How to Crush it This Black Friday With Email
Posted By Peyton Fox | September 25th, 2023
We’ve all heard of Black Friday- the year’s biggest shopping event. It’s a golden opportunity for brands to boost their brand sales, connect with new and old customers, and create repeat buyers. Dotdigital explains that in 2022, shoppers spent $9.12 billion on Black Friday, 2.3% more than the previous year. With so many people turning to online shopping as an alternative to dealing with the in-store crowds, email marketing remains one of the best methods to reach your audience and drive up sales.
This blog post will explore the best email marketing strategies you need to crush it this Black Friday. As the digital world continues to grow, email marketing is paramount in the context of Black Friday. It serves as a direct line of communication with your customers, allowing you to deliver tailored promotions, exclusive deals, and exciting content straight to their inboxes. Experienced marketer or just starting out, this will provide insights and tips to make the most of this upcoming shopping season.
There is no denying that Black Friday is one of the most significant shopping events of the year. Marking the beginning of the holiday shopping season, consumers actively seek the best deals and discounts during this time. By sending targeted Black Friday emails, you can tap into this consumer demand and significantly boost your sales and revenue.
Black Friday emails are a key element of your marketing strategy, opening up the opportunity to harness the vast sales potential of Black Friday, engage with your customers on a personal level, and maintain loyal customers through exclusive offers and communication. When done right, Black Friday email campaigns can boost revenue and set the stage for long-term customer relationships with your brand.
Black Friday emails are a key element of your marketing strategy, opening up the opportunity to harness the vast sales potential of Black Friday, engage with your customers on a personal level, and maintain loyal customers through exclusive offers and communication. When done right, Black Friday email campaigns can boost revenue and set the stage for long-term customer relationships with your brand.
For both retail and e-commerce, Black Friday creates a mental image of huge discounts accompanied by long queues and hectic shopping sprees. However, marketers have realized the value of Pre-Black Friday campaigns in recent years. These email marketing campaigns are strategic efforts to build hype around the brand and products, engage and excite customers, and drive sales in the days and weeks leading up to the big shopping event.
- Early Bird Discounts: One of the most common tactics in Pre-Black Friday campaigns is offering early bird discounts. Retailers and e-commerce stores draw in customers with exclusive deals on select products, giving consumers a taste of what’s coming on Black Friday. These early discounts create a sense of urgency and encourage customers to start their holiday shopping earlier.
- Teasers and Sneak Peeks: Some retailers take Pre-Black Friday campaigns even further by hosting exclusive events or sales for loyal customers or loyalty program members. This rewards customer loyalty and encourages customers to stay engaged with the brand throughout the year. Many businesses use teasers and sneak peeks to pique customers’ interest. They may release little hints or previews of the products on sale during the Black Friday event. Sneak peaks and teasers help build anticipation and keep customers engaged in the lead-up to the big day.
- Countdown Timers: Using countdown timers on websites and in Black Friday marketing emails can create a sense of urgency. When they see a ticking clock reminding them of the upcoming Black Friday deals, they are more likely to take action sooner rather than later, which leads to increased conversion and website traffic.
- Social Media Engagement: Social media platforms are effective tools for building excitement around products. Brands often use social media platforms to share sneak peek images, teaser videos, and host giveaways. User-generated content, where consumers share their excitement and anticipation, is also effective in creating buzz. Collaborating with influencers, bloggers, or similar brands is a smart choice during Pre-Black Friday campaigns.
- Mobile Apps and Push Notifications: Mobile apps and push notifications can be powerful tools for keeping customers engaged. Studies show that in 2022, 47% of all U.S. holiday season online sales came from mobile—up from 43% in 2021. Brands can send messages about new deals, exclusive app-only offers, and reminders about upcoming sales events.
Pre-Black Friday campaigns have become an essential part of the holiday shopping season. By strategically using discounts, teasers, social media, and email marketing, businesses can create excitement and anticipation that results in a successful Black Friday event. These emails boost sales and also helps build continuing customer relationships and brand loyalty.
Creating the perfect black friday email
Segment Your Audience
Using your segments, you can tailor email content to each group’s specific wants. Divide your email list into segments based on factors like past purchase behavior, demographics, and interests and tailor your email content to each segment for better personalization.
