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8 clever marketing hacks to try this BFCM
Black Friday-Cyber Monday is a double-edged sword for retailers. These big retail blowouts are an amazing chance to reach customers who are already on the lookout for deals and bargains. On the other hand, every retailer is doing the same thing, so it can be hard for your voice to be heard above the sheer volume of ad messages in the air.
Not to worry, we’ve got you. After decades in the game, working with thousands of retailers and looking at tons of research, we’ve figured out why some sellers seem more successful than others. We’ve turned those hard-won insights into a list of practical tips to help you get your message out there.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Find ways to connect
In our increasingly digital world, it’s easy to forget the power of human connection. But it turns out that customers are actually looking for more authentic, personal retail experiences, even when they’re shopping online. One study found that 38% of people surveyed felt that shopping is too impersonal, while 73% of respondents in another survey said customer experience was an important factor in purchasing decisions.
What does that mean at BFCM time? Don’t be afraid to start conversations and use your authentic voice with customers, in-store or online. Have a permanent chat or conversation channel on social media, so your customers know they can reach you anytime. And in everything you do, focus on why customers buy from you, not what they buy.
Choose the right channel
Choosing the right channel is about knowing where your customers are, not jumping on the latest trend. If your customer core is made up of women in their 50s, they’re not likely to be TikToking. If you’re trying to target young adults, Facebook is probably a no-go.
“You have to go where your customers are”, says Kate Gerwe, Sinch’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Sometimes this is fairly straightforward. If you run a restaurant, then you know you’re dealing with couples or families within a certain geographical radius. But in any business, really understanding your target customer is vital.”
It’s about building a deep understanding of your customers through surveys, purchase tracking, demographics and any other information you can find, so you can tailor your messaging to their needs. For example, if 90% of your audience are mums with newborns, Instagram could be a great way to connect. However, you don’t want to schedule a post or a Black Friday sales launch at 7 pm – that’s when they’ll be getting the baby to bed. The more you know, the more intentional you can be when it comes to planning a campaign.
Make it easy with SMS
With over half of all ecommerce sales coming through mobile devices, SMS is a great way to get quick, easy cut-through for many customer groups. During Black Friday and Cyber Monday, keeping it clear and simple with SMS is even more powerful. Imagine your customers scrolling through their emails looking for sales details or a discount code – wouldn’t it be easier if they could navigate to their SMS inbox?
SMS is also a great channel for those useful, time-sensitive messages that help you build relationships with customers. A quick sales update, a personalised discount code, or a follow-up after a big purchase – all these small moments are opportunities to connect with your customer.
Take SMS marketing for a spin
3. Personalise, personalise, personalise
Personalisation has been the buzzword in retail for a while – and for good reason.
“When we personalise messages to customers we see conversion rates double,” says Kelly Slessor, ecommerce coach and digital marketing expert. “Personalisation, in terms of name, product, category et cetera, brings a perceived elevation of status of the customer. It says someone cares enough to contact them individually.”
During Black Friday-Cyber Monday, you can use the power of personalisation to stand out from the email and SMS blasts. Nobody wants to feel like they’re getting the same marketing messages as everyone else – so use your customer data and comms channels to personalise as much as possible. This could mean sending SMS recommendations for sale products based on previous customer purchases, sending exclusive deals or discounts to high-value customers, or creating themed messages for different customer groups based on their interests and preferences. For example, customers who have a pattern of buying your gourmet food products could receive recipe videos and cooking product offers.
4. Chase those abandoned carts
Thanks to excited shoppers flitting between online stores and comparing deals, abandoned carts are everywhere during BFCM. While some shoppers will never look back, there are lots of reasons for cart abandonment – from using a shared computer or taking some time to think about a purchase to getting distracted by real life.
“Our attention span is three to eight seconds, so distraction is real,” explains Slessor. “Abandoned cart messages drive customers back to the cart and to their purchase.”
SMS is a simple way to reach out about abandoned carts – but be careful with messaging. We’ve all received an abandoned cart message that comes across as passive-aggressive or naggy, which can put you off the purchase entirely.
Here are our three golden rules for abandoned cart messages.
- Never send a message while the customer is still browsing your site – it makes them feel like they’re being watched.
- Wait at least an hour between the customer leaving and sending the message.
