8 Best Marketing Strategies to Boost Black Friday 2023 Sales

It's almost that time of year again when millions of shoppers flock to shopping malls, outlets, or online stores from the comfort of their own homes to participate in one of the biggest shopping events of the year - Black Friday. For customers, Black Friday signals exclusive deals, big discounts, and the official start of the holiday season. For brands, this is a golden opportunity to boost sales and make a profit. However, the chance will only come to those who are well-prepared. So, in today's blog post, we’ve curated a list of the top 8 best, completely fool-proof Black Friday marketing strategies for 2023. Let’s dive straight in!

What is Black Friday & when to start your Black Friday marketing strategies?

Black Friday is an annual shopping event originating from the USA, but it is now an international shopping event, filled with the sights of shoppers eagerly waiting by shopping malls or e-commerce sites.

With the unmatched anticipation and built-up suspension from the entire year, it's crucial for businesses to be extremely well-prepared to make the most of this exciting shopping event. So the big question: When is the best time to start your Black Friday marketing strategies? 

The truth is, there’s no definite answer. It largely depends on the nature of your business and your customers' demand. For example, you sell Christmas ornaments and release major discounts in October. In this case, chances are you won't see any results right away since it may be too early in the year. 

To not miss the golden timing, usually, you'd want to start preheating your Black Friday program on all social channels around early November. At this point, you can come out with some exclusive sneak peeks or early bird discounts to create anticipation. Then, gradually introduce each one of your promotions until the big day comes. 

Top 8 best marketing strategies for Black Friday 2023

Let’s get down to business. Here are the top 8 best, completely fool-proof Black Friday marketing strategies that can guarantee you a successful Black Friday season. 

• Conduct prior research
• Create buzz with social media
• Audit product page & optimize website
• Run limited flash sale events
• Incorporate advertising on multiple channels
• Implement upsell and cross-sell with your Black Friday offers
• Prevent abandoned carts
• Follow up with customer post-purchase
• Conclusion

1. Conduct prior research

Entering the peak sale season of 2023, it's essential for brands to ensure your business is well-equipped to stand out in the crowded market. To compete effectively in this competitive landscape, businesses should do thorough research to see what their competitors are doing, especially in terms of advertising activities. This is precisely where ad spy tools like BigSpy come in handy. With BigSpy, brands can draw inspiration from ad campaigns across multiple advertising & e-commerce channels such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Etsy, and many more. With BigSpy's giant creative library of 850M+ ads and various search filters, you are bound to something that resonates with your brand. 

Once armed with insights gathered from competitor research, you can compile a list of winning products and creatives. The exciting part comes next - applying this newfound data to your own store and witnessing the positive impact it can have on your business.  Here is a compete BigSpy Review for you to better understand how it works.

2. Create buzz with social media

Before officially launching your Black Friday program, it's beneficial to inform your customers of this news via social media first. You can do an announcement post, then gradually tease the drop of flash sale events, bundle promotions, or countdown to the big final discount towards Black Friday. These online promotional activities will not only educate customers about your Black Friday program but also build anticipation and suspension as D-day approaches. 

In addition, brands can also run ad campaigns on traditional social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube to guide traffic and sales to your site. And don't forget to try running ads on TikTok - the hottest short video platform. Another idea is to host interactive activities such as a fun online quiz or a giveaway via your social media page or group. This will ensure that customers are not only seeing your social posts but are also actively engaging with them.

3. Audit product page & optimize website 

Getting people to visit your website is just the first step. The real challenge lies in turning those visitors into customers. Whether they make a purchase or not depends largely on the user experience, especially when it comes to your product pages. So, take a moment to ensure they are conversion-optimized.

Making sure your website is clean, organized, and easy to navigate. You don't want potential customers to feel lost in a maze of categories and sub-pages. Additionally, pay special attention to each product page. Optimize your product media, title, and description by incorporating sensory words, action phrases, and relevant SEO keywords to align with what your customers are searching for. Don't forget to add Black Friday tags and signals, such as media and coupon indicators, making it clear that your store is hosting a sale.

Moreover, optimizing and showcasing customer ratings and reviews is crucial. According to a PowerReviews report, approximately 95% of customers check reviews before making a purchase. Customer comments and testimonials serve as social proof, assuring potential buyers that your brand not only provides great value but is also trustworthy. 

4. Run limited flash sale events 

Flash sales, those brief bursts of discounted excitement lasting only a few short hours, are a powerful tool in your marketing strategies. Adding a touch of urgency and anticipation, flash sales often come with a ticking countdown timer. These fleeting discounts aren't just convenient. They're strategically deployed to drive immediate traffic and spike conversions within specific time frames, usually centered around particular products.

