eCommerce Business Guide: Getting your Ads Ready For Black Friday
Especially for businesses in the eCommerce niche, getting ready for #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday is of utmost importance. With more people shopping online than ever before, brands need to be prepared for people buying gifts for their loved ones and themselves on that busy shopping weekend. In addition, people may be working with higher budgets this year. According to a study from Future on inflation and holiday shopping, approximately 2 in 5 shoppers are expecting their Black Friday budgets to increase this year. In addition, the study found that,
“There will be higher participation in this year’s Black Friday sales, and expected spend is set to be higher. Purchases will mostly be gifts for others, with some respondents treating themselves. The top deals people are looking for in the sales are TVs and smartphones, while clothes, toys, and jewelry rank high on consumer’s deal-seeking agenda.”
To help meet this boosted consumer demand, many businesses must prepare by using the appropriate ads for the occasion. However, getting the most out of ads isn’t as simple as hitting “boost” on Facebook. There’s a lot you need to consider to drive customers to your website this Black Friday.
Working with ads for clients across eCommerce and other business niches, we wanted to create a guide for running ads with #BlackFriday, #CyberMonday, and beyond. Read our complete guide to help get your eCommerce business website prepared!
1. Design Your Landing Page and Marketing Materials to Convert
Before you even think about creating ad campaigns for your business, you must ensure your website and marketing workflows are ready. You don’t want people on your website, unable to find out where to purchase or what the sales are. That’s why it’s crucial to start brainstorming now. Ask yourself questions like:
What type of sale do I want to run?
Do I want to do discounts on certain products? Which products?
Do I want a code, or do I want it to be already applied?
How do I want to notify people about the sale?
How long do I want it for?
You need to have language on your website on the day of the sale to answer all of these questions. In addition, you will want to have campaigns around the deal on both email marketing and social marketing.
That way, you will get people on the site with the sale. Yes, you can do Google and Social Media advertising as well, but you need organic content about the sale so you can notify the already existing audience.
Once you plan your ad, draft the ad content to be added to your website, so it’s ready to go as soon as #BlackFriday hits. You can learn tips on creating coupons and sales for eCommerce with this Wix guide.
2. Maximize your Ad Spend
Because Ads across social and search are an auction system, they will be more expensive closer to Black Friday. In general, the cost-per-click will be higher, which is why you should focus on smaller demographics and niche audiences. Ask yourself questions like:
Who would be most interested in this sale?
What area does my key demographic reside in?
What interests and niches should I keep in mind?
Where should I be advertising?
How do I reach my core audience?
Asking yourself these questions will help you define your ad campaign. In addition, it might be worth considering which platforms to run ads on. If you do best on Facebook, consider prioritizing ads on the platform. Chances are people may be browsing Facebook during Thanksgiving dinner!
In addition, keep in mind platforms where it might not be best. LinkedIn is not the best platform if you're doing more consumer goods. In addition, because Twitter is going through a variety of changes and layoffs concerning the Elon Musk takeover, many advertisers and groups are advising to pause spending or stay away from the platform.
Of course, budget your ad spend in a way that makes sense for you and your audience. That way, you can make the most out of every dollar you spend.
3. Optimize the Promotion
When it comes to actually creating the ad, you need to think about how you can make sure it has the most impact and that it runs efficiently. That means that your ads need to be planned correctly to get the most bang for your buck. Ask yourself:
How many campaigns should I run?
How long should I run this Ad?
Should I have different promotions for #BlackFriday, #CyberMonday, #SmallBusinessSaturday, etc.?
What does the content look like?
The answers to these questions will help you determine how to build out the Ad. In addition, this will determine the graphic and copy for the ad. People want to know precisely how long an ad is running and what they are getting.
That’s why copywriting is crucial to creating a fully optimized, successful ad. You need a snappy headline and engaging copy to make sure potential customers click out to your website. With dynamic headline features in Google and Meta to guide you, as well as doing keyword research on your business niche, you can build out content that ensures your ads convert.
In addition, people like incentives. If you’re not already running a sale for Black Friday weekend, add one! You can make the deal that much more enticing with a discount or some other value add like an additional item with purchase.
4. Utilize Every Shopping Holiday Available
While you may run the same promotion from #BlackFriday through #GivingTuesday, it’s essential to know how you utilize each day of this shopping holiday. Some sales even start on Thanksgiving day!
It’s crucial to think about how you can utilize every single day from Thanksgiving on to target your audience, whether on your website, in ads, on social media, or in your emails. Here are our recommendations for each hashtag holiday:
#BlackFriday- Start your promotions! All eCommerce businesses can take advantage of this day to kick off their different sales. Start your promotions leading up to this day!
#SmallBusinessSaturday- Are you a small business? Write content and advertisements about your brick-and-mortar business to get people shopping and supporting your business. This is a great time to feature your community and what makes it unique!
#CyberMonday- Chances are, you’re probably online! Make sure to promote your online sales and bill it as a great chance to take advantage of deals they might have missed on #BlackFriday. This is also a great day to add a special “CYBER” banner to your website!
#GivingTuesday- Even if you’re not a nonprofit, this is a day when many consumers choose to give back to nonprofits. As a brand, you can focus on non-profits you’re passionate about in your marketing efforts so that your customers know that you care. This is also a great way to show off your brand values!
Of course, these are just a few ideas to help you get started. Taking advantage of these days will keep your customers engaged through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and potentially lead to some purchases. Whether you do individual campaigns or not, all of these days are important to keep in mind.
Need Help With Your Black Friday Ads?
While Thanksgiving and Black Friday are coming fast, there is still some time to make sure your ads are ready for holiday shopping. At Corridor Consulting Company, we support businesses by helping them run engaging ads that convert.
By providing detailed reporting, analyzing, and optimizing your accounts, we can ensure that you get the most out of every ad dollar they spend. That way, you can focus on what you do best for your business, and we can focus on bringing your ads to the next level. If you’re ready to get help with your ads, we’d be happy to talk to you further.
Corridor Consulting Company is an experienced team of marketers and strategists dedicated to helping businesses produce content with impact.
Our team of creative social media managers, designers, ad experts, and copywriters is ready to help you craft exciting new ideas and implement them to grow your business. Since opening our doors in 2018, we’re proud to say that we have a more extensive list of returning and new clients each year. Contact Corridor Consulting today, and let’s talk about your business goals. We’d love to put our expertise to work for your business. Eager to learn more about digital marketing, network with other business owners, and get tips and tricks for growing your business? Join the Corridor Community today!