20 creative black Friday marketing ideas for 2022

Black Friday is the two of the most important shopping days for e-merchants fast approaching: Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday. As an online merchant, these two days are essential to increase your sales. This article is your handy model for joining the Black Friday frenzy in 2022 and making more money online.

These 20 unique ideas for Black Friday are designed to drive more traffic and sales when generating the most belly of the year. You can start implementing them now so that your online store is ready to reap the rewards of impulse buyers.

What is Black Friday?

Originally Black Friday was the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. However, it marks the start of the Christmas shopping season for consumers, which means that merchants often promote their stores and lower prices to entice shoppers to purchase online and offline products.

What started as a one-day event has evolved into a four-day international event ending on Cyber ​​Monday. Cyber ​​Monday is essentially the same type of event that falls on the Monday following Black Friday, with promotions aimed at online shoppers.

Typically, prices are reduced for all four days. Some companies offer different types of Black Friday discounts or offers for each of the four days. For example, a fashion seller can get 50% off all black Friday, purchase an item and a free offer on Saturdays, 30% off sweaters on Sunday, and 50% off online shopping on Monday.

There are no rules for these four days, so you have the freedom to do your Black Friday marketing however you want to provoke purchases.

The Real Black Friday Meaning

Black Friday may seem like all about business, but consumers started this business event. It was first observed in Philadelphia, where there was still heavy traffic the day after Thanksgiving. While the original Black Friday, a term coined in 1961, actually had a lot less to do with shopping, today it’s an event that helps traders go from red to Black before the year is out.

Why is Black Friday marketing important?

In 2019, Black Friday’s online sales topped all previous records, reaching $ 7.4 billion, up to $ 1.2 billion from the record high of $ 6.2 billion in 2018. C’ is tremendous! It is a serious holiday that any merchant with an online store must watch out for. Our 20 tips for creative Black Friday ideas will help you get a piece of the pie so you can enjoy a successful holiday season.

20 creative marketing ideas for Black Friday

1. One commercial offer per hour

For stores with high traffic, having an hourly offer covers several bases at the same time. Not only does this encourage spending, but keeping your Black Friday deals a surprise and changing them often keeps your customers coming back to your eCommerce site.

It allows to offer Black Friday offers on all items in addition to the current offer. So, for example, if you provide 40% off everything, your current deal might be 50% or more, additional discounts on particular brands or items, or other sales combinations. Remember to create a homepage banner for every hour you get an offer.

To organize a sale like this, I recommend that you carefully prepare your offers and communications in advance. It’s great for staying organized throughout this essential and hectic weekend, so it’s well worth the investment. Also, using the resources of your e-commerce CMS can take care of part of the administration and logistics, which allows you to schedule direct sales when you are not near your computer.

When promoting your hot deal, consider creating a product post on all social media platforms: TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Since you will be busier than usual that day, I recommend that you automate your social media posts ahead of time with a tool like Buffer.

Managing an offer per hour requires the efforts of a team to handle social media, graphics, customer inquiries, and administrative work. If you are on your own to control everything, this might not be the best Black Friday marketing idea for you unless you define a digital marketing strategy with the help of a digital agency.

2. Create a gift guide

Gift guides allow customers (especially new customers who buy gifts for friends) to find you during the holiday season. In addition, a gift guide highlights your products or offers and gives direction to novices who buy gifts. “Gifts for Tennis Lovers,” “Tennis Gifts for Her,” “Tennis Gifts for Him,” “Tennis Fun Gifts,” and “Tennis Gifts for Coaches” are all examples of searches for gift ideas that a Tennis enthusiast might search to find you if you were selling Tennis equipment.

There are two ways to easily create a gift guide: creating a collection of writing a gift ideas blog post.

• To organize a collection on your e-commerce site, create a product label with the same name. Then go to all the product pages you want to see in this gift guide and add the product tag. Your CMS will automatically organize the collection.
• Creating an e-commerce blog post takes a little more work but can be a more effective SEO strategy. Consider making a list—for example, 40 gifts for tennis fans. If you want to outdo the competition on Google for similar gift guides, look at what they do. Google “gifts for tennis enthusiasts” and search for the highest-ranked article, then write an article that features more products to try and grab more clicks.

To drive more traffic to your gift guides, feature them on your homepage or other places on your website where they will have visibility. Emailing the gift guides to customers is also a great way to share the guide with friends and family ahead of the holiday season. If you choose to make your Gift Guide a blog post, you can share it on social media. I recommend boosting the post through Facebook Ads to drive more traffic. Remember to take advantage of the Facebook pixel so you can track sales performance from your gift guide.

