4 Tips to Start Your Black Friday Social Media Strategy
November 16th, 2016 by
With the holiday season approaching quickly, many businesses are beginning to plan out how they will boost their sales during this peak season. For some, this all starts with a Black Friday marketing strategy.
Black Friday
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, and it is considered one of the most profitable shopping holidays in the United States, as well as my favorite shopping day of the year. According to Adobe, in 2015, Black Friday generated 2.72 billion dollars in sales. Businesses are turning to social media to generate brand awareness and boost sales. They are targeting related profiles and customers that often follow the same brands as their friends.
Utilizing Social Media for Black Friday
Source: http://danielbussius.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/social-media-marketing-image.png
The majority of businesses, whether they are looking to boost online or in-store sales, will leverage social media messaging in their marketing “master plan.” The following social media tips could help your business stand out amongst other retailers when you begin your Black Friday social media strategy.
1: Start Your Messaging Early, But Not Too Early
Buyers have a tendency to plan out their purchases before Black Friday. Businesses that wait until Black Friday to post their messaging are not taking full advantage of making their shoppers aware of their sales in advance. However, the exact timing and positioning of your messaging will be unique to your business and industry. It is a good idea to look back in your analytics from last year to see when user engagement started to increase and decrease.
2: Know Your Demographic Per Social Platform
Tailor your social media content per platform based on the audience and demographics you target on each. You can promote the same discounts or promotions, but you will have the ability to reach different audiences by your messaging on several channels. Posting shareable content that audiences are engaged in is a great way to also boost your social media followers. It’s a win-win.
3: Learn From Your Competitors
When creating a social media strategy, it is extremely helpful to compare your past social media campaigns’ successes and misses. However, it is just as important to also analyze your competitors’ past campaigns to see what was successful and not so successful to get a good baseline for your upcoming campaign. You can learn from their past mistakes and also identify best practices for your industry.
4: Engage Consumers That Promote Your Brand
Many businesses can host contests or post engaging graphics on their channels that make current fans more inclined to “share.” When current fans share a post, their friends can see it. This can then boost the business’s social following and potentially engage new viewers to visit the page for more information. For example, running a Black Friday contest or promotion encouraging fans to share certain posts can boost your chance of gaining new fans during your sale. There are other great ways businesses can engage current fans to help promote Black Friday sales.
Social media isn’t the only tool businesses can use to promote offers and discounts this Black Friday, but these are platforms consumers look to in my opinion. Businesses that take advantage of preplanning and preparing social media strategies will most likely boost sales during the shopping weekend.
What social media strategies are you using to promote your Black Friday sales?
