It's crunch time for Black Friday! Luckily, you still have time to improve and implement digital marketing, which is more important than ever.
Over the last decade, Black Friday has evolved from an in-store to an online shopping experience.
Last year, the average in-store spending on Thanksgiving Weekend fell to $220, a 22 percent drop from 2006. Online sales continue to rise. This year, online shopping is expected to drive 50 percent of Black Friday sales, according to the National Retail Federation.
Below are five last-minute digital marketing tips to make the most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
1. It's never too late for email
Last year, email marketing drove over 27 percent of holiday sales, according to Custora. Annually, nearly half of Americans learn about Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals via email.
Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to drive sales and engage consumers during the holiday season. You still have time to send emails to your mailing list about Black Friday deals.
Send emails at the below times for the best results. Experian analyzed the success of emails last season to pinpoint the most effective times to send.
- Send emails on Black Friday between 4-8 a.m. to drive the most revenue
- Avoid sending emails on Cyber Monday since most customers have already made or planned their purchases
- Instead, send emails the Sunday before Cyber Monday between 8-11:59 a.m. or 4-7:59 p.m.
2. Promote social media posts
Make the most of your last-minute social media posts by promoting them. Otherwise, it's easy for your content to get lost in the noise.
Creating an ad campaign ensures your content gets seen. Target your current customers and show the posts repeatedly to drive the most clicks.
3. Slash prices of high-inventory items
In the past, drastically slashing prices for limited inventory products drove foot traffic. In the online shopping world, this tactic does not work. If shoppers can't purchase an advertised deal on your site, they'll make the purchase at another retailer.
Having products in stock and guaranteeing online delivery results in an online purchase for 62 percent of shoppers. Reduce prices of items you know you won't run out of to make more sales.
4. Add free shipping and free returns
One of the easiest ways to increase online sales this holiday season is to offer free shipping and free returns. 96 percent of online shoppers are more likely to shop on a site if it offers free shipping. 87 percent of those same consumers are more likely to shop on a site if it offers free returns, found Lab42.
Free shipping and free returns take the risk out of online shopping.
5. See what worked last year
Stuck about what marketing moves to make? Look at last year's strategy. Review your most successful social media posts, see what products drove the most sales and analyze the ads that brought in the most clicks and conversions.
While the specific products change year to year, language and marketing tactics typically stay the same. If your business is really in a crunch, simply spice up your marketing materials from 2014.
