Black Friday has increased in popularity over recent years, as it has transitioned from a sale confined to High Street shops, to becoming one of the biggest days of the year for online shopping, since the boom of e-commerce. No longer an isolated retail event, Black Friday (24th November 2023) now extends over a full weekend, merging into Cyber Monday (27th November 2023) and then into the holiday season. It is the perfect opportunity to maximise your digital presence, with your online marketing, as busy customers value the convenience of e-commerce in the run up to Christmas.
It needs to be considered that Black Friday should not be perceived as one individual day, as the preparation should begin months sooner, and the strategies implemented, several weeks to a month before the big day. But don’t let the magnitude of Black Friday and the holiday season overwhelm you, there are many methods which you can incorporate to create a carefully structured campaign. This blog is your beginner’s guide to optimising your marketing, to make the most out of this busy time of year for retail businesses.
General Tips For Black Friday:
- Consider the current high-level trends, such as the shift back to shopping in person post-pandemic. However, also think about the continued use of the internet for comparisons and research before purchases are made.
- Look at last year’s performance.
- Define your objectives and KPIs- whether it’s leads, increased awareness or higher e-commerce sales.
- Ensure your keyword choices, text/images, ads and landing pages are all holiday-specific and relevant.
- Analyse and forecast upcoming trends.
- Implement website conversion rate improvements long before the sale periods
An effective strategy to prepare for Black Friday, is to analyse your performance last year. This can help you to make educated predictions and decisions about your marketing for this year.
Consider Analysing:
- Campaign Performance
- Competitor Behaviour
- Promotional Offers Success
- Budget & Spend
- Keyword & Category Performance
- Bids, Targets and Auction Analysis
- Ads and Landing Pages
How Can Google Performance Planner Help Your Black Friday Marketing?
A usual feature to include in your marketing strategy is the Google Performance Planner. This can review your campaign’s projected monthly and quarterly performance, so you can find out how your spend and performance are affected if you change your budget or bid targets. Performance Planner considers billions of search queries and updates these results every 24 hours. It factors in ad auctions over the previous 7-10 days and they are adjusted for seasonal events such as Black Friday, boosting accuracy.
What is the Importance of Conversion Tracking?
Conversion tracking stands as the lifeblood of online advertising. Without it, you risk allocating your budget without the crucial data to support your decisions. This concern is magnified during high engagement periods, such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and seasonal shopping.
You should check, fix and optimise your conversion tagging early on to ensure any problems will be alerted to you. Remember- it’s important not to change your tagging right before major holidays, as smart-bidding won’t have enough time to create a new baseline and adjust accordingly to maximise campaign performance.
Accurate tracking is pivotal. It ensures that when you’re gearing up for Black Friday next year, the data at your disposal is reliable. Trustworthy data from past experiences becomes the foundation upon which you can enhance your performance.
How Can Seasonal Shopping Behaviours Impact Your Strategy?
Consider the range of seasonal shopping behaviours, from the early birds starting in summer, to the bargain hunters who scour for the best deal, to the last minute buyers. Which segment(s) you are targeting should impact your strategies and when you use them. For example, if you are wanting to compete price-wise, then you need to ensure you’re cheaper than competitors throughout the season, whereas if you are competing for the last-minute buyer, then often the speed of shopping is the main USP that the consumer will value.
Is It Too Late To Launch A New Campaign Now?
Whilst it is really too late to create and launch an entire campaign at this time of year, you could utilise some of these strategies in the run up to Christmas, or save them for next year when you can plan further ahead. You can still optimise your products, ensure your landing pages are holiday-specific and advertise on social media, and follow all the best practices that will help your business perform online throughout the year. For further advice and guidance, contact our digital marketing experts today.
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