Whether it’s in-store doorbusters in their home mailboxes, new products on TV or OTT, or constant digital ads in their feeds, consumers are utterly barraged by advertising over the Black Friday weekend. Because of the increased competition, it’s critical to double down on communicating your positioning and competitive advantage to your target market.
The easiest way to match your audience and communications is to use your first-party data to reach the people who are already brand-aware. Mine the most productive veins of your year-round marketing strategies by serving relevant upsells to your previous customers on the same channels that they’ve typically seen your brand.
But your Black Friday campaigns won’t just be for your customers. Create a strong “Big Idea” that clearly explains the benefits to your target audience stemming from the product’s features and use that throughout your messaging, making a convincing campaign throughout the Black Friday buying journey.
Doug R Thomas – Marketing Strategist
Magniventris
The key to a successful digital “Black Fiveday Weekend” is preparation. While seemingly straightforward, preparation is often under planned. Knowing the types of promotions and messaging an e-retailer intends on running is the bare minimum. Advertisers need to ensure they have taken the time to analyze the forecasted trends of the marketplace, including anticipating increased year-over-year costs and realistic demand due to rising competition, which can help infer the best timing and positioning for promotions. Furthermore, an e-retailer will need to have a strong understanding of their inventory to guarantee promotions are well-suited for demand at the product-level or ensure that products with limited quantities are paired with limited-time promos. Lastly, e-retailers and advertisers alike need to make certain that they have built-in contingency timing for extended approval periods for creative in digital platforms. Even brief delays can have unanticipated impacts on your digital holiday performance.
David Sutton – Director, Strategy
Lever Interactive
The demand for an impeccable online mobile experience is higher than ever, so be sure to plan your Black Friday marketing with mobile at the forefront of your strategy. Your audience will be expecting a seamless, quick experience with your brand at the click of a button, whilst they are on the move with their smartphone devices.You need to ensure you won’t miss out on potential sales due to technological barriers onsite, causing shoppers to bounce and purchase with one of your competitors. Every aspect of your website should be responsive and convenient for the customer.
Kelly Baker – Paid Media Account Specialist
Clicky Media
See more tips from Rover, GroupM Ireland, and Infogroup.
Brian Roizen is the Cofounder and Chief Architect of Feedonomics, a full-service feed optimization platform that optimizes product data for hundreds of channels. He has been featured on numerous podcasts and eCommerce webinars, and regularly contributes to Search Engine Land and other industry-leading blogs. Brian graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
