Long gone are the days of waiting in line for hours for an amazing Black Friday deal. Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales have expanded beyond the day after Thanksgiving to a month-long Celebration of deals.
Significant discounts, online vs. instore sales, early sales, extended return policies, free shipping, mobile exclusive deals, and price matching are all things to expect for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
How do we direct our clients as direct response advertisers to keep up with the trends of Holiday shoppers?
Black Friday is a significant opportunity for businesses to promote their products or services through direct response advertising, as it’s one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Direct response advertising wrote the book on Limited time offers! That is what Black Friday is all about, prompting an immediate response from the audience. On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, businesses typically use compelling CTAs like “Shop now,” “Buy today,” or “Limited time offer” to encourage consumers to take immediate action, such as making a purchase. Black Friday is known for its time-sensitive, deep discounts and promotions. Direct response ads often leverage the urgency of these limited time offers to drive immediate engagement and sales.
In addition, Black Friday provides an excellent opportunity to measure the effectiveness of client’s ads in real-time, as you can compare the performance of different campaigns or channels by tracking the number of clicks, conversions, or sales. As advertisers, we target and address the specific needs and desires of the audience. On Black Friday, ads are tailored to match the products or services that consumers are actively seeking during the holiday shopping season.
Advertising for Black Friday also helps provide a clear context for analyzing which ads and strategies led to the most conversions. Utilizing retargeting campaigns to reach users who have shown interest in your products or services but haven’t converted gives Black Friday an ideal time to use this tool and bring potential customers back to the client’s site and encourage them to make a purchase.
If the client has a brick & mortar location, they should consider local TV advertising to reach local audiences as well. Clients could implement location-based promotions through mobile apps. When shoppers are in proximity to the store, they would receive exclusive discounts or special offers.
Linear TV advertising should also align with broader marketing strategy by using a multi-channel approach. Coordinating TV ads with online advertising, email marketing, and social media or partnering with an influencer would help cohesive message and maximize reach for this exciting day of sales.
The future of Black Friday advertising and cyber-Monday seems to be moving towards utilizing AI and machine learning algorithms to provide highly personalized product recommendations based on each shopper’s preferences and past purchase history. Clients could throw in a virtual Shopping experience – such as trying on clothes or have a personal shopping concierge. They could also create a mobile app or website game to win exclusive discounts and prizes.
But at its core, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are prime occasions for direct response advertising, as it provides an opportunity to create targeted, time-sensitive campaigns, measure effectiveness, and drive immediate responses from consumers, which are key aspects of this advertising approach.
