3 STEPS TO TURNING BLACK FRIDAY INTO BLACK FRIYAY
Revered by bargain hunters as the best shopping day of the year, it’s no secret that Black Friday is one of the busiest days for retailers and supporting companies. While tensions can be high at stores, the most successful campaigns are simple concepts created by public relations and marketing teams – designed to raise awareness and drive traffic. Rather than get overwhelmed, keep these three tips in mind for creating a successful Black Friday campaign.
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Look at last year's data.
Just as you can’t grow without learning from the past, you can’t exceed previous goals without looking back at past outcomes. Whether it was a successful or unsuccessful campaign, dig into your results from previous years so your PR team can help you set a realistic benchmark and determine your target audience(s). As part of this digging, look at what keywords, content and promotions led to the highest traffic and where your visitors came from. Once you have these items outlined, you’ll really start to realize how much you’re learning from your prior Black Friday campaigns and how you can use it to guide your strategy this year.
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Instill a sense of urgency
At some point, we’ve all activated on an offer because of how great it was or due to its limited-time nature. This is the time to harness that same tactic and apply it to your target audience(s). There are several ways to create a sense of urgency – from setting a countdown timer on emails, ads or website landing pages to offering to only the first 100 people. Your PR team can provide insights into what will gain traditional and social media attention to drive buzz. No matter what tactic you choose, take the time to clearly define your audience, your goals (such as increasing attention, traffic and conversions) and benchmarks along the way.
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Get social.
With your target audience(s), goals, benchmarks, and overall strategy determined, now is the time to outline tactics – including traditional media relations and social media activation. Social media can help generate buzz for your offering or campaign. Consider boosting posts, working with influencers and engaging with relevant hashtags like #blackfriday, #SmallBizSat, or #CyberMondaySale to increase reach.
Broadcast, print and online media coverage can add third-party validation and credibility to your campaign, as well as increase your voice in a crowded marketplace. Be sure to include a simple call-to-action in all communications, directing potential customers to the action you want them to take.
So, instead of falling into the black hole of Black Friday mayhem, keep the above three steps top-of-mind and tap your public relations and social media resources early in campaign planning to keep your Black Friday promotions buzz-worthy and relevant. You can always reach us here.
