Summary-Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year for most people with more consumers planning to shop in stores and online between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Adding to this, Covid-19 reality has changed how online retailers profit from Black Friday. Gone are the days of staying hours outside storefronts in the cold. In 2021, most Black Friday transactions took place online with 53% mobile and 43% desktop. And that’s a big chance for online retailers to drive more sales and profits using the best email marketing strategies.
The goal should be to to reach not only more potential customers but give those already on your subscriber mailing list unique and exclusive offers in a fresh and creative way using a good email marketing strategy. People are used to getting all kinds of email promos and advertising daily in their inboxes but only the ones that stand out in a creative way will get their attention.
In this post, we will share powerful ideas to build the perfect Black Friday email marketing strategy that will allow you to boost your seasonal sales like a pro.
Table of content:
1. Win Your Suscribers’ Attention for Black Friday
2. Pre-Black Friday Emails
3. Motivate Your Subscribers with Free Gifts
4. Go Beyond Black Friday Promos
5. Offer Free Shipping and Exclusive Coupons
Many companies miss out on opportunities to take advantage of seasons like Black Friday because they don't have a clear strategy for approaching potential customers through email marketing. Not having a plan is something that cannot be afforded today. In a world of companies saturating customers' inboxes offering all kinds of products, a strategy is essential to reach them. Using the right words, layout, and attractive subject lines and sending them at the right time can make a huge difference.
Creativity is vital when we want to stand out in the email marketing business. The right B2C approach applied correctly will ultimately lead to the best results.
1. Win Your Subscribers' Attention for Black Friday
Much like a trailer teases a Netflix movie, the teaser email is a way to create a subscriber’s excitement for your upcoming Black Friday deals. The main objective of your mailings should be to attract the attention of potential customers so that they do not miss the promotions. Using provocative subject lines may tease potential customers to open the mail and create expectations for what they can get.
A Subject Line that Stands Out
As you know, consumers will start searching for deals and discounts as early as possible. They will receive lots of emails advertising Black Friday deals. To take advantage of this purchase intent, it’s essential to have a creative subject line teaser. It’s a battle for attention!
Let's take a look at some examples of what companies generally do in their email marketing campaigns.
Chubbies.com captures the attention of its subscribers with an eye-catching subject line, making them wonder what the email is about. This kind of creative writing takes advantage of the few characters in the subject line of an email.
A subject line like this will certainly tease a subscriber. Your subscribers will feel compelled to open the email if they want to understand how and why your business decided to cancel Black Friday. Once you get their attention you are ready to give all kinds of discounts and deals.
While Black Friday is coming up, Bellroy entices its subscribers. The message is straightforward, they can be browsing the entire website before Black Friday. The goal is to create more traffic and more likely sales. This way they won't forget they have pending promotions waiting for them.
Black Friday emails often include a straightforward deal announcement and a CTA that emphasizes availability. But one of the best ways to use emails is by offering subscriber-exclusive promotions before Black Friday. The main goal is to create a curiosity gap that makes customers feel attracted to your promotions to come.
The idea is that subscribers receive a benefit if they are on Bellroy's mailing list. The copy intention is to get the attention and expectation of those who receive the mailing and make sure they receive the offers.
All potential customers must perceive that they are being offered something unique and that they can't miss it. This sense of urgency drives many to respond positively to your email marketing campaign. They must feel that they are getting something special for Black Friday in addition to what they are generally offered.
2. Pre-Black Friday Emails
Don’t make them wait
People must be convinced that you are giving them the best Black Friday promotions, in the middle of all the offers in the market. That is the reason to use attractive subject lines that effectively deliver what they promise. Nobody likes to be fooled.
Kate Spade attracts the attention of its subscribers by asking them provocative questions in their subject line. Those questions lead to potential shoppers to the pre- Black Friday deals without waiting for November.
Displaying the discount percentage in a way that catches the subscriber's attention is the best way to create a lasting impression that they should not wait until Black Friday to make a purchase.
Also, to arouse interest in your audience and encourage them to return for more wonderful deals from your company, you might create teaser emails or early-bird discounts. The pre-Black Friday period can begin as early as mid-October, therefore businesses must make their debut by then.
Generally, the majority of us enjoy surprises, especially if they will benefit us. In order to save you from having to wait another day, Kate Spade also holds a surprise sale before Black Friday. Subscribers have immediate access to the best products at the lowest prices. 75% is a great percentage to compete with Black Friday deals. Don't forget to insist on the fact that it is a surprise.
It is important to let customers know as soon as possible that you are offering promotions. If you launch before Friday, don't be hesitant to explain your decision to your subscribers and remind them that they are on your list for a reason.
With enticing wording like this "A VIP like you should never have to wait...", a furniture company gave its readers the opportunity to skip the line and browse its bestsellers before anybody else. This is what we mean when using creative writing for email marketing, to attract all your subscribers and not to miss out on what you have prepared especially for them.
The objective is to provide new buyers with a Black Friday preview sale to get them ready for the big day event.
3. Motivate Your Subscribers with Free Gifts
Black Friday deals don't always motivate people. Due to the fact that many businesses constantly advertise bargains, readers quickly become indifferent to them. There are literally hundreds of Black Friday bargains available to customers. How can we reach out to them? Motivation is the #1 factor. Let's motivate our subscribers with freebies!
