We are getting closer to Black Friday, one of the biggest sales days of the year which is a dream for both consumers and businesses around the world. The Facebook ads platform is one of the best ways to inspire gift shoppers and drive major sales during Black Friday and other peak holidays but the advertising space isn’t infinite, despite what it may seem to users. This means the Facebook auction system will get overheated resulting in driving up costs so it's crucial to be prepared in order to get through and maximize sales during these hectic days. Don't worry, I'll give you all the hacks you need to know.
Before we jump straight to the juicy hacks, let's take a quick trip down memory lane and learn why it's called "Black Friday"; Black Friday is the name given to the shopping day after Thanksgiving. It was originally called Black Friday because the volume of shoppers created traffic accidents and sometimes even violence. In the 1950's, people began calling in sick the day after Thanksgiving to give themselves a four-day weekend. Rather than try to determine who was legitimately sick, businesses just added that day as another paid holiday. 💁🏼
Black Friday Hacks 🏴
➡ Black Friday is the most popular shopping day of the holiday season. This year it falls on the last pay week before Christmas on November 29th (it was the 23rd last year) which means a looot of extra sales opportunities.
➡ The run up to Black Week is the perfect opportunity for branding and teaser campaigns to make your brand top of mind. This is especially important for products with a longer conversion cycle. It's also a good idea to kick off a lead campaign such as "sign up now and get pre access to Black Friday sales" in order to bulk up your email list.
➡ All campaigns, ad sets and ads should be locked down as early as possible prior to going live to avoid getting stuck in pending review. Run heavy on re-targeting during this period, this will get you the most results and the best ROI, hands down.
➡ Early shoppers are usually considerate gift purchasers and will generally have a longer consumer journey; they will also be looking for value for money and do not always fit typical audience demographics as many of them are gifting. Ensure your branding and teaser campaigns are drives awareness for uninitiated audiences too.
➡ Consider a ‘Pre-Black Friday’ old stock clearance sale the weekend before Black Week for lower CPA's, a quick jump on the sales period and to build up your client list. Offer discounts on bundled products to increase AOV.
➡ ️Take advantage of Facebook's own holiday ad creative templates in Ads Manager and focus on creating eye catching ads since the auction will explode with strobe lightning creatives on all placements. Create and use frame and discount overlays to your dynamic ads to make them stand out even more.
➡ For a smooth day, ensure you have completed all of your pre-campaign checks.
➡ The first day of Black Week, switch all budgets to performance ads. E-commerce companies usually kick off on sales on Monday, with retailers joining on Thanksgiving or Black Friday.
➡ To keep your advertising fresh, start your campaigns with stacked discounts that increase over the Monday-Friday period or simply expand the range of discounted goods as the week progresses.
➡ Start with a larger discount between Monday and Wednesday to try and clear your stock before CPAs pick up towards the end of the week.
➡ Experiment with newer markets embracing Black Friday for some quick wins at lower cost.