Your one-stop shop for Black Friday ideas
11.24.2017
4:52 AM
Black Friday
An unbroken line of dark and solemn figures hug the exterior walls of a department store. Huddled with quiet resolve, they stare ahead to the soft and prosperous glow pouring into the darkness from the store’s locked entrance. No one talks, no one dares to move. To step out of line would be mere suicide. The collective would shift and mindlessly envelop your previously occupied spot and they’d be one step closer to their goal, to the Black Friday deals.
Inside the store, tensions run high as the employees prepare for the impending onslaught. Some offer prayers while others text final words to loved ones. It’s the biggest day in marketing and retail, a great purge of store inventories, and the beginning of a long and tenacious holiday season. Mere hours after giving thanks around the dining table, families are ready to march into the frontlines, put aside niceties, and fight for the biggest deals of the year.
Okay, so maybe that was bit exaggerated, but Black Friday and Cyber Monday are kind of a big deal. From a marketing standpoint, they can offer a wide variety of challenges and opportunities for your business. To stay ahead of the curve and cut through the noise, here are a few key tips to consider to help your business survive and thrive on Black Friday.
Your competitors are watching you like lil’ creeps
Whether you’re aware of it or not, your competitors are keeping tabs on your business and trying to anticipate your every move. Like a well-disciplined poker face, you need to be mindful of what you release to the public prior to the big day. Perhaps the most notable rookie mistake is to unveil your Black Friday deals too early. Next thing you know, every other competitor in town will have just a tad bit better prices than you. Do yourself a favor, wait to release your deals three days prior to Black Friday. However, this shouldn’t deter you from marketing for Black Friday before then. By utilizing sneak peeks and other creative marketing strategies, you help build hype and awareness without giving away too much.
Make gift guides
Gift guides are the cornerstone to any significant yearly sale. Simply put, gift guides make it easier for consumers to find what they need and can organize their thought processes. Most importantly, they help buyers find you when searching online. If they’re shopping for a person who loves Sci-Fi, they will most likely Google science fiction gift ideas and then your lovely blog article or web ad or relevant web page will pop up. Of course, there’s a lot more that goes into it, and we recommend leaving any and all digital effort to the experts, but it’s important to keep in mind the power of gift guides.
Extend the sale
Let’s face it, there are few people that actually enjoy slogging through Black Friday crowds. With the exception of locking myself away in a bunker with kerosene lanterns and canned provisions, I do everything I can to not shop or even leave the house on that day. By extending your sale through the weekend, you put less pressure on people to shop on Black Friday and give shoppers the time they need to take advantage of your promotions. Today, everything is about convenience. From online shopping to On Demand movies and TV shows, people want to do things on their own time, and by extending your sale, you offer the leeway they need.
If you’d like to learn more Black Friday strategies, don’t hesitate to contact Versa Creative, a Houston-based advertising agency. From digital to traditional, we do it all. Now excuse me while I stock up on first-aid materials and batteries for my Black Friday survival shelter.
-David Caston
Copywriter & Branding Specialist
