If you’ve seen the viral clips of shoppers nearly ripping each other’s arms off for a new vacuum or stampeding into Walmart for a new TV, you know Black Friday is no joke. People love a good deal. Maybe a bit too much. But hey, that’s not necessarily a bad thing – especially if you run a business.
Did you know consumers spend roughly $11.3 billion on Cyber Monday yearly? That’s “billion” with a B!
Every BFCM season is a golden opportunity for businesses like yours. But here’s the thing – your competitors, including those big box stores, know this too. They’re probably cooking up their own deals as we speak.
If you want to stay ahead of the game, you need a solid game plan for this season. Here’s everything you need to get started.
The Importance of Early Preparation
Ideally, you already started preparations yesterday (seriously.)
Think about it this way: by planning earlier, you’re giving yourself plenty of time to think things through and create a killer strategy. But if you wait until the last minute, you might find yourself scrambling around like a headless chicken, trying to throw something together.
Plus, let’s not forget about your customers. They know BFCM is coming too, and they’re already on the lookout for deals. If they blow their budget on other sales, they might not have any cash left for your offers.
So, by getting a head start, you’re setting yourself up for success.
Avoid Last-Minute Stress
Starting early means you can take your time and do things right. You don’t have to drop everything else because BFCM is coming up. It’s not like you can ignore accounting, inventory, marketing, and customer service just because the holidays are coming up!
By prepping bit by bit each day, you won’t have to throw everything else aside when BFCM comes knocking. Plus, you’re less likely to make mistakes or overlook important details when you’re not stressed out. Win-win!
Optimize Your Website
Next, let’s discuss your website. If you’re expecting a big jump in traffic (and let’s face it, you should be), you might need to make some changes.
First, chat with your hosting provider about upping your hosting plan. You want to make sure your site can handle all those eager shoppers without crashing.
While you’re at it, why not give your Shopify site a speed boost? You can do this by shrinking your image sizes, cleaning up your code, and turning on browser caching. And since you’ll be getting more eyeballs on your site, make sure your SEO game is strong. You’ll rank higher on Google and attract more potential customers.
Here’s a quick checklist for sprucing up your website’s SEO:
- Update your product descriptions with relevant keywords
- Make sure your site structure is easy to navigate
- Create unique title tags and meta descriptions for each page
- Optimize your images with alt text
- Ensure your site is mobile-friendly (more on that later!)
Build Your Email List
Now is the time to beef up that email list of yours. Adding as many relevant addresses as possible to your list is a tried and tested way to boost your BFCM sales.
Try creating a lead magnet or freebie to get more people to join your list. These could be a discount code, free shipping offer, or even a gift with each purchase. People love free stuff, and they’ll happily hand over their email addresses in exchange.
Remember, the earlier you start building your list, the more time you’ll have to send out those targeted campaigns as BFCM approaches.
Key Elements for a Successful BFCM Strategy
Since you’ll be preparing early, we might as well give you the various elements you’ll need so you can start working on them right away.
Here is what you need to consider for your BFCM strategy:
High-Quality Visuals
Shopping is a very visual activity, especially online. Would you buy a t-shirt if the website just had a text saying, “We promise it’s pretty,” with no pictures? I didn’t think so. In fact, 75% of online shoppers rely on product photos to make their buying decisions.
Even if you already have some on your website, BFCM is the perfect excuse to give them a fresh makeover. Let’s break visuals down into two parts:
Custom Photos
Custom photos are the bread and butter of product promotion. They’re what customers expect to see, especially for things like clothing, jewelry, and gifts. Forget stock photos—they’re about as trustworthy as a used car salesman. Instead, invest in professional product photography that makes your items shine.
Your photos should scream “you.” Every brand needs its own unique style and look. During BFCM, keep this consistent across all platforms.
Videos
Videos aren’t meant to replace your photos – you’ll need both. But they can give your customers that extra push to hit the “Buy Now” button. With 73% of consumers more likely to purchase after watching a video, it’s worth considering.
Try to shoot your videos in a way that helps customers imagine the product in their own lives. For example, if you run a spa, you could have videos of your treatments so customers can picture themselves there, feeling all relaxed and pampered.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with your videos. You could do a behind-the-scenes look at how your products are made or introduce the faces behind your business. People love that personal touch!
Optimized Shopify Website
Next, let’s make sure your Shopify website is ready to rock and roll by BFCM. Actually, it should be ready even before that because customers might start window shopping before the sale begins.
User Experience
In simple terms, UX refers to how easy and enjoyable it is for people to use your website. Up to 88% of online shoppers say they’re less likely to return to a site after a bad experience, and we don’t want that.
If you want to provide a good user experience, remember this magic word: easy. It should be easy to navigate, easy to find what users are looking for, and, basically, easy to use.
Keep your website clean and organized, with clear categories and search options. A good way to check this is to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Start from your homepage or landing page and go through the process of finding a product and checking out. Are there any bumps along the way?
Here are some things to watch out for:
- Slow loading times
- Confusing navigation menus
- Hard-to-find search bar
- Cluttered product pages
- Complicated checkout process
Mobile Optimization
As of 2024, over 70% of online shopping happens on mobile devices. So, if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re potentially missing out on a lot of sales.
Luckily, making your site mobile-friendly is easier than ever. Shopify provides templates that are already set up for mobile, but it never hurts to double-check. Beyond your theme, try to:
- Keep your images small to help with loading times
- Use fonts and colors that are easy to read on smaller screens
- Make sure all your buttons and links are easy to tap (even with chubby fingers!)
Once again, the best way to ensure your site works well on mobile is to test it yourself. Try it out on different devices—your iPhone, your friend’s Samsung, or maybe even your grandma’s ancient tablet. If it works well on all of those, you’re golden.
