For that reason, plan your Black Friday marketing campaigns ahead of time. That way, you’ll be able to stand out from the crowd and capitalize on one of the most important shopping holidays of the year.

To help you out, here are eight tried and tested Black Friday marketing strategies and ideas you can implement in your campaigns:

1. Set Up Your Email Campaigns Early
2. Leverage SMS Marketing
3. Create a Sense of Urgency
4. Use Social Media To Promote Your Black Friday Deals
5. Use Powerful Black Friday Subject Lines To Increase Open Rates
6. Share Sneak Peeks of Your Black Friday Offers
7. Use Exit-Intent Popups To Reduce Cart Abandonment
8. Use Upsell and Cross-Sell Strategies To Increase Your Sales

1. Set Up Your Email Campaigns Early

As consumers flock to stores on Black Friday, you don’t want to be creating your emails at the same time. Instead, schedule your Black Friday emails to send at least a week early. You can even automate the process with an e-mail delivery service and API, making the task much more manageable. 

You should include three emails in your Black Friday email series: 

• One that hints at your deals;
• Another that makes the offer;
• The last one closes with a last-chance reminder. 

For example, this year’s Black Friday is on Nov. 24, 2023. So, you should start sending your Black Friday teaser email on Nov. 17, one week before Black Friday.

The teaser email, which hides the full surprise, gives customers a taste of what to expect while building anticipation. It also makes your second email stand out in a crowded inbox since customers anticipate it.

Here’s an example of a Black Friday teaser email from BrandAlley:

Image source: BrandAlley

Next, send your Black Friday offer on the morning of Nov. 24 (Black Friday morning). This second email presents the actual offer and specifies how long it’s valid.

Here’s an example of a Black Friday offer email from Oura:

Image source: Oura

In the afternoon, when shopping begins to slow, send out a last-chance reminder of your Black Friday offer to:

• Create the fear of missing out (FOMO);
• Provide a friendly reminder;
• Give your customers some time to take advantage before the offer expires.

Here’s an example of a last-chance reminder from Nest:

Image source: Nest

Such an email marketing campaign is more effective than a single message and will keep you on top of your customer’s minds, even when they receive other Black Friday emails.

However, before you can send your Black Friday emails, you’ll need an email marketing automation tool that’ll let you schedule your email series in advance.

2. Leverage SMS Marketing

SMS has an astronomical open rate of 98%. And with 42% of Millennials checking their text messages ten or more times per day, SMS is an effective marketing channel all year round. 

But during the Black Friday weekend, SMS is a must-have for anyone with an e-commerce business.

Why? Because SMS stands out and reaches your customers better than any other marketing channel.

While SMS marketing can produce impressive results for your business on Black Friday, it also requires a decent amount of consideration and care.

So, here are some tips to ensure your success with SMS offers on Black Friday is guaranteed:

• Increase your efforts to grow your subscriber list. For example, position your SMS sign-up form as a way to gain early access to your Black Friday offers.
• Start sending you Black Friday SMS messages early enough before customers start shopping.
• Send your SMS offers on the morning of Black Friday to comply with TCPA. You shouldn’t send the texts between 9:00 PM and 8:00 AM as they’re generally considered ‘quiet hours.’

3. Create a Sense of Urgency

Urgency is one of the most powerful ways to drive conversions. An email that creates urgency stands out in a busy inbox and is more likely to be noticed than one that doesn’t.

One way to create urgency and FOMO is by offering exclusive access to sale items or limited-time discounts. That way, shoppers will feel compelled to take advantage of your Black Friday offers before they disappear.

Here’s an example of an email from reMarkable with a countdown timer to show shoppers that the Black Friday deal is for a limited time only and they must act quickly or miss out:

Image source: reMarkable

Other ways to create a sense of urgency include:

• Using time-sensitive language such as today only, last chance, or final sale on the subject lines to increase the open rate (more on this later).
• Launching a flash sale to urge customers to buy quickly before the offer ends.