Brands should also incorporate and align their flash sale events with other marketing strategies, such as email marketing or social media campaigns to generate the most buzz and results. 

5. Incorporate advertising on multiple channels

In addition to using social media for building awareness and engagement, brands can spice things up by running paid ad campaigns on social media platforms, they can not only spread the word about your Black Friday program to a broader audience but also crank up the anticipation.

While running paid ads undeniably boosts the effectiveness of your Black Friday program, it can be a bit overwhelming for small businesses with limited resources. That's where handy tools like NestAds come into play. This nifty software streamlines the process by allowing businesses to effortlessly monitor the performance of cross-channel ad campaigns. 

NestAds centralizes all performance data into a single, user-friendly dashboard, eliminating the need to switch between tabs. Armed with more precise data and a smoother performance monitoring process, brands are bound for success with their advertising strategies this Black Friday.

6. Implement upsell and cross-sell with your Black Friday offers

Upsell and cross-sell - the age-old strategies in the retail playbook to encourage customers to add a little extra to their shopping cart. It's not just a win for the customer, who discovers more goodies, but also for the brand, gaining additional profit without spending on new customer acquisition. Here's a detailed guide on how we can do this: 

• Added value for order thresholds: Sweeten the deal by offering added value once customers hit a certain order value. For example, offer free shipping as a bonus when the order amount surpasses $500. Policies like these act as a gentle push for customers to toss a few more items into their cart to qualify for the promo.
• Upsell small-value items at checkout: Simplify the decision-making process at checkout by strategically placing upsell options. These are usually small-value items, seamlessly complementary to the main purchase. It's a quick add-on that doesn't require much contemplation for the customers. 

• Cross-sell relevant items: Make use of the product recommendation feature by showcasing relevant or complementary products on the product or checkout page. If a customer is eyeing Christmas ornaments, why not suggest Christmas trees or home decor? It's about enhancing their shopping experience with items that align with their intentions.
• Offer bundle deals: Bundle up joy with curated selections based on function or theme. As we have mentioned earlier, product bundling will not only present customers with a thoughtfully arranged collection of products but also add a touch of convenience to their shopping spree.
• Showcase the discounted amount: Always highlight the savings. People love seeing how much they have saved. This will not only make customers feel like savvy shoppers but will also prompt them to explore additional items. It's the magic touch that transforms a good deal into an irresistible shopping spree.

7. Prevent abandoned carts

Dealing with abandoned carts is a challenge faced by nearly every online merchant, especially during peak events like Black Friday that witness a surge in website visitors. According to a 2022 Statista report, the average daily abandoned cart rate hovers around 80%. Interestingly, on Black Friday itself, this number dips slightly to approximately 77.74%, making it a golden opportunity for businesses to turn potential losses into profits.

Let's explore some popular ways to prevent and recover abandoned carts. A popular and effective tactic is the pop-up. These prompts spontaneously appear on your screen with one mission in mind - to halt users from abandoning their carts and clicking away. Whether they contain a tempting discount code or a quick survey about your shopping intentions, these pop-ups are strategically crafted to grab your attention and tempt you to complete your purchase.

But that's not all. Businesses can also consider implementing an abandoned cart recovery email sequence, complete with special Black Friday incentives. Imagine receiving an email reminder a few hours after abandoning your cart, courtesy of a NestSend automation process. These emails are designed to not only remind customers about the ongoing Black Friday promotions but also feature attractive visuals and compelling copy, coaxing them back to complete their purchase. 

8. Follow up with customer post-purchase

The sad truth is that, though Black Friday gets everyone in a crazy shopping frenzy, a customer's lifetime value is also the lowest on events like these. For every business, gaining customers is just the first half of the puzzle. The real challenge is how to retain and turn them into a long-term, loyal customer base. 

So, the question is how to keep customers coming back even after the Black Friday madness subsides? Well, to achieve this, brands can try to follow up with customers in the post-purchase stage. Hit them up by sending a thank-you email, ask them to fill out a  shopping experience survey, or directly ask them for feedback. It's about building a connection that extends beyond the shopping spree and leaves a lasting impression.

Conclusion

So, there you have it - the top 8 marketing strategies to elevate your Black Friday game. Apply these tactics, and you're bound to witness a boost in sales and profits.

As the holiday season unfolds, let the joy of these interactions be your true measure of success. Cheers to a Black Friday filled not just with sales but with the warmth of satisfied customers and the spirit of the season!