Black Friday Digital Marketing Tips 2024

#1 Grow your retargeting

Studies show that retargeting campaigns perform 10 times better than regular display/banner ads, by re-engaging ready-to-buy shoppers with personalised, high-intent offers when they’re most eager to spend. 

Taking cues from brands such as Nike and Amazon who utilise retargeting to suggest complementary products and promote new product launches, the results speak for themselves. Both Nike and Amazon have used retargeting campaigns to drive sales and strengthen customer loyalty, encouraging users to revisit their site and purchase the item they were looking at previously. 

Retargeting through display ads or through alternatives such as cart abandonment emails, personalises your customers experiences and nurtures a sense of connection between your brand and your customers. Humans are far more receptive to messages or content that target their identity and preferences, with over 45% of all cart abandonment recovery emails successfully opened; it’s clear how effective remarketing tactics can be!  

#2 Elevate Your Social Strategy

More than 73% of consumers use social media platforms for shopping, a number that is expected to surge over Black Friday weekend as many kick off their holiday shopping. 

Experimenting with your content offerings through a variety of formats can be a great way to determine where you get your best engagement lift. Think about quizzes, reels, videos and story posts that relate to Black Friday and transform your social content calendar.  

Using your social content to capture the attention of users that are already buying on social platforms can super power your reach, introducing customers to your brands and the limited-time offers available through Black Friday. Limited-time offers feed into human behaviour, as people tend to make faster purchasing decisions when discounts are only available for a short period of time. By increasing visibility through social media, brands can not only increase their awareness but also drive conversions for their Black Friday offers. 

#3 Strengthen SEO Fundamentals

A strong SEO strategy is the foundation for any effective digital marketing campaign. Black Friday is a bustling time of year for eCommerce and SEO can make or break your chance to stand out from the crowd. 

In the lead-up to Black Friday, the key is to plan early. Prioritise SEO optimisation at least 60 - 90s days in advance. Assess the loading speed of your page as websites that load in 3 seconds instead of 1, have a 32% higher bounce rate. Make sure any broken links are fixed and apply 301 redirects for any out-of-stock items that aren’t actively a part of your Black Friday sales. 

While keywords are undoubtedly crucial, think beyond ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday.’ Consider long-tail keywords that are less competitive and have the potential to drive higher conversion rates. To put this into perspective, long-tail keywords have an average conversion rate of 36%, significantly higher than the highest-performing landing pages which only have a conversion rate of 11.45%. 

Finally, be sure to test, test and test again! Your current server will need to be able to handle a sharp increase in traffic, ensure it can before your Black Friday sales go live and users flood to your page. 

#4 Develop a High Impact Paid Media Strategy

We know that building trust with your users takes time and developing a high quality digital marketing strategy powered by high impact Paid Media, could be the difference between you and your competitors. PPC has the potential to generate double the number of website visitors than SEO alone and can play a vital role in increasing your brand awareness during Black Friday when competition is high. 

There are so many ways to take your Paid Media to the next level but here are some of our top tips:

1. Mobile Optimisation

With 80% of Gen Z and 62% of millennials reporting primarily using mobile search, a large percentage of Black Friday shoppers will be browsing on their phones. Ensure your paid ads are mobile optimised with clear CTAs (Call to Action) and fast-loading landing pages.

2. A/B Testing 

By planning your campaigns early, you are giving yourself the opportunity to test, test and test again! Just like with SEO, testing gives you an advantage to consider how things are working in your digital strategy before implementation. Seeing how different keywords, tones of voice and messaging resonate with different audiences to find what works best for your website. A/B Testing can be used to compare different landing pages if you wish to experiment with highlighting your unique selling points or bespoke Black Friday pages to help you evaluate your optimal strategies and achieve maximum potential. 

3. Countdown Ads

Create a sense of urgency by using countdown timers in your ads, reminding customers that your Black Friday deals are limited-time offers, prompting quicker decision-making. This utilises the behavioural principle of Loss Aversion, capitalising off the idea that people are far more likely to do something when they feel like they’ll lose out if they don’t do something. 

#5 Optimise UX and User Journey 

Good user experience (UX) eliminates friction, preventing frustration and enhancing overall satisfaction which can lead to even more purchases during your Black Friday event! Even a 5% increase in customer retention through better UX can drive profits up by 25%. 

Simplifying the user journey, from the homepage to checkout, is key to boosting engagement. 

A well-optimised UX influences users' perceptions and loyalty through each interaction they have with a company, from their first encounter to ongoing post-purchase support. It can be the difference between a customer completing their purchase or abandoning their cart. 

Ensure your site is mobile friendly, that your checkout processes are streamlined with minimal clicks, help users find and make use of your Black Friday deals with ease. Prioritising UX not only improves customer satisfaction but also maximises your conversion potential during the busiest shopping season of the year. 
 

#6 Harness the Power of Digital PR

Digital PR is a powerful tool for increasing brand reach, authority and credibility, especially during seasonal sales like Black Friday where there is increased traffic online. Capturing the attention of journalists and expanding your media coverage can help build trust in your brand by demonstrating your expertise through gift guides, blog articles, and by highlighting innovative elements of your strategy like gamification. 

Your off-page actions are just as important as your on-page efforts with backlinks being a prime example. With over 92% of top-ranking domains featuring at least one backlink, link building is a strategy that can increase your domain authority, and help your eCommerce website's traffic and reach. However, it’s about quality over quantity, with backlinks from relevant and authoritative sites helping to establish your website as a reliable source of information, demonstrating to search engines that you are trustworthy.