4. Use Social Media To Promote Your Black Friday Deals

Social media is a powerful marketing platform that can influence your customers’ purchasing decisions by 71%. It’s also one of the few digital marketing tools that allow direct audience engagement.

So, with the right approach, you can turn your social media platforms into effective tools for maximizing your Black Friday sales. 

Besides raising awareness about your Black Friday offers, you can use social media to listen to your followers’ needs and keep them engaged and happy during the event.

With that in mind, here are some Black Friday social media ideas to help you convert your followers into paying customers:

• Use hashtags to inform people about your deals, products, and services.
• Use your social media platforms to let customers know you’re giving away free gifts with Black Friday purchases.
• Offer gift guides to help customers make decisions faster and purchase quickly.
• Partner with influencers to persuade their loyal followers to buy your products.

5. Use Powerful Black Friday Subject Lines To Increase Open Rates

Black Friday weekend is not the time to experiment with your email subject lines.

The fight for your customers’ attention is ruthless. Your subject lines must work overtime to get their attention since every other retailer is working hard to get your customers’ eyeballs on their offers. 

So your subject lines should be direct and convey urgency to increase the chances of your emails getting opened.

Here are some examples of effective Black Friday subject lines you can draw inspiration from:

• It’s HERE: 40% Off Black Friday Weekend
• ?BLACK FRIDAY BEGINS NOW? Up to 50% Discount
• 45% OFF! Early Access To Black Friday Sale
• Up to 55% Off — Black Friday Sale
• SALE STARTS NOW: 45% OFF everything
• We’re giving you up to 35% off gifts
• Hurry! Up to 30% + an Extra 15% off for Black Friday

6. Share Sneak Peeks of Your Black Friday Offers

Sometimes, showing off less will pique people’s interest more. So, if you have an online store, you can show your customers some top products you’ll be offering significant discounts on ahead of time.

Here’s an excellent sneak peek example from Google Store:

Image source: Sender

Some ways you can promote your sneak peeks include:

• Adding the promotion to your newsletter;
• Creating Search and Display ads;
• Promoting the sneak peek on social media;
• Uploading a YouTube video;
• Adding pop-ups on your website.

7. Use Exit-Intent Popups To Reduce Cart Abandonment

The positive side of the Black Friday story is the customers’ rush to take advantage of your discounted products. But the negative side comes from an increased number of cart abandonment.

When customers have already expressed interest in buying from your brand, don’t let them leave so quickly. Use exit-intent popups to potentially reduce cart abandonment rates.

The key is to have the right triggers in place to prevent visitors from leaving before checking out. But you don’t want a popup requesting them to complete their order without giving them the incentive to do so.

For example, you can provide a discount that expires within an hour or free shipping because shoppers are usually hesitant to buy because of high prices. So offering them a chance to save more can help seal the deal on your Black Friday offers.

8. Use Upsell and Cross-Sell Strategies To Increase Your Sales

You can boost your average order value (AOV) by giving your customers special deals on upsells or cross-sells. 

These two strategies are excellent ways to capitalize on the opportunity to sell more products to a customer already on your online store. In fact, e-commerce businesses that use upsell and cross-sell techniques typically see a 10% to 30% increase in revenue.  

Upselling encourages shoppers to purchase a more expensive version of what they’re already planning to buy. On the other hand, cross-selling recommends items to customers related to the original product. 

On Black Friday, you can offer a special promo on related cross-sell items or discounted upgrades as an upsell.

Use Black Friday Marketing Strategies To Boost Your Sales and Revenue

Black Friday is just around the corner, and it’s a once-in-a-year opportunity you shouldn’t miss. 

You’re more likely to make most of your annual sales during Black Friday than at any other time of the year. So, start planning for your Black Friday campaign as soon as possible.

Hopefully, this guide has given you a head start on creating a successful Black Friday campaign, attracting new shoppers, converting them into loyal customers, and boosting your revenue.

Do you know more Black Friday marketing strategies we haven’t mentioned? Share the post with your answers.