3. Free Gift with every purchase

Giving a gift is a fun Black Friday deal for shoppers. You can provide a gift for every customer who orders during the Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday period with every order. The items that work best for this have free or cheap shipping.

You will want to put the free giveaway on your homepage banner to ensure visibility. You can set minimums such as “For every order of $ 50, get a gift”, or you can give it to every customer with no minimum purchase to every customer who orders if you have high margins.

If you sell fashion items for women, you can give a bracelet or earrings for free. In men’s fashion, you can offer cufflinks. For the home decor niche market, you can provide a free vase. And if you sell beauty products, you can gift a makeup brush or sponge.

Using a plugin automates the process. Some paid plugins offer a 14-day free trial for new users, perfect for testing over the holiday season and continuing if you see good feedback. In addition, the app will let you set purchase minimums, get Product X with a gift, and more.

4. Extend your sale from Black Friday to Cyber ​​Monday

An effective Black Friday marketing idea that has become much more common is to expand your sale. Previously, Black Friday was the main day that e-merchants had their best sales, but now the money continues to flow until Cyber ​​Monday. As a result, most e-commerce salespeople extend their sales for the entire four days. By boosting your sale, you will be able to gain more customers and profits. You can even start earlier as some online stores do with an early Black Friday private sale for their top customers.

Since Black Friday deals tend to be the most popular, you’ll want to focus your energy on these first. One approach would be to have great deals on all of your products on Black Friday and follow that up on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays with deals only on your best-selling items.

5. Using your mailing list

Email marketing is a great promotional channel for generating sales. One of the most cited email marketing statistics is that for every $ 1 you spend on email marketing, you have the potential to earn $ 42.

When it comes to Black Friday email marketing, there are two approaches.

• Previous customers. Reach out to your old customers and offer them a special VIP discount code that gives them extra savings when they buy. Since they’ve bought from you before, they’ll be more likely to buy again. If they’ve bought in the past 30 days, your brand will be fresh on their minds, so be sure to include these people as well. If you don’t have a mailing list, you might want to run ads to build your list before Black Friday so you can email them over the weekend.
• Potential customers. When it comes to emailing potential customers, send them the deals you get that day so they can take advantage of them immediately online. If you plan to promote specific items, make sure their images are clickable so people can jump directly to product pages to shop. Make sure you pay attention to the subject lines of your emails. If they seem too promotional, they could end up in your subscribers’ spam folders.

For both approaches, it’s important to know your audience and that your email marketing practices comply with GDPR standards for recipients located in the EU.

6. Don’t miss out on the benefits of SMS

If an email seems obvious enough and many don’t even question it when planning their marketing campaigns, SMS still has to work a lot harder to get on the list. However, as old school as it sounds compared to other methods of communication, texting is one of the few channels that can cut through the noise and ensure that your audience hears what you are saying. Did you not know the 98% open rates?

If you’re wondering how to benefit from it during Black Friday this year, here are two suggestions:

1. Use it to complement your email marketing. Of course, when it comes to content, SMS can’t compete with email newsletters as they are very short and straightforward. But that’s precisely why these two work so well in tandem. While it may take a while for someone to open your email, texting is the opposite because read almost immediately; it’s a perfect channel to grab attention when it’s needed. It also works excellent for rush deals, so it’s ideal for Black Friday.
2. Improve your customer experience. It’s the little things in life that count, right? There are many different ways that SMS marketing can be used. Every time you put the time and effort into crafting a valuable message for your customers, it adds to their overall experience. Use it to send offers and promotions, let your followers know about exclusive offers, or improve their post-purchase experience by providing order status updates.

As with emails, SMS marketing is also strictly permission-based, so make sure you have everyone’s consent to text them and stay compliant with applicable laws.

7. Offer insight into Black Friday deals.

A simple marketing approach to Black Friday is to create a gif or teaser video of the products on sale while also mentioning their promotion before the big day. Then, don’t forget to promote the preview on your social media accounts. It creates anticipation for your Black Friday deals, allowing people to “line up” at your online store to be ready for sale.

You can create a slideshow of the free images in Canva or Photoshop. If you’re up for a challenge, you can promote some genuinely unique images using professional photography. Video doesn’t need audio to be effective, but if you want it, some sites offer royalty-free music to match the vibe of your video and store.

8. Take advantage of hashtags.

When running creative Black Friday campaigns, you should take advantage of Black Friday-focused Instagram hashtags in addition to your regular hashtags. You’ll want to include hashtags like #blackfriday #cybermonday #sale #blackfridaysale #blackfridaydeals. It will allow you to reach customers who are specifically looking for deals during those days.