Your customer base has diverse preferences, behaviors, and past purchases. Segmenting allows you to take this diversity and organize your customers into different groups based on past purchase behavior, demographics, or interests
Audience segmentation also contributes to overall customer happiness and loyalty. When customers see that a brand understands their needs and preferences, it fosters a sense of loyalty and satisfaction. This boosts immediate sales during the Black Friday season and can lead to long-term customer relationships.
When you send Black Friday emails that align closely with each segment’s unique interests and preferences, you significantly enhance the chances of capturing their attention. This translates into increased open rates, click-through rates, and ultimately, more customers as they want to engage with content that speaks to them.
Content & Design
The design elements you select can make a difference in capturing your customer’s attention and engagement. Use a header including your logo, brand colors, and a Black Friday-themed graphic or banner. Think of this header as the first point of contact, that conveys the email’s purpose and establishes a visual connection to your brand.
Opt-in for quality images that showcase your Black Friday deals and make your offers more appealing.
Use your brand’s color scheme and consider adding Black Friday-themed colors like black, red, and gold. This will create a sense of excitement and urgency, reinforcing the Black Friday shopping experience.
To really capture the attention of customers, use animated GIFs or videos that showcase why they should buy your products. Keep these animations short and relevant to maintain viewer interest and enhance the overall email design.
CTA Buttons & Subject Lines
Your subject line is the gateway to your Black Friday email; it’s the first thing customers see, and it plays a pivotal role in determining whether they open your message or consign it to the dreaded “spam” folder. Consider these strategies to create a subject line that attracts customers.
Urgency in your CTA is also a tactic for attracting attention. Communicate that sense of urgency for your products by highlighting limited-time offers and exclusive deals. Useful CTAS can include phrases such as “Shop Now”, “Act Now”, “Don’t Miss This Deal,” “Limited Time Only,” or “Don’t Miss Out,” can motivate leads to act quickly and make a purchase.
Placement also matters for your CTA buttons in your email, make sure they are easily noticeable without excessive scrolling. Including CTA buttons above the fold is one of the most effective locations a brand can utilize for Black Friday email marketing.
You can add a little intimate touch to your emails by using personalization. Add personalized subject lines that include the customer’s name to make your email feel more engaging and personal.
You want subject lines that can be easily read on all screens, mobile and desktop. Make them brief, clear, and under 50 characters.
By segmenting your customers based on their preferences and past behaviors, you increase the likelihood of sales and cultivate lasting customer loyalty. Consider the design and content of your Black Friday emails when trying to capture your customer’s attention. Create visually unique emails that resonate with your brand identity and Black Friday excitement. Finally, always utilize the power of a persuasive subject line and strategically placed and worded CTA buttons. When using these techniques in your email marketing, you’ll be well-equipped and prepared to make this Black Friday season a success for your brand.
Black Friday Email Segmentation
Email segmentation allows you to focus your messaging, delivering content that resonates with each customer subgroup, allowing your brand to boost engagement and unlock increased revenue potential. A study from Campaign Monitor shows that marketers have found a 760% increase in email revenue from segmented campaigns.
- Behavioral Segmentation: Behavioral segmentation is a powerful marketing tool that involves splitting your customer base into distinct groups based on their past behavior, actions, and interactions with your brand. You can gain valuable insights into customers’ preferences and tailor your efforts to better fit their needs by analyzing subscribers’ past behavior, such as their purchase history, browsing activity, and engagement with previous email campaigns. This can be used for Black Friday email marketing to reach frequent shoppers, occasional buyers, and inactive customers.
- Engagement Levels: Maintaining customer engagement and interest in your products is not only crucial for your brand’s success, but also for crafting Black Friday emails. Cater to your highly engaged segmented and unengaged lists to maximize conversion rates. Highly engaged customers should receive sneak peeks into exclusive deals and promotions. You want to reward them and acknowledge their loyalty. For those in the unengaged segment, use Black Friday to rekindle their interest by showcasing why they should return and make that purchase.
- Cart Abandonment: During this holiday shopping event, you want to capture the attention of soon-to-be customers and convince them to make a purchase. Create a segment that is targeted specifically to those who abandon their carts and send them reminders on those products with new Black Friday discounts and offers. Include the images of the abandoned items and make sure to emphasize that this is a limited time offer and they should act fast.