This company describes the promotion in detail. In each range of purchases, subscribers get a free item. The message should be clear and direct: the higher the purchase, the more valuable the product they get.
How can you get the attention of your subscribers in a distinctive and original way? Giving away something for free with a particular purchase is one technique to encourage readers to take action. People will always be drawn to a company when it truly offers them something for nothing.
In this case, when a business has a full catalog of freebies, the subscribers will feel motivated to get a deal because at the end of the day who doesn't like to get more for the same money? The motivation of a freebie can turn an undecided subscriber into a happy shopper.
Eye-catching email header
Another good idea is to create a website popup that alerts exiting visitors to an offer while they are viewing specific product pages if you wish to expand on emails like these. The highlighted text in an eye-catching email header should refer to these freebies and their value to create more impact.
Also, another creative way to grab shoppers' attention is by breaking down the content of the freebies making the offer even more attractive because customers will be able to tell if what they are getting for free is really worth it. It will be more difficult for them to reject your Black Friday email the more explicit you are about what they will receive.
Many companies insist on giving freebies in their promotions and discounts to attract more customers. But it is not enough just to do this, you can do something extra to enhance this strategy: explain in detail the freebies. That makes a promotion irresistible!
4. Go Beyond Black Friday Promos
Most people are looking for the best deals on Black Friday, but most of the time an increasing number of companies are continuing their bargains over the weekend and into Cyber Monday. Creating a promotion that starts on Black Friday and lasts all weekend long is a very good strategy. Email your shoppers to let them know the discount has been extended. This will encourage them to revisit your site and make a purchase they've been considering.
Black Friday is a much-anticipated occasion throughout the year to buy what people like most, so companies can't afford to miss it. Unfortunately, some shoppers miss Black Friday so extending promotions through Cyber Monday is the best thing you can do to achieve higher sales and a wider reach.
Promoting for one more week after Black Friday gives your subscribers the chance not to miss out on deals they may have been thinking of buying. In this case, this ad is clear and direct, it gives the customer the option to not only take advantage of discounts but also to choose what type of product they want during Cyber Monday and Cyber Week.
This gives the impression that customers don't have to rush to choose but have a one-week window to buy. The longer you extend promotions and make them attractive to buyers, the better your chances of achieving better sales will increase considerably.
NatGeo has extended its Black Friday offer on books, DVDs, maps, and travel gear for another week. In addition to that, it includes a special offer that includes its attractive price.
We must always give the impression that we want our subscribers to have the time to be able to see and choose what they like most about our products and services. No one wants to be pressured into buying. But...
A sense of urgency
We also may include the opposite strategy, we may include a sense of urgency mixed with an extra discount that increases the chance of reaching many more customers and achieving many more sales than conventional rebates. The best part of this approach is that it only takes one email to be modified to reflect a new deal that starts the following Saturday if your readers missed the Black Friday deals.
The purpose of this flyer is to attract attention. How do they do it? The subscriber has more promotions to take advantage of and must do it before time runs out. This strategy is appropriate when Cyber Monday or Black Friday is about to end.
The main idea, at the end of the day, is that they can take the time they need during the week following Black Friday to make a smart purchase. But at the same time, we remind them that this week is coming to an end soon and they should not miss out on the discounts.
5. Offer Free Shipping and Exclusive Coupons
One of the top Black Friday suggestions for e-commerce is free shipping. Simply put, people dislike having to pay for shipping. In reality, it occasionally has the power to decide whether or not to proceed with a purchase. Sending consumers an email informing them all of your most popular items will have free delivery on Black Friday is another good way to get their attention. This is important to prevent them from leaving items in their shopping carts.
Many consumers will assume free shipping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Compare the price of free shipping to the discount you're providing keeping in mind that interestingly, many customers would prefer free shipping worth $6 to a $10 discount, for instance.
You might view it as a chance too good to pass up given that free delivery persuaded 64% of buyers to make a purchase.
The idea is not to let undecided customers go, so this is one of the best ways to drive conversions. To maximize sales within a little window of opportunity on Black Friday, you can even restrict free delivery to a specific number of hours. In addition, you may add a Black Friday coupon code. It's the oldest Black Friday marketing technique but also one of the most effective.
Exclusive coupons
An eye-catcher will constantly be providing more discounts. What more effective way to do that than using coupons? People are aware that there will be several discounts on all brands, so what could be better than opening their inbox to discover an amazing and one-of-a-kind deal via a discount code?
The sense of being rewarded is key in this strategy. Your subscribers know they will get things that no regular customer gets in the end-of-year Black Friday season. The idea behind is to give them a special discount that they can only get when they receive the mail. A brand that always thinks about its subscribers and gives them the best options, such as coupons, to receive extra discounts on Black Friday will build loyalty.
Conclusion
Black Friday presents brands with a fantastic chance to close the quarter on a positive note. You may reach the right customers with the right offers at the right time by employing a strong email marketing strategy and well-planned Black Friday emails. Naturally, after it's finished, you need to start considering how you're going to organize your Christmas marketing campaign.
For Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2022, consumer online spending appears to be strong. Your eCommerce site needs to prepare as soon as possible for the sudden flood of holiday shoppers looking for the greatest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers since the world today is prepared to shop online.
