In the race of Black Friday email marketing, small businesses may find themselves overwhelmed with questions. Here are answers to 5 of the most frequently asked questions about Black Friday email marketing for small businesses. By developing an effective strategy in advance, you can get ahead of the Black Friday frenzy and spend more time enjoying the holiday. (For maximum relaxation, you can always work with an email marketing partner.)
How Many Black Friday Emails Should I Send?
Small businesses need to strike a balance between staying at the top of their subscribers’ inboxes and overwhelming them with too much messaging. Typically, Black Friday sales should warrant between 3 and 5 emails. Here are some campaigns any small business should consider when preparing for Black Friday / Cyber Monday:
- “Coming Soon:” Let subscribers know what you’ll be offering at least a week in advance
- “Sneak Peek:” Give VIP customers a closer look at your deals
- “It’s Here:” Announce when the sale has begun
- “24 Hours Remain:” Remind subscribers not to miss this sale
- “Don’t Forget to Check Out:” Use an abandoned cart automation to recover missed sales
Because Black Friday is such a major retail holiday, some small businesses may want to update their routine automations with a temporary banner or Black Friday Shoutout. An email marketing agency like Pure Firefly can work with you to create automations that convert.
When should I start planning for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
In order to effectively execute a Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday Campaign, small businesses should leave plenty of time for planning and promoting their sale. Small businesses should start planning their Black Friday email marketing in August. By starting in August, you leave your team plenty of time to develop a multi-channel marketing strategy and prepare to fulfill an influx of orders.
What marketing channels should I use to promote my sale?
Today, more and more people are using their mobile devices to access information. This makes digital marketing channels like email and social media more important than ever. If you use an email marketing platform like Mailchimp, you may find that you have a variety of multi-channel tools already at your fingertips. Consider booking a training session with a digital marketing expert to look at your marketing options and build out a strategy in advance.
How can I stand out during the Black Friday rush?
Small businesses looking to stand out should use email marketing to reach previous and potential customers alike. Build anticipation a week or two in advance and use segmentation to target different types of customers. For example, you may reward customers who have purchased more than 3 times by opening the sale to them in advance. An abandoned cart automation can also make a huge impact on your Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales as well.
Be sure to sync up personalized, engaging email content with your marketing on other platforms. By meeting your customers where they are, you can ensure that your sale stays top-of-mind and stands out amongst competitors.
How do I know what’s working?
To evaluate your Black Friday / Cyber Monday campaign’s success, take a look back at last year’s performance and set a goal for this year. You may want to exceed last year’s Black Friday revenue by $1,000, or maybe you want to acquire 50 new customers. Most small businesses will find it most effective to evaluate success using a combination of various metrics. For example, your Black Friday announcement email may have earned a massive click rate but a low revenue if your site crashes or users are not impressed by the products you offer.
Is it your first year setting Black Friday marketing goals? Try comparing metrics to your most recent sale, or work with a marketing expert to set goals that work best for your business.
Prepare for Black Friday with Pure Firefly
Pure Firefly is a full-service email marketing agency that specializes in working with small businesses and nonprofits. As a small business ourself, we understand how every moment makes a difference when growing your business. Save time and stress by hiring us to develop your Black Friday campaign, or book a strategy call so we can work with you to refine your plan.