With Digital PR, collaboration is key. Building strong relationships with journalists that sees them return to you for future pieces requires an ability not just to provide expertise but an ability to provide relevant expertise with the right perspective, at the right time. Our Head of Content and Media, Joanna Earle, further explains why being experts for journalists is GOLD!
 

#7 Use Reviews To Meet Human Needs

Have you considered how reviews from your customers are collected and displayed? According to Global Newswire, 58% of surveyed consumers say they would actually pay more for the products of a brand with good reviews.

Customer reviews are social proof in action, people’s decisions are often influenced by the actions and opinions of others. So, whether it’s your speedy delivery times or your incredible Black Friday discounts on high-quality products, showcasing customer reviews is an essential part of the post-purchase journey. 

A great example of social proof is on Etsy, the e-commerce company who focuses on vintage and handmade goods. Beyond displaying their customer reviews immediately beneath their product images, Etsy displays how many people have bought an item in the last 24 hours. For instance, shoppers for DecorCandleUK on Etsy who are unsure about purchasing one of their wonderful fall-themed candles, this signals to them how many people decided DecorCandleUK’s product was good enough for them to purchase! 

Offering incentives like loyalty programs and rewards for leaving reviews with pictures is a great way to boost engagement and displaying reviews on individual product pages helps users navigate your site. These are all great ways to nurture relationships with your customers, instilling trust with your transparent feedback. 

#8 Level Up with Behavioural Science 

Yes, driving traffic to your website is important. What’s more important? How they interact with your website when they arrive. Taking the time to understand consumer behaviour is key for optimising conversions, particularly during times in the eCommerce calendar, like Black Friday. 

There are lots of ways to embed behavioural science into your Black Friday strategy, like ensuring that your website has a simple, clear structure. A clear navigation menu where people can easily look for your Black Friday offers can contribute to a positive user experience as behavioural science tells us that humans favour simplicity. 

Similarly, creating a sense of exclusivity about your products and services can emphasise their popularity as humans naturally crave status and seek products that give them special treatment.

Incorporating phrases like “Unlock Early Access to Black Friday Deals!” or “This Black Friday Deal Won’t Last” leverages the urgency and hype around Black Friday, while making customers feel like they're part of a select group.

This is perfectly demonstrated by Tiffany and Co, who opened an immersive pop-up to celebrate their partnership with the US Open. Tiffany used language like “the ball is in your court,” describing their AR experience as “unique” which embodies the behavioural principle of Exclusivity Bias. They reinforced this on their Instagram by posting reels of behind the scenes footage that was captioned using phrases like “take an exclusive look” further framing the experience as rare and distinctive. 

Discover more ways to incorporate human behaviour into your Black Friday strategy below: 

• Chunking - Prevent cognitive overload by chunking your information into smaller, digestible and memorable ‘chunks’ as smaller pieces of information are more easily recalled than large pieces of information. Breaking down complex Black Friday offers to emphasise key points or using bullet points to present multiple deals will allow your customers to identify key information and act without feeling overwhelmed. 
• Primacy Effect - Humans tend to remember the first piece of information encountered better than information presented later on. A way to embed this is to start your CTAs (Call to Action) with the most compelling offer or benefits so it sticks in your user’s minds! 
• Visual Cues - Visual Cues can guide attention and help steer a person’s decision towards a specific selection. By using design elements such as contrasting colours, directional cues like arrows, bold text for key information and countdown timers for your limited-time Black Friday offers, you can leave a lasting impact on your users and potentially achieve higher conversions.

#9 Impactful Black Friday Email Marketing

Utilising your eCommerce mailing list to share deals and promotions is a tried and true method. It offers the opportunity to connect with an engaged audience that is already interested in your offerings, raising the likelihood of conversions. Capitalise on this established line of communication and level up your Black Friday emails with personalisation.

Humans are far more receptive to messages and content that target their identity and preferences. Studies show that 47% of email recipients say they open an email based on the subject line alone, making it clear that paying extra attention to this small and mighty snippet can have a huge impact on grabbing your audience's attention.

#10 After Black Friday, What’s Next?

We know that breaking through the Black Friday noise can be tough, so why not consider stretching the sale window? This is a great way to build brand loyalty and it can help sustain that revenue boost for a while longer. 

Consider your follow-up campaigns: new creatives, organic posts and remarketing can help to bring in even more clicks from shoppers who potentially missed out in the initial rush and lament not acting sooner. 

This is a tip for those looking for a win-win, those that were late to the Black Friday party get another chance to indulge. You also gain the opportunity to capture customers who were undecided during your event. Be careful though! Time-sensitivity is important to maintain both the value and trustworthiness of your brand. 

Key Takeaways

Black Friday is a critical time for retailers which marks the start of the holiday shopping season and offers an unparalleled opportunity to boost sales. Whether you’re looking to attract new customers or maximise ROI, these expert tips will help you make the most of this high-stakes shopping event. 

• Start Early: Optimise your Black Friday landing page for search visibility.
• Elevate your Digital Marketing with Behavioural Science: Utilise human insights and psychological understanding to boost your Black Friday offerings. 
• Retarget Past Customers: Offer exclusive deals and use social proof to boost conversions.
• Leverage Social Media: Engage customers with interactive content and encourage sharing.
• Improve UX: Ensure a fast, user-friendly website with a seamless checkout process. 

Want some help implementing some of the ideas we’ve discussed above? Get in touch, our marketing experts would love to chat with you.