As a small business owner, pre-planning your content, your sales, your specials and what’s coming next needs to be a top priority—even when you’re wearing all the hats when it comes to your business. 

If you wait until the last minute to plan a special or a last-minute sale, it will be a big flop in most cases and your efforts will not be worth it because you didn’t spend the time pre-planning and promoting your special!

Even though it seems like Black Friday is far away, it really isn’t and if you want to plan a sale, or special or to capitalize on the Black Friday buzz, the time to plan is NOW!

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is the Friday following American Thanksgiving. It’s notorious for slashed prices in eCommerce and brick-and-mortar stores, causing a surge in consumer spending. Black Friday typically kicks off the holiday shopping season. You might have heard stories of the pandemonium that brick-and-mortar stores face. - Hootsuite

Black Friday sales,  which take place the day after American Thanksgiving, have become a tradition across North America with massive discounts, sales, doorbusters, and long lines at retail stores. 

For small business owners and entrepreneurs who may not be participating in the typical Black Friday sales, it might seem challenging to capitalize on this shopping weekend when you really can’t afford to bring your prices down and have massive sales! 

However, with a plan in place, you can still make the most of this weekend's buzz and boost your business sales before the holidays.

In this blog post, we'll discuss effective ways that you can prepare for Black Friday, even if you don’t plan to have a blowout sale.

1. Take Advantage Of The Black Friday Buzz

Even if you don’t plan on offering discounted products or services, don’t think you need to completely avoid the Black Friday buzz! You can still capitalize on the awareness and consumer excitement that comes along with Black Friday weekend sales ( We all know it’s not simply a day anymore but a full weekend or week of sales and promotions!

 Use this opportunity to promote your business, engage with your audience, and increase brand visibility. Here are a few ways to do that:

• Social Media Presence: Ramp up your social media activity in the weeks leading up to Black Friday. Share engaging content, run targeted ads, and use popular Black Friday hashtags to reach a broader audience.

• Email Marketing: Send out newsletters or emails to your customer base, informing them about your regular offerings and why they should consider your products or services during the holiday season.

• Blogging and Content Creation: Write blog posts related to Black Friday, sharing tips, tricks, or unique aspects of your products or services. Use this content to engage your audience and drive traffic to your website.

 2. Offer Value-Added Services Or Bonuses

Even though you don’t plan on offering sales or reducing your prices during Black Friday weekend it doesn’t mean that you can’t add value to your offerings to attract customers during the Black Friday hype while more people are out and about anyway! 

If you are located near stores and businesses that are having sales  consider offering limited-time promotions such as:

• Extended Warranties: Provide an extended warranty or a complimentary service with purchases made during the Black Friday weekend.

• Free Gift Wrapping or Shipping: Offer free gift wrapping or shipping for purchases made during the Black Friday period, enhancing the shopping experience for your customers.

• Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO) Deals: Introduce buy-one-get-one-free or buy-one-get-one-half-off promotions to incentivize purchases.

• Offer a small free gift with the purchase of $50 +

• Minimum spend reward, spent $100 get free shipping

3. Increase Your Customer Experience

Customers love exceptional service and having a positive shopping experience. 

Focus on enhancing customer satisfaction during the Black Friday rush. Here are ways to do that:

• Get extra staff on hand to ensure a positive Customer experience: Make sure your staff are ready to help and respond quickly to any questions or concerns.

• Seamless Online Experience: Optimize your website for speed, ease of use, and mobile responsiveness to accommodate increased online traffic.

• Personalized Recommendations: Implement personalized product recommendations based on customers' preferences and purchase history to enhance their shopping experience.

• Offer a free  treat or drink to enhance the experience.

4. Collaborate Or Partner Up With A Similar Business Or Influencer

Collaborations and partnerships can help expand your reach and introduce your business to a wider audience, even if you're not offering discounts:

• Joint Promotions: Partner with complementary businesses to create joint promotions or bundles. This way, you can offer added value without reducing your prices.

• Cross-Promotion: Share each other's promotions on social media or newsletters, reaching a new set of potential customers.

• Partner with an influencer to help spread the word about your business, brand or services

5. Prepare For Increased Traffic

Anticipate a surge in traffic and ensure your business is ready to handle the demand of in-foot traffic or online traffic as this weekend tends to be busier in general whether you are having a sale or not.

• Inventory Management: Stock up on popular products to meet the increased demand during the Black Friday period.

• Website and Server Optimization: Check and optimize your website and server to handle higher traffic loads without crashing.

• Customer Service Support: Increase your customer service team temporarily to handle inquiries and support during the peak shopping season.

6. Create A Sense Of Urgency

To get customers excited about your sale items, write copy that conveys urgency. Creating a sense of urgency or scarcity in your Black Friday marketing encourages customers to take action.

7. Offer Long-time Customers Exclusive Deals

People like to be acknowledged, especially when they have a relationship with your brand. Black Friday offers you a chance to show appreciation for loyal, long-time customers.

Offering exclusive deals and discounts to these customers is a smart marketing tactic that can help to build customer loyalty and drive repeat business. 

By showing your customers that you value their loyalty, you’ll encourage them to keep coming back on days that aren’t Black Friday.

8. Use Hashtags To Reach New Audiences

Black Friday gives you an opportunity to reach new audiences on social media. By using hashtags, you can connect with people who are interested in Black Friday deals and help them find your products and services.

If you’re a retailer, you can use the hashtag #BlackFridayShopping or #BlackFridayDeals to reach people who are looking for bargains.

9. Make A Gift Guide

A gift guide is essentially a curated selection of your products, categorized in a way that makes it easy for shoppers to understand what you sell and for you to showcase the items you want to sell the most! For example, you could create a ‘For your fashionable friend’ guide that highlights unique clothing pieces you’re selling. For Mom, For Dad, For child ect.

Gift guides help to promote specific products, drive traffic to your website or store, and generate excitement for your brand.

10. Host A Social Media Contest

A social media contest can drive traffic to your website/ store/ social feed while generating leads, and increasing brand awareness.

Offer a prize that your target audience wants and encourage people to take part in the contest and share it with their friends and followers. It works as social proof.

When one of your friends recommends a brand, you’re more likely to trust that brand. Get your followers to tag their friends or repost your content on their stories for entries.

Black Friday is a massive retail event that, with the right strategy, can benefit your business even if you're not participating in a traditional sale. 

Leverage the buzz, enhance customer experience, collaborate with partners, and prepare your business to handle the increased traffic. 

By doing so, you can make the most of this shopping frenzy and set the stage for a successful holiday season, irrespective of the discounts you offer.

Not sure how you or your business can take advantage of the Black Friday buzz? Take advantage of our Scary Good Deal!

• Copy of The Social Media Content Planner

• 5 Black Friday Sales Ideas

• 30 Content Ideas for Your Business

• 1-hour brainstorming session

• $300 + taxes 

Email Kerra@kasocialmedia.ca to book yours!