- Be super thoughtful about your tone of voice – you want it to sound like a helpful courtesy message, not a pushy sales pitch. It’s also smart to sweeten the deal with an extra discount or free shipping code if you can.
5. Stick to your brand story
Part of building an authentic brand voice is sharing brand stories—your values, your background and the when, where and why that drive your business. This can mean giving your customers a peek behind the scenes to show how your business works, sharing founder or employee stories, or using case studies to shout out customer success. This brings your brand to life for customers, helping build those magical connections that can be so powerful.
How does your brand story connect to Black Friday? Your underlying story gives you an authentic tone of voice, which should come through in all your communications, sales-related or not. You don’t want an abrupt shift from caring and eco-friendly to aggressive, sales-hungry corporate just because you’re having a sale.
A big sale is also a chance to live your values – you could donate a percentage of your BFCM profits to a charity that meshes with your mission, or include a link to your blog or customer success stories on your sales landing page.
6. Don’t waste time on the wrong customers
Advertising used to be about making sure as many people saw your billboard or TV ad as possible, hoping your target customers would be in the audience. These days, it’s not quite so easy. Audiences are fragmented, so there’s no way to reach most people with a single ad.
The good news? We now have way more information about our target audiences, so there’s no need for a scattershot approach.
“Just looking at your current customer base, you might split them into seasonal shoppers, VIP customers, first-time buyers, people who only purchase in a particular category and people who mostly browse, for example,” Kate Gerwe says. “These groups all have their unique purchase cadence and should be targeted with different messages at different times.”
For Black Friday-Cyber Monday, these insights can help you target specific audience segments and maximise your potential sales. Instead of sending every message to every customer, use your data to analyse customer segments, finding out who they are, what they’re interested in, their preferred communications channels and where they are in the purchase lifecycle. Then, you can direct unique campaigns, messages and offers to each group.
7. Be accessible to your customers
Reaching out is important – but what if a customer wants to talk to you? Many business owners forget that inbound communication channels are crucial, particularly when it comes to delivering those connected, personal customer experiences we keep banging on about. During Black Friday-Cyber Monday, keeping those channels open is even more important, as you’ll want to sort customer issues ASAP.
If you can’t keep up a presence on every channel or platform, look at your core customer group and figure out what the customer experience looks like for them. Are they browsing your website on a work laptop or from their phone on the couch? Are they out and about all day? Do most purchases happen in the evening or the morning? Are you selling more through Instagram, Google Ads or Facebook? The more information you can gather, the easier it should be to pinpoint the best channels for your customers.
For example, if most of your sales come through Instagram, it makes sense to monitor your messages there. If your customers are mobile-centric, two-way SMS could be a simple way to chat. If your customer base skews older, you might go back to good old email. It’s about being where your customers are, so they can reach you with zero fuss.
8. Avoid data overload
Customer data can be incredibly valuable, helping you get the right message to the right person at the right time and place. However, if you’re already scrambling to plan your BFCM campaign and set up sales, sifting through your CRM data can seem like a bridge too far.
There’s no way to look at every single piece of customer data, so focus on the key metrics that can help you sell.
These include:
- Demographics – standard age, gender, income
- Location – city, rural, suburban
- Channels – Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, SMS, email
- Time – when are they most active or engaged
- Repeat purchase data – how often customers come back and how much they spend
If you do nothing else this BFCM, hone in on those engaged repeat customers when you create your campaign. Repeat customers are more likely to buy again during a sale, and they’re also more likely to refer friends and relatives to your brand.
“Chasing a new customer costs nine or ten times as much as servicing an existing one, from a marketing perspective,” says Hunter Leonard, founder of Blue Frog Marketing.
Pulling out what works for you
Connect, personalise, use your data, chase abandoned carts – if it all feels like way too much to take on, don’t worry. You don’t have to do absolutely everything before this year’s Black Friday-Cyber Monday extravaganza. Just pull out the insights that resonate, and go from there. This might mean diving into your CRM to improve your targeting, refining your brand voice, or finding new ways to personalise your messaging.
One way to slice through the sales noise this year? SMS. Quick and personal, with a 98% open rate and 36% click-through rate, it’s one of the simplest ways to get your message out there. Ready to hack BFCM? Try SMS for free today.
