Black Friday is an annual shopping extravaganza where both shoppers and sellers celebrate wins. We all know that Black Friday falls on the 23rd of November and Cyber Monday deals on the following Monday, but also be on the look out for money-saving deals throughout the rest of the month. Amazon is already running its early Black Friday deals with new lightning deals being offered everyday.
While Black Friday and Cyber Monday (let’s call it BFCM!) unlocks more opportunities and sales for eCommerce businesses, it also creates more competition and makes it more difficult to reach new customers:
- Promotional emails flood the inboxes of your subscribers’ list.
- Advertising costs (Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc) will spike during the sales period.
- Products are heavily discounted just to compete for sales and profits.Sellers need to stand out during BFCM from all the noise with creative promotions to achieve business goals without
getting drowned out by the competition. Here are 5 creative marketing ideas for your Amazon eCommerce business.1. Black Friday Freebie
Who doesn’t love freebies? Pretty sure most of you out there enjoy receiving free gifts when you make purchases. Why? Because your brain will automatically justify each purchase you make and a free gift will help make the purchase more worthwhile.
Some sellers who want to maintain their luxury appeal can still take advantage of BFCM without slashing prices too much; they can offer a freebie with a purchase to customers. You can also consider offering freebies that have high-value or limited edition items when customers spend a minimum amount.
Offering freebies during BFCM or even non-promotional periods will help drive customers to come back for more. Customers also react favorably when they receive freebies and are more prone to give you a positive review on Amazon. Aside from that, customers are more likely to share their purchases and experiences on social media channels when they receive a free gift.
2. Initiate a Referral Program During BFCM
Would you trust your best friend’s opinion on the leather jacket you have been wanting to buy? Or the daily multivitamins? Most people are more likely to consider a friend’s suggestions compared to a random person’s.
Recommendations or referrals are the most trusted form of advertising and the majority of people heavily rely on someone else’s opinions in deciding what to buy. For instance, Facebook’s recommendation post is a great tool for users to seek recommendations from friends.
Sellers can create a Facebook post offering an exclusive 20% discount coupon to both the referrer and friend. Keep in mind, it’s important to create single-use coupons only to avoid the same code being overused, causing you some serious loss.
Pro Tip: Provide the Godfather offer to make the referral an irresistible offer. For instance, “Black Friday Special: Give your friends 50% off their first supplements purchase, and get 50% off for yourself!”
3. Join Forces with Influencers
Partnering up with influencers to promote your products is an effective way to leverage their effort to reach new audiences and build brand awareness. We talked about influencer marketing strategy and how to find suitable influencers for your brand in one of our blog posts HERE.
To find a suitable influencer(s) to join forces for BFCM, check with those who you have had success with in the past and choose your top performing influencers to promote your sale.
4. Upsell and Cross-Sell with Discounts
One of the great ways to sell more to a current customer who is already buying from you is to upsell and cross-sell complimentary products. Amazon does this well with the “Frequently bought together” section in the product listing page.
Although there is no option for sellers to pre-set the frequently bought together products, sellers can offer product bundling to customers. Bundling complimentary products can help customers save time and effort. Also, it is generally cheaper for customers to purchase bundled products rather than buying them separately.
As for sellers, you generally have a higher profit margin when you focus on average order value. Many brands are using the “buy more, save more” promotional model and here’s why:
25% Off All Products Buy 2 Get 35% Off Average Order Value = $50 Average Order Value = $100 Cost Price = $20 Cost Price = $40 Discounted Price = $37.50 Discounted Price = $65 Profit = $17.50 Profit = $25
Another way to upsell and cross-sell your products is to offer a mystery bundle with multiple of your best products and offering a significant discount for those willing to buy it. One great example is BarkBox, a monthly surprise of dog toys, treats, and goodies!
5. Donate to A Cause
Another great way to generate sales and profits during BFCM while making an impact is to donate part of your profits to a specific cause that you and your audience can relate to. Amazon has a separate website called Amazon Smile. When you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice.
The global movement toward charitable giving has taken off so much that it now has its own day of celebration, known as #GivingTuesday. It is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration.
Final Thoughts
I’m sure by now you have a couple of ideas on how to promote your products for a more profitable BFCM. Be sure to choose and apply these strategies to enhance your BFCM marketing campaigns and see a smarter difference in your business growth.
To further boost your BFCM promotions, you can email blast your email and Messenger lists ahead of time to avoid the influx of emails, and build early anticipation. Be sure to use a catchy subject line and great copywriting to increase open and conversion rates. Your social media posts should vary before, during, and even after BFCM to boost sales.
Pro Tip: Announce BFCM promotions through the header bar on your website, Facebook page, YouTube channel art, etc to grab customers’ attention.
If you have any other creative promotion ideas, do share with us in the comment box below. We would love to hear about them!
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