- VIP Customers: Make a special segment to show you recognize and want to reward your VIP customers. Offer them exclusive sneak peeks leading into Black Friday deals and during Black Friday deals. This is also an excellent time to remind them of rewards or points that they have and let them know how far the points will go during the shopping season. Keeping your VIP customers happy and engaged for Black Friday is essential to seeing those sales.
For Black Friday email marketing, true success lies in understanding your customers and creating the right approach. Behavioral segmentation offers a way to view your customer base more personally, allowing you to craft personalized emails that resonate with each customer subgroup. Rewarding highly engaged customers with exclusive previews and rekindling the interest of unengaged customers can make a significant difference in your Black Friday sales. Remember the potential of cart abandonment reminder emails, offering a gentle nudge to reluctant shoppers. Finally, let’s not overlook the VIPs – the driving force of your customer base – who should look forward to special offers and reminders of their rewards. By leveraging these segmentation strategies, you’ll be more than ready to make the most of the Black Friday.
Post-Purchase Follow-up
The Black Friday email journey doesn’t end once the sale is made. The transaction marks the beginning of keeping those customers returning time and time again. Once a purchase is made, the post-purchase follow-up marketing strategy begins. This is the perfect time to send a thank you email, promote cross-sells and up-sells, and ask for customer reviews. Doing this gives customers a reason to return and produce more content that can be used in future email marketing efforts.
- Thank You Emails: According to Klaviyo, “post-purchase emails see open rates that are almost 17% higher than the average email automation.” Making it one of the best ways to show your customers that you care about them and make them feel appreciated. Thank You Emails after their Black Friday purchase can be used to express genuine appreciation for the customer’s choice and reinforce the value they’ll gain from their purchase. It’s a perfect opportunity to make customers feel valued and create a positive impression that will keep them coming back.
- Cross-selling and Upselling: Cross-selling, selling similar products to a customer and upselling, offering an upgraded version of what has been previously purchased is a great email marketing strategy to send after a purchase is made to inform the customer on how they could elevate their purchases in the future. Use post-purchase emails to cross-sell or upsell related products. For cross-selling- identify other products similar to the one bought and encourage the customer to try this new product. For up-selling, provide customers with an upgraded or better version of something bought, enticing them to try this more expensive version that can elevate their experience.
- Request Reviews: After a customer makes a Black Friday purchase, their relationship with your brand is still in its early stages. It’s important to recognize that the customer’s experience continues beyond the sale. This is where requesting reviews comes in. Reviews are great social proof of your product’s quality and your brand’s credibility. When customers see your brand’s positive reviews and impressions from others who have made Black Friday purchases, it creates trust and authenticity for your products and brand.
For Black Friday emails, Post-purchase follow-up emails, including Thank You Emails, Cross-selling and Upselling suggestions, and Review Requests, are smart for businesses looking to maximize Black Friday sales. These strategic emails show your customers that you care and value them, which also provides valuable opportunities to enhance their shopping experience. By expressing appreciation, offering valuable product recommendations, and seeking their feedback, you’re nurturing a connection that can lead to repeat customers and content for future marketing endeavors.
Conclusion
As we gear up for this upcoming Black Friday season, take the time to craft some pre-campaign emails that showcase sneak peeks and teasers with countdown timers and early bird discounts to keep the hype going into Black Friday. Engage with your social media platforms and utilize mobile push notifications to let customers know that your brand will deliver the best Black Friday deals around and stay tuned for what’s in store. Craft the perfect Black Friday emails using high-quality images, eye-grabbing CTAS (especially above the fold), and engaging subject lines. Consider adding gifs or videos to pique customer interest.
Segment your customer base into subgroups to help focus on what customers may need this holiday shopping season and tailor your emails to fit their needs. Reward the highly engaged customers with deals and sneak peeks and remind them of points they have that can be used during this sale. Reach out to your unengaged list and give them reasons to come back to your brand this holiday season. Check-in with abandoned cart reminder emails recipients, letting them know to expect discounts and deals on items left behind and that the items will be there only a short time. Treat your VIPS like royalty this shopping season, offering them discounts and sneak peeks others won’t get.
Lastly, after the pre-campaign emails are made, and you’ve segmented your customer group, follow up with thank you emails to show your appreciation, including cross-sell and up-sell options based on customer purchases and requesting customer reviews. All of these prepare your brand to crush it this Black Friday and see a boost in revenue like no other.
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