How to Develop a Black Friday Social Media Strategy
The day after Thanksgiving in the United States is known as Black Friday and it’s definitely one of the biggest shopping days of the year. With roughly 186 million people shopping online or in-store during Black Friday of 2020, it’s no surprise that many brands want to jump on board with a special sale this time of year. It’s a fantastic way to generate revenue and even increase brand awareness.
If you’re planning to jump on board and create a Black Friday social media extravaganza of your own, this article shares nine tips you’ll want to keep in mind.
How to Develop a Black Friday Social Media Strategy
Putting together a Black Friday sale requires quite a bit of work. Not only do you need to plan your offer and get it ready for purchasing, but you’ll need to do some promotion in order to bring in the amount of sales you desire. Here’s some advice:
1. Get Started Early
There’s nothing worse than waiting until the last minute to create your Black Friday sale. Not only will you be scrambling to come up with an enticing offer, but you’ll have limited time to craft any necessary promotional materials. You know, social media graphics, ads, and email newsletters. That’s added stress no one needs during the holiday.
The sooner you can begin planning, the better. This way, you’ll go into the week of Black Friday feeling calm, cool, and collected, knowing that everything is taken care of and ready to go. Start brainstorming, planning, and creating ASAP for the best results.
2. Prepare Your Social Media Profiles
When you’re running a sale, there’s a good chance there will be extra eyes on your social media accounts. Give your profiles a much-needed refresh by reviewing your bio, updating cover images, and checking that your links are working. If you really want to take it up a notch, you can have cover images that are specifically designed to promote the sale. And you can swap out links the day of so people can easily access Black Friday deals.
3. Tease Your Offer Early to Generate Buzz
It’s smart to share some Black Friday social media posts in the week leading up to the big day. It allows you to generate buzz and get people excited about the offer you’ve created. You can count down on your social media platforms until the day the offer goes live and your audience can get involved by counting along with you.
4. Post Every Day During the Sale
Don’t expect people to visit your website and find out about your special Black Friday sale on their own. You need to make sure you’re speaking about your offer so people know it’s available. Do this by showing up daily on social media while your offer is live. It increases the likelihood of making more sales and profits.
With an increased posting frequency, it would be wise to switch up the kinds of content you’re sharing. Create graphics and videos, post to Instagram Reels, or even share voice tweets. Whatever works for you! Just get creative with your Black Friday social media content and how you’re talking about your offer.
As you do this, make sure you’re posting at optimal times for the best results.
5. Create a Sense of Urgency
Urgency is an amazing way to increase sales because people begin to fear missing out if they don’t take advantage of the offer before it’s gone. When creating your Black Friday social media posts, make sure you stress the fact that the deal is for a limited time only. Include the last day of the sale in your copy or graphics. If you’re sharing something to Instagram Stories, for instance, use the countdown sticker to show how much time is left before the offer is gone for good.
6. Feature Customer Reviews to Increase Conversions
This is another easy way to increase sales because people want to see that other customers have enjoyed the products and services you offer before they take the plunge themselves. Share testimonials from past customers that are raving about their experience with your brand. If you want, you can even have them record social media-friendly videos that you can share on your platforms. Something short and sweet to communicate how much they love what you do.
7. Aim to Respond to Messages Quickly
In the States, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. While it’s understandable that you’ll want to take some time off to be with friends and family, you don’t want to neglect your customers. Set aside some time each day to check social media messages or emails you’ve received in order to answer questions. Ignoring them could mean you miss out on a sale.
8. Plan and Schedule Social Media Posts in Advance
Just like you shouldn’t wait until the last minute to plan your offer, you also don’t want to wait to plan your Black Friday social media posts. Get everything created ahead of time, including your copy and any necessary media (images and videos). Then, you can start plugging everything into your favorite social media scheduler. Everything will be ready to go and you can focus on enjoying the holiday without having to remember to post something.
9. Review Your Stats to Prepare for Next Year
And finally, once the Black Friday sale has come to an end, it’s a good idea to review your stats to see what performed and what didn’t. Did your offer perform as well as you’d hoped? Did one product or service sell better than another? And how did your audience respond to the different types of Black Friday social media posts you shared? If you noticed that one platform gained more traction than another or that a certain type of post generated more engagement, you’ll know what to double down on with your next sale.