Black Friday is the time when people spend, spend, spend so you want to ensure your ads get out there to avoid missing out on the highest revenue-driving periods of the year. But just like you, all your competitors want to jump in on the action, so how can you stand out and increase your revenue during Black Friday?
Here are 5 tips to tactically optimise your ad campaigns to increase sales. These tips are curated for Google Ad campaigns but can be applied to other ad platforms.
#1 HIGHLIGHT UPCOMING EVENTS WITH COUNTDOWNS
Create urgency with an exciting countdown! By having a timer associated with your ads you can increase your click-through and conversion rate by giving the user that extra push to make that purchase by making them feel like they’ll miss out if they don’t take action soon enough. This links to a principle called loss aversion. In other words, your customers want to avoid feeling like they’ve missed an opportunity of feeling good (from getting a good deal) by losing out and not purchasing your products in time. Or you can set your ads to have a countdown timer counting to when your Black Friday sale starts to generate excitement and anticipation amongst your audience. And, it couldn’t be easier to set up!
When editing your ad text, type a bracket ( { ) symbol and choose Countdown from the drop-down menu that appears. Then fill out the date and time you want your countdown to end and that’s it! Just make sure you choose the correct time zone when you are running ads internationally.
Here is a handy guide by Google if you have trouble setting up the countdown timer.
#2 SHOW OFF WITH PROMO & PRICE EXTENSIONS
Implement promo and price extensions to make your ads stand out even more. Giving users more information about the products you sell will drive higher engagement rates and make your ad look more appealing.
Using price extensions can help users go straight to the product they want with a direct link which can help simplify the customer journey. All you have to do is go to the extension tab for your ad and add a new price extension and fill out all the relevant information including pricing, descriptions and a URL. Bear in mind that the prices shown on mobile devices might be rounded up or truncated due to limited spacing, e.g. £1,778.99 might show as £1.8K.
Promo extensions are a must when it comes to running your Black Friday ad campaigns. If you don’t already know, it’s a little snippet that showcases your offer under your ad and lets users know that your business has some fantastic deals.
To add something a little extra to your ad campaign that’s utilising promo extensions, you can get creative in your ad copy and include phrases like “While stocks last” or “Going quickly!” to introduce the principle of scarcity into your ads. Research has proven that buyers deem products that appear to be more scarce as more valuable, and it increases their likelihood of purchase as well. Your promo extension will let them know that they have the chance to get the best deal from you during the Black Friday season, and your creative ad copy will encourage them to act quickly to avoid missing out!
The setup is the same as a price extension, just choose Black Friday from the dropdown menu with an offer and you are all set. You can also update this extension to become a Cyber Monday promo once Black Friday is over.
Evoke urgency and excitement to entice users to click on your ads. Highlight limited-time offers and limited availability of products to create a sense of urgency and scarcity. Using phrases such as "Limited time only" and "Hurry, before it's gone" can prompt users to take immediate action.
Tap into the fear of missing out by emphasising that the deal is a one-time opportunity during Black Friday. Using phrases like "Don't miss out on our biggest sale of the year" can create a sense of urgency and make users feel compelled to act.
Here is a handy guide to setting up promo and price extensions by Google.
#3 ENSURE LANDING PAGES ARE OPTIMISED
Your landing pages need to be optimised for the Black Friday deals and should be aligned with your ad copy to offer a seamless shopping experience and improve your quality score. Ensure your landing page is optimised for all devices your users shop from (i.e. mobile & desktop).
To give the user as easy a path to purchase as possible you want to make sure there is clear messaging highlighting the Black Friday offer with a clear call to action (CTA) and limited distractions.
To social proof your landing page you can incorporate customer reviews or testimonials to build trust and validate the value of your Black Friday deal.
Get ahead of the curve and make sure your landing page also organically ranks for relevant keywords to increase visibility in the SERP. You can find our 10 e-commerce SEO tips for Black Friday here.
#4 START EARLY AND AVOID THE INCREASED COSTS
It's no secret that being an early bird can really pay off. By kickstarting your ads before the rest of the crowd, you're not only avoiding those high costs per click but also snagging the attention of those eager early-bird shoppers. It's like getting a head start in the race for customers!
It's all about planning ahead. Imagine the moment that you're all set with your Black Friday deals, raring to go live in the first week of November, having this time can ensure your ads are polished and ready to go. Starting your Black Friday ad campaigns early can likely lead to a significant drop in the cost per click (CPC), which means you'll get more clicks for your budget and who doesn’t want that?
Another bonus to this early-bird strategy is that it gives you room to get your ads sorted and approved well in advance. So if any pesky hiccups dare to show up, you've got time to shoo them away before the crowd comes rushing in.
Being the early bird isn't just about getting the worm – it's about getting the jump on the competition and making sure your Black Friday strategy is going for gold.
#5 CAPTURE CART ABANDONERS!
Remarketing campaigns are like your friendly digital tap on the shoulder, giving those cart abandoners a gentle reminder of why they were on your website. It's all about reinforcing the idea that you have high-quality products and the offer is only around for a limited period during Black Friday!
With remarketing those cart abandoners you are being selective about who to target, which means you can run specific ad copy of “don’t miss out” and remind them of what they had in their cart.
Reciprocity can go a long way when you offer users something in return for coming back to your site i.e free delivery, an added extra, or an extra discount for their next purchase. This simple yet powerful psychological nudge can work wonders, turning those hesitant cart abandoners into happy, satisfied customers.
To make the magic happen ensure you have analytics correctly set up with your Google Ads account and create an abandoned cart audience in GA. To do this head over to the admin section in Google Analytics and create a new audience under audience definitions. Then select “users who have visited a specific section of my site” and type in the /cart URL, name the audience and done!
When creating a display campaign make sure you choose the audience segment that you named in Analytics and now you have a remarketing campaign for cart abandoners! Also, Try to make your display ads eye-catching with some flash USPs for Black Friday such as free shipping. Customers love reciprocity, i.e. they want to get something back from you in return for doing business with you; free shipping, a small complimentary gift, or an added discount with their next purchase goes a long way when it comes to getting in customers’ good books!
Key takeaways
- Set up a countdown timer to create a sense of urgency
- Implement promo & price extensions within your ads
- Optimise your landing page for conversions
- Start your campaigns early to get ahead of the rest
- Set up a remarketing display campaign to capture cart abandoners
Want more tips on how to prepare best for Black Friday? Check out this article to get extra tips on how to be successful with your digital marketing strategy!
MEET THE AUTHOR.
HANNAH WELSH
Far from your workaday Account Manager, Hannah strives to be your organisation’s representative within Reflect Digital. She brings a strategic mindset to all of her work, and works consultatively with her clients to ensure that, together, they can find the way to take their digital marketing to the next level, and smash their targets. She also ensures all of the Reflect’s teams are aligned, prepared and organised to give her clients the best experience.
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