Last-Minute Marketing: Three Quick Strategies to Turbocharge Your Black Friday and Christmas Sales
In a perfect world, you’d have a complete, coordinated marketing strategy across your product range and sales channels for the end of Q4 – aiming to maximise your sales in a noisy ecommerce environment while not compromising your profit margins too much.
In the real world, those plans have to compete for time and budget resources, and given the unpredictable current trading environment, it would be remiss not to revisit your plans.
So here are three quick marketing tips for making sure you’re in as good a place as you can be for the Black Friday and Christmas madness.
1. Get Customers Signed Up to Your Newsletter Now
One of the quickest and most effective strategies you can implement right now is to boost your email marketing efforts. Building and nurturing your email list is essential, and here’s why:
Early Access and Exclusive Deals: Offer early access to sales and exclusive deals to subscribers, and invest in spending on media to get more people signed up to your newsletter. The investment will be worth it given how valuable the first-party (1P) data will be to you in the long run. Exclusive deals create a sense of anticipation and loyalty among subscribers, encouraging them to make purchases.
Segmentation: Segment your email list to send personalised offers based on customer behaviour and preferences. This level of personalisation can significantly increase your conversion rates.
Drip Campaigns: Plan and execute drip campaigns that gradually build excitement and anticipation for your Black Friday and Christmas promotions. Send teaser emails, product highlights, and countdowns to keep subscribers engaged.
You can read more about our approach to email marketing and CRM strategy here.
2. Review Changes in Channel Dynamics Against Planned Budgets
It’s essential to reevaluate your budget allocations for different marketing channels. Consider the following:
Media Inflation: Are you prepared for extra costs that might be needed for media inflation? Market dynamics and prices have changed throughout this year, so you might need to adjust your budgets to ensure you can compete effectively during the peak season.
Adapt to Consumer Behaviour: Monitor how consumer behaviour is changing. For example, this year there may have been less discretionary purchases, and so the sales season could be your chance to boost revenue on those product lines. Be agile in your approach and adapt to the changing landscape.
Dynamic Budget Allocation: Be prepared to allocate more budget to the channels that are performing well and driving the most sales during peak. Real-time analysis and adjustments can help you maximise your ROI.
Learn how Entropy can support your digital marketing media strategy here.
3. Collect More User-Generated Content (UGC) Ahead of Peak
User-generated content (UGC) can be a game-changer for your Black Friday and Christmas marketing strategy. Here’s how it can help:
Conversion Optimisation: When you’re paying inflated media costs to get people onto your site during Black Friday and Christmas, you want to maximise the conversion rate wherever you can. UGC, such as customer reviews, photos, and testimonials, can significantly boost trust and credibility, helping customers make purchase decisions more quickly.
For more support on conversion rate optimisation (CRO), head to Entropy’s CRO page.
Creative Production: UGC can also aid with creative production. If you need more content to accommodate your higher media budgets or an extended channel plan, you can leverage UGC. It’s an excellent source of authentic content that resonates with your audience.
Social Proof: Showcase UGC on your website and in your marketing materials. Social proof is a powerful motivator for potential customers, as it demonstrates that others have had positive experiences with your products or services.
Summary
In summary, in the fast-paced world of digital marketing and ecommerce, being adaptable and responsive to changing circumstances is key. As Black Friday and Christmas approach, these three strategies can help you maximise your sales and navigate the end of the year with confidence.
For short or long-term digital marketing strategy and ecommerce consulting, get in touch with Entropy today.
