsive. Then, they threw 23% discounts for an entire month of November.

 

Extend into Cyber Monday

As we mentioned in the statistics, Cyber Mondays are definitely more profitable for businesses in this shopping marathon. During the period of Black Friday, do not ignore the promotions and advertisements for Cyber Monday. Repeatedly announce that better opportunities and more discounts are on the way so that your shopping line does not stop. It’s best to have both Black Friday and Cyber Monday together because in past years they acted complementary to each other. So increase the flash sales and discounts to generate more demand and interest. Use all the ideas and strategies for Black Friday as well but much more limited to get a big last-minute boost.

Follow up, Do Not Let Go Yet

1. Thank you message

Plus your site’s instant thank you message after purchase, sends an email to each of your Black Friday shoppers and appreciates their purchase. This is how you give your customers a sense of encouragement and turn some of your buyers into regular customers.

2. Make a survey

Request your customers to take the survey. Create a survey and send it to your customers through emails. You can ask questions like “Were you satisfied with your purchase?”, “Was the discount on your order fair?” or “How was the website speed?” and stuff like that. Also, create a box for them to write about any dissatisfaction or any issue they faced during this marketing event.

3. Gift cards for fat purchases

For loyal customers or rich buyers that made major purchases, it is worth it to give them a good reward and gift cards are the best way to do it. Send an email with a thank note and a digital code or gift card. This way your clients will feel a bit exclusive and very much satisfied with the amount of their purchase.

4. Advertise your plans for next year’s sales

At the end of your appreciation emails, talk about the fact that this is not the end of our relations and next year we will bring out brighter ideas with higher discounts. Make a promise by explaining a little of your next year’s plan and keep your customers interested in your business.

Right now, you know very well that Black Friday is one of the most important marketing events in the whole world. So, start setting up all your plans and ideas and mark the big days on your calendar. You have to do everything in your power to get the best out of BFCM and maximize your sales. As you want to start your campaigns, you need to advertise and promote your BFCM market and you need the right promotion tools to do it successfully; unless all your efforts will be worthless. Here at Runsensible, we will help you with your promotions to create, manage and track emails for any type of discount like spending rewards, VIP discounts, coupons, gift cards and many others you are willing to use and also help you out with your lead generation. And, of course, you know it is going to be your busiest sale of the year and you can be overwhelmed with the calls from tons of customers and you definitely want to handle each and every single one of them professionally. We also offer business phone solutions so you can take care of all of them successfully.

How to Make These Ideas Actually Work

If you’ve made it through the list, or even if you just scrolled down and scanned for some ideas, you’re probably thinking about putting them to work — after all, you’re a contractor and a business owner, not a marketing student. When it comes to turning ideas into practices, the tools you use will be just as crucial as the ideas themselves. Even with the best holiday marketing idea for contractors, you won’t see that considerable boom that you’re looking for. So, how to fix that? You already know the answer is using the proper tools and the best tools. If it’s marketing and sales you want to improve, the best tool, and really the only tool you need is RunSensible. RunSensible is an all-in-one contractor software with marketing and sales tools that are created specifically to cover every single aspect of your contractor business, from scheduling to invoicing to marketing and beyond to business phones and inventory management.