Clear Call-to-Actions
Last but definitely not least, let’s talk about CTAs (that’s short for Call-to-Actions). These buttons or links tell your customers what to do next, like “Shop Now” or “Add to Cart.”
During BFCM, your CTAs become even more important. Your customers are probably in a frenzy, with fifteen different tabs open on different websites looking at different deals. A clear CTA can help them refocus and make a decision quickly.
A few tips for creating effective CTAs:
- Use action words (like “Shop” instead of “View”)
- Make your buttons stand out with contrasting colors
- Create a sense of urgency (like “Limited Time Offer!”)
Effective Email Marketing
Remember how we talked about building your email list earlier? Now it’s time to put that list to work!
Segmentation
Not all customers are the same, so why send them all the same email? With segmentation, you won’t have to. It’s just a fancy way of saying, “dividing your email list into smaller groups.”
You could segment based on things like:
- Previous purchases (For a beauty salon, this could be “customers who’ve had facials” vs. “customers who’ve had massages”)
- Location (Maybe you want to offer free in-store pickup for local customers)
- Interests (For example, “customers interested in anti-aging products” vs. “customers interested in acne treatments”)
Shopify has built-in tools that make this super easy. And remember, the more data you gather about your customers, the better you can segment your list. So start collecting that info now!
Personalization
According to McKinsey research, 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interaction, and 76% get frustrated when this doesn’t happen. It’s true; personalization is a big deal.
However, personalization is more than just slapping someone’s name in the subject line. It’s about making each email feel like it was written just for that person.
For example, if you’re a cosmetic brand, you could look at a customer’s purchase history and say, “Hey Sarah! We noticed you loved our hydrating face cream. We think you’d also love our new moisturizing lip balm!”
You can also use things like customer preferences and demographics to personalize your offers. So you might have different BFCM deals for different groups of customers.
Automation
Now, here’s the best part about all of this – you won’t have to lift a finger once Black Friday rolls around. With the right software, you can set up email sequences that go out automatically. These can be triggered by certain events or just be a series of emails you have lined up.
Remember, you want to start sending emails early, at least a few weeks before the big day.
For example:
- One month before: Send an email with tips on how to prepare for Black Friday
- Two weeks before: Tease your upcoming deals
- The night before: Send a final reminder that the big day has arrived
Automation saves you tons of time and makes sure your customers get the right messages at the right time. And don’t worry – most of these tools are super user-friendly and don’t require you to have any coding skills.
Tips for Competing with Big Box Stores
Even with all these tips in your back pocket, you might still be worried about competing with the big dogs. And that’s totally understandable. You can bet they’ve checked off everything on this list, too.
But here’s the thing – being a smaller business has its perks. Let’s talk about how you can use them to your advantage.
Offer Unique Products
As a small business owner, you’re not tied down by the same rules as big box stores. You can be quicker and more flexible with your product selection.
When a big box store wants to bring in a new product line, they have to jump through all sorts of hoops. They need approval from head office, the green light from corporate, and probably a small miracle too.
But you? You can make decisions faster. You can offer unique products that can’t be found anywhere else. Maybe it’s a locally made, handcrafted item that’s only available in your store.
Whatever makes your products special, make sure your customers know about it. Your prices are unbeatable, or you have the best selection of eco-friendly products in town. Whatever it is, shout it from the rooftops.
Provide Exceptional Customer Service
We’ve all been there – stuck on hold or talking to a robot when trying to get help from a big company. And we more likely than not all hated it.
As a smaller business, you have a golden opportunity here. You can provide the kind of personal, one-on-one service that big companies just can’t match. This kind of care can turn first-time shoppers into lifelong fans.
Show your customers how you go above and beyond. For instance, you could offer free delivery or take the time to make personalized product recommendations. And when possible, offer a no-questions-asked return policy. It gives your customers peace of mind and shows them that their happiness is your top priority.
Leverage Social Media
As we know, social media has leveled the playing field in the e-commerce industry. All it takes is one viral post or a collaboration with the right influencer to get your name out there and get a significant influx of sales. If you can time that with BFCM, who knows how far it could get you?
Here are some tips for making the most of social media:
- Post consistently
- Engage with your followers (reply to comments, ask questions)
- Share behind-the-scenes content
- Use relevant hashtags
- Collaborate with other local businesses or influencers
Remember to stay true to your brand and showcase what makes you unique. I also recommend following the 80/20 rule. Only about 20% of your posts should be promotional. The other 80% should focus on providing value and engaging with your audience. (You can bump this up to 30% promotional content in the weeks leading up to BFCM.)
Create a Sense of Urgency
Last but not least, let’s talk about creating urgency. This is one of the most important tricks in your BFCM toolbox.
Big box stores seem to have sales every other week, so it kind of loses its charm after a while. Plus, they usually have so much inventory that customers know they can come back any time and still find what they want.
This is where being small works in your favor. Make your BFCM event feel special and exclusive. Build up excitement in the weeks leading up to it. Then, when the big day arrives, release limited quantities of products at discounted prices.
This creates a “now or never” feeling for your customers. They know they need to act fast, or they might miss out. And nothing motivates a shopper quite like the fear of missing out!
Now You’re Ready for Black Friday Cyber Monday Success
By following these tips and getting a head start on your prep, you can set your e-commerce business up for BFCM success. Remember, with a solid strategy and a focus on providing value, you can hold your own against even the biggest retailers.
If you need a hand with anything from planning your strategy to getting those perfect product photos, that’s what we’re here for! At Focus Creative, we’re all about using visual marketing to help small businesses like yours tell their story.
