The advertising world may change rapidly, but one thing that never changes is the Black Friday rush. Once it kicks off, it takes over, and it doesn’t stop with November, it spills right into the holiday season.
That’s why this article won’t give you the basics on setting up your campaigns. By now, I’m sure you’ve got your strategy locked in. So, I’ve put together a Black Friday Health Check - a practical, evergreen guide to ensure you’re not just surviving your peak season but winning it without feeling burnt out afterward.
This guide is inspired by the Master Marketer Talk I had with Luka Rautar, Head of Digital Marketing at Vitapur D2C retail brand, and it includes an ultimate checklist at the end of the article. Use it to double-check your prep or bookmark it for next year, and keep winning the Black Friday game.
Keep your offers simple and clear
During Black Friday, consumers are bombarded with offers from all directions, so simplicity is key. Brands that overcomplicate their messaging or promotions risk losing potential customers who don't have time to comprehend complex deals.
One of the biggest mistakes is overcomplicating the messaging. The clearer your communication, the better.
Last year, Luka’s team saw success by launching their best Black Friday deals at the start of November, with a simple, straightforward discount strategy. This approach eliminated the need for rolling out new deals every day, which had previously complicated their campaigns.
The role of discounts in Black Friday success
Discounts are the backbone of Black Friday campaigns, but it’s important to use them strategically. Deep discounts can drive sales, but you should avoid creating offers that are too convoluted. Focus on absolute discounts instead of stacking multiple offers or adding complex conditions.
“During Black Friday, we avoid using different promotional mechanics that work throughout the year. Instead, we focus on absolute discounts because it simplifies the buying process for the consumer,” Luka explains. “Avoid overlaying offers like ‘buy this, get a gift’—it just complicates things.”
You can also consider building up anticipation by offering early access deals to loyal customers, which helps boost engagement before the main event.
Use pre-event lead generation
The cost of digital advertising skyrockets during Black Friday, so you can benefit from building your audience beforehand. Lead generation campaigns in the months leading up to November can help collect emails and build warm audiences, making it easier and more cost-effective to convert customers when Black Friday arrives.
“If you don’t have a large warm audience, lead generation before Black Friday can be a good strategy. Collecting emails and promising exclusive or early access to deals helps reduce costs when pushing offers later,” says Luka.
Automation and real-time adjustments
Given the high stakes of Black Friday, you need to be agile. Automation can play a big role in helping marketers quickly adjust campaigns without disrupting performance. Vitapur leverages Hunch to make quick adjustments to their ads without losing the valuable learning data accumulated by their campaigns.
“One of the best parts of using Hunch is that we can change creative elements without disrupting the ad’s learning phase,” Luka notes. “During Black Friday, maintaining momentum is crucial, and Hunch allows us to make necessary tweaks without starting from scratch.”
Additionally, setting up automatic rules for ad campaigns can help adjust budgets or placements based on performance in real-time, ensuring that brands can scale up successful ads and dial back on underperforming ones efficiently.
Prepare your team and systems
Black Friday requires an all-hands-on-deck approach. Beyond just marketing, ensure that all departments involved - from inventory management to customer support - are ready for the increased demand. This includes having clear communication and contingency plans for any potential issues that may arise.
Evergreen Black Friday Checklist
To ensure your Black Friday campaigns are as successful as possible, here’s an easy-to-digest checklist:
- Start Planning Early (August or earlier):
- Map out your entire strategy, including creative assets, budget allocations, and ad copy.
- Ensure ads are pre-approved to avoid delays during the high-traffic period.
- Simplify Your Offers:
- Use straightforward discounts instead of complex promotional mechanics.
- Launch major deals early to build momentum and simplify campaign management.
- Build Your Audience in Advance:
- Use lead generation tactics to collect emails, promising early access to deals.
- Focus on creating warm audiences that are easier to convert.
- Automate Where Possible:
- Set up automatic rules to adjust budgets based on real-time performance.
- Use tools like Hunch to dynamically update ads without disrupting the learning phase.
- Prepare Your Team:
- Assign rotating shifts to monitor campaigns and manage budgets during the event.
- Ensure contingency plans are in place for any unexpected issues.
- Monitor and Sync Product Feeds Frequently:
- Increase the frequency of feed updates to prevent advertising out-of-stock items.
- Perform a pre-event health check on all catalogs and feeds.
- Analyze and Adapt:
- Track ROAS, conversion rates, and product performance to identify what worked best.
- Use these insights to improve strategies for the next year.
Once the rush is over, what’s next?
I’ll follow the advice above: analyze and adapt. Look at what worked, what didn’t, and dig into why. But don’t just focus on your ad performance - consider how your team performed as well. Could the workflow be smoother? Were there tasks that felt unnecessarily tedious? If you spot these inefficiencies, it might be time to explore solutions like Hunch to streamline your process. And remember, the end of every sales season marks the beginning of Q1- the ideal moment to invest in workflow efficiency. So, give us a call if you need our help.
Stay focused, stay prepared, and good luck with your Black Friday campaigns!