Using these hashtags works especially well for everyday products like fashion, home decor, and electronics. However, if you sell more niche products, it may not work as well, as people are less likely to search for these products under Black Friday hashtags. If your products don’t appeal to a larger audience, consider focusing on niche hashtags that generally work well for you.

9. Increase your advertising spend

During the Black Friday weekend, advertisers will spend a lot more than usual. The return on Black Friday sales is viewed by many as a major investment, justifying the increase in spending. However, it means that the cost per click (CPC) will be higher than usual. If you are planning to advertise on Facebook, consider increasing your ad spend within days of Black Friday. It will give the ad enough time to optimize conversions and allow you to adjust and polish along the way before the big day.

By spending more money than usual, you are more likely to be noticed by potential customers. It is another reason why mentioning Black Friday deals or having attractive discounts is essential to grab people’s attention. People will be ready to buy if they are presented with the right offer, at the right price, at the right time. Black Friday weekend is all that. A significant discount will help you attract customers with the right price. So focus on your best-selling products on Black Friday to promote the right deal.

10. Create a promotional content calendar

As Black Friday approaches, you’ll want to consolidate your overall strategy. An important first step is to create a content calendar with what assets and what content you want to share, and when. Then, plan a month and start your promotions on Black Friday week, so your customers know you will be offering deals. Your timeline should include:

• New graphics and banners: You need to create graphics for social media posts and email campaigns. You will also need to create a new homepage banner graphic and graphics for all promotional video clips.
• Social Media Posts: Automating your social media posts ahead of time will make your life easier. Write your texts with the relevant hashtags in advance, then use Buffer for marketing automation. Please pay attention to where your engaged followers are to make sure you’re posting at the best time for them to see them.
• Content Creation & Web Copywriting: You’ll want your authoring and text content done for emails, social media, ads, articles, and more.
• Promotions: Calculate the numbers to see how much discount you can offer your customers without affecting your margins too much. If you’re offering VIP discounts to some customers for extra savings, you’ll want to make sure you’re still making a profit. Keep in mind that you will be spending more money on your communication at other times of the year, so be sure to factor those costs into account as well.

11. Use apps to help you with promotions.

I have already mentioned a few apps that you can use to help you during these busy shopping times. But several other apps work best for Black Friday deals. Here are some coupons to install on your store:

• You can use a chat app to create a live chat on your store. It allows customers to contact you live with any questions and can be very important in helping customers convert on Black Friday. While email support is always great, you will likely have an influx of customers contacting you on Black Friday. It is important to respond to their requests before they leave your e-commerce site.
• You will want to make sure that the mention of “free shipping” is installed on your site. People love online stores that tell them about free shipping. Make it clear to everyone when they arrive at your store. It will help with conversions.
• I encourage you to add upsell apps; they work well all year round. As the number of people buying more from you increases during the holiday season, upselling will increase the average order value, allowing you to earn more money. It is especially useful when offering more significant discounts.

12. Give away mystery savings.

The element of surprise can be powerful in Black Friday marketing. Some apps allow you to add scratch cards, mystery offers, and other interactive experiences to your online store.

Having scratch cards or exit intent discounts can be a fun and engaging surprise for your customers. Offering a discount through gamification can make customers stay in your store a little longer. Plus, it can help prevent an abandoned cart.

13. Donate to a charity

An increasing trend around Black Friday is the number of stores offering to donate some or all of their profits to charity. This marketing idea not only attracts buyers who are not tempted by discounts, but it can also generate a positive perception of your business by customers.

Some apps simplify the process of donating a percentage or a fixed amount per sale. It also allows you to showcase specific products by linking them to nonprofits or causes. Additionally, you can use the app to give customers the ability to choose where their contributions go.

14. Direct mail with a promo code

Who says you can’t market a brand online offline? Unfortunately, online advertising becomes much more expensive and crowded during the holiday season, with vendors dramatically increasing their advertising budgets.

If you have built up a customer base, you can send a physical card to previous customers. This could include a personal note thanking them for their purchase during the year and a special Black Friday discount code exclusively for them with their name as a code. In addition, the handwriting of the name on the card makes it more personalized. These little touches are rarely made by marketers but can leave a lasting impression and improve the customer experience.

15. Create printable gift cards

One of the most popular gifts offered during the holiday season is gift cards. So, of course, as an online seller, you have to profit from it.

Encourage your customers and store visitors to purchase gift cards for their friends and family if they are unsure which product their friend or family member will like the most. Let customers know that you can create printable gift cards that they can give away during the holiday season.

