In just over 1 week, one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year will be upon us, marking the largest sales period for many small businesses. While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are where we normally see big box brands discount their products to garner the attention of shoppers—for small businesses, it can be intimidating to get involved. And discounting services and products may NOT be in your best interest.

I know I preach to charge your value, so how do you participate in Black Friday without losing money or discounting your value?

Don’t wait to advertise

Black Friday may look business-driven, but it’s consumers who actually started this shopping event. It was first observed in Philadelphia where there was always high traffic the day after Thanksgiving. Though the original Black Friday—a term coined in 1961—actually had a lot less to do with shopping, today it’s an event that helps retailers move from red to black before the end of the year.

The first step to standing out on this busy weekend? Start posting about your services and available products NOW. You may have already started receiving Black Friday promotions in your email and that’s because trying to get noticed ON Black Friday means posting too late!

Start investing in that relationship with your followers right away, because the more value you provide for your followers now, the better. There’s no rule that says you can’t leak your sales prior to Black Friday! Create a buzz and get your customers excited. Consider creating a gif or teaser video of products/services that will be on sale, while mentioning the promotion before the big day. Remember to promote the sneak peek on your social media accounts. This builds anticipation for your Black Friday deals, making people “line up” at your online store ready for the sale.

And when you post, don’t forget to take advantage of Black Friday focused hashtags in addition to your regular hashtags. Include hashtags such as #BlackFriday #CyberMonday #Sale #BlackFridaySale. This allows you to reach customers who are specifically looking for Black Friday deals in your area.

Here are some ways to be creative with your Black Friday Marketing ideas:

Launch something new

Create a buzz around a new offering by putting it on sale during Black Friday and Cyber Monday! Price it as you normally would, but let people know that this price is the lowest they will ever get it at, and raise the price after Cyber Monday.

Or, you can pull out an old offer to relaunch! Don’t reinvent the wheel as the saying goes—re-introduce or take out something you have already created out of the vault.

Deal of the day

For high traffic stores, having an hourly or daily deal covers several bases at once. Not only does it encourage spending, but keeping your Black Friday deals a surprise and changing them often keeps your customers coming back to make sure they’re not missing out on the product/service they really wanted!

When promoting your Deal of the Hour/Day, consider having a product post created on all social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Since you’ll be busier than usual that day, I recommend scheduling your social media posts in advance.

Create a Gift Guide

Gift Guides allow customers (especially first-time customers buying gifts) to find you during the holiday season. A Gift Guide not only highlights your products or deals, but it can give someone ideas that they may not have thought of otherwise. Example:

“Gifts for for Her”
“Gifts for Him”
“Gifts for kids”

Gift guides can easily be created on Instagram or via a blog (Like my annual personal blog: Eat, Drink & Be You Local Gift Guide)

To get more traffic to your Gift Guides, feature them on your homepage or other places on your website/social media platforms where they will be seen.

Emailing your Gift Guides to past customers is also a great way to have customers share the guide with friends and family ahead of the holiday season and also remind them about you and your products/services.

Free Gift with Every Purchase

Maybe you don’t want to discount your rates, which is completely understandable! Another way that you can offer something special is by offering a freebie with every purchase.

Do you have an e-book, a downloadable, a program that you have put in the vault? Offer it as a freebie when someone buys something from you!

Have a physical item that you are selling? Offer a discount for shipping, ship it for free or offer local free delivery.

You’ll want to promote the free gift on your website or social media to ensure people are aware of it. You can set minimums such as “with every ___ purchase, get a free gift,”.

For example, if you sell women’s clothing, you could give away a free bracelet, earrings or socks. If you sell beauty products, you could include a free brush or sponge or sample.

Donate To a Charity near and dear to your heart

A rising trend around Black Friday is stores and businesses offering to donate a portion or all of their profits on a specific date to a charitable cause. This marketing idea not only attracts shoppers who aren’t tempted by discounts but can drive positive customer perception of your business.

Create Printable Gift Cards

Gift cards are becoming more and more popular as a holiday gift. As an online retailer, you can cash in on that. Encourage your customers and store visitors to buy gift cards for friends and family if they aren’t sure which product their friend or family member will love best. Let customers know you can create printable gift cards which they can give during the holiday season.

Offer a VIP Discount

If you have a loyalty program or a VIP list/group for your best customers, offer them a special VIP exclusive discount during the Black Friday weekend. As loyal customers, they’ll likely buy more from your brand than someone who isn’t familiar with your brand. You can create a Facebook event or a landing page informing them about the opportunity to gain early access to your Black Friday deals.

Partner with local Influencers

One of the most creative and popular Black Friday campaign ideas is to collaborate with local influencers who complement your business or your brand. Consider having the influencer promote your Black Friday deals via Instagram Stories or host an Instagram Live session where they unbox/try on your most popular items and share a discount code with the viewers. Looking for someone local to partner with? Consider applying to the 2021 Eat, Drink & Be You Holiday Giveaways and Gift Guide.

If you haven’t thought of Black Friday until now, it will be more work but it’s not too late! Think of these ideas mentioned above, get your thinking hat on and get those extras sales!

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Planning your Social Media Marketing for Black Friday Sales