SOMO’s guide to ensure you and your agency are on the same page and primed to sell more during the peak BFCM period
It can make or break a year, and the old adage ‘fail to plan, plan to fail’ couldn’t be truer when it comes to Q4 sales, especially the global super sale that is Black Friday.
The below is not a complete list of everything you need to remember or do for BFCM success. It’s a simple checklist designed to highlight a few things that you may have missed which will help you get the most out of this exciting and crucial time of the year. It’s vital you and your agency are on the same page and 100% ready to execute come the big day.
- Create a Calendar of activity for you and the client!
The agency needs to be aware of what the client is doing so we can support their activity. Ensure all marketing channels are covered and the key messaging is consistent throughout. It sounds simple, but you need to be operating as one team, it’s all hands on deck. - Actively grow your email list before the sale
Leading up to the sale create a lead-generation campaign to boost your email list. Target new customers and also existing customers who are not subscribed to your email list already. Money invested here is always well spent. - Promote your email list via organic socials
Many people following you on social media will not be on your email list. They’re already fans and warm to the brand, capture their data where you can market to them for free incentivising & encouraging them to join the list and be the first to know when the sale goes live. - Update your automated email flows with Black Friday messaging
Make sure each automated email going out during the sale period is promoting the Black Friday sale. Make sure your comms are consistent and it’s all about the sale. Your evergreen flows might have offers that you’ve disabled through the sale and you don’t want to add any confusion to the customer journey. - Speed up your automated email flows
Reduce the time that the Browse Abandon and Abandoned Cart emails are sent out. Don’t wait hours, drop the time down so people don’t forget about you. There’s a very good chance your potential customer is shopping around and looking at your competitor’s products, we want to be very noisy and remain front of mind during the consideration phase. - Use the #BlackFriday hashtag on organic socials
People use #BlackFriday to find new products and great deals. It’s a simple and free tactic to get your product and business in front of active shoppers. - Be ready to respond to queries
If someone has a question you need to get back to them as soon as possible. The longer you take to respond the more likely they have found a deal elsewhere. Great customer service will pay dividends during BFCM, get everybody onboard and up to speed with your FAQs so you can respond to as many people as possible in a timely manner. - Keep your best-performing evergreen ads live
Don’t be afraid to keep your consistent evergreen ad live. The social proof and ad history can help ensure you’re still driving relevant traffic to your site while the new sale ads are in the learning phase. The pleasant surprise the customer gets when they land on your site and learn you’re on sale will also boost your conversion rate. - Make sure the sale and discount onsite is prominent and clearly visible
Again, if you’re going to go on sale for Black Friday, go all in. Too many times we’ve seen brands only dip their toes and be hesitant to own their sale. Some attention grabbing areas to consider changing are your popups, hero banner, highlights bar, category and product pages. - Make sure the discount code is live!
People start their Black Friday shopping right at midnight. Make sure your discount code is already live, especially if you have customers around the world. - Plan your budget!
Have a conversation with your agency around stock levels and forecasted sales and budget. If sales are better or worse than expected you need to have a plan on how you’re going to deal with both scenarios. Before the sale starts, agree with the client on what ROAS you can continue to spend. If your ROAS is well above target, you’re missing out on sales.
We hope our checklist enables you and your agency to ensure you get the most out of this sales period. If you need any help, remember that our expertise as a performance-based digital marketing agency is just a contact away and we are always ready to help you thrive.