16. Offer a VIP discount.

If you have a loyalty program or a VIP Club for your best customers, give them a special exclusive VIP discount during the Black Friday weekend. As loyal customers, they will likely buy more from your brand than once from buyers.

They are also more likely to make repeat purchases from your store throughout the year. So give them an exclusive discount. In addition, you can create a Facebook event or landing page to let them know about the possibility of getting early access to your Black Friday deals.

17. Partnership with Instagram influencers

One of the most creative Black Friday campaign ideas is collaborating with Instagram influencers that complement your brand. You might consider asking the influencer to promote your Black Friday deals through Instagram Stories or host an Instagram Live session where they unbox/try on your most popular items and share a discount code with viewers.

When consumers are faced with an avalanche of Facebook ads and promotional emails, influencers offer a nice change of scenery and can make your promotions more attractive.

For best results, team up with someone who knows how to take advantage of different Instagram features to engage audiences. For example, if you want an influencer to promote your offers with Instagram Stories, they need to encourage interactions through interactive stickers, polls, quizzes, etc.

18. Extended last minute sale

Who says you can only offer discounts until Cyber ​​Monday? For Black Friday 2021, consider surprising your customers by extending your sales beyond the shopping weekend. But do it at the last minute or when your competition has ended their sales. When customers see that you’re the only store giving them a second chance to save, they’re more likely to buy from your brand.

However, be sure to attach a deadline to the extension. For example, you can extend the sale beyond Cyber ​​Monday for 72 hours. Then, at the end of Cyber ​​Monday, set up a website banner with the text “72 hours extended” – the banner will serve as a reminder for visitors who may not have explored your offers yet while creating a sense of being. ’emergency. And don’t forget to send an email announcing the extension of the sale!

19. Abandoned cart recovery

As shoppers abandon their cart all year round,  Black Friday sees an average 5% increase in cart abandonment. In 2019, the overall Black Friday cart abandonment rate was 73%, with an average of 3 in 4 buyers failing to complete their sale.

Two years ago, in 2018, Shopify released data suggesting that retailers could have generated $ 1 billion in additional revenue if all Black Friday cart abandonments had been saved.

While the numbers may be higher for Black Friday, the reasons for cart abandonment remain pretty much the same. Usually, buyers decide to abandon their cart because of high shipping costs, unforeseen taxes, coupon codes that don’t work, or just because they are looking for the best deal possible and comparing prices.

Either way, you want to make sure you’ve done everything to keep them from leaving or to bring them back. Here are some popular cart abandonment solutions you can use in your Black Friday marketing efforts:

• Implement exit intent overlays to prevent buyers from leaving;
• Offer an exclusive discount or other valuable exchange if they choose to convert now;
• Offer the possibility to save their basket for later;
• Target dropouts with social and display ads;
• Send timely cart abandonment emails (more details below).

Cart Abandonment Email Campaigns are especially effective when trying to recover an abandoned cart. With a click-through rate of around 40%, they also benefit from an average 18% conversion rate.

Cart abandonment emails should include an instant reminder of what the consumer left in their cart and direct, personalized text that engages the reader to keep them coming back to your site. Additionally, during the Black Friday weekend, additional discounts may be offered if the item is of high value, as this can help remove a barrier to purchase.

20. Optimize the payment process

Black Friday among consumers creates a pervasive sense of rush. Consumers feel pressured to navigate a site quickly, find their item, and checkout before moving to the following site and repeating the process before products run out.

To optimize your site for this psychology, remove any barriers to buying that might seem too time-consuming. For example, implement one-click shopping that uses a secure mobile wallet with readily available customer information, like Apple Pay, Android Pay, Google Pay, or Paypal.

If your eCommerce site is hosted on a platform like Shopify or WooCommerce,  dynamic payment buttons are available to create a seamless one-click shopping experience. These buttons allow users to skip the checkout process and instantly purchase using their preferred payment method. For example, the payment button would change to display the Apple Pay sign on an Apple product.

Still not sure what to sell?

These are 20 marketing ideas that should keep you going during this busy time. But if you’re still not sure what your store should sell, be sure to check out past black Friday campaigns from your competitor or major brands. It’s a gold mine full of great ideas to fit for trendy products this year.

Conclusion

Get ahead of the competition by optimizing your website to convert all that Black Friday traffic!

Now is the time to get started with these Black Friday marketing strategies. But, don’t wait if you want to make the most of the increased sales on the biggest retail weekend of the year.

Implement the tactics that work best for your store to ensure the best return on this major shopping weekend. Good luck!