Black Friday may still seem like a lifetime away. But, if we’re being real, it’s just two months away, meaning that if you haven’t begun planning your strategy for this major sales period, now is your time to make a move.

You may be thinking, “Why do I need to plan?” “Isn’t a percentage off sales enough?” We get it. But unlike other sales you run throughout the year, planning for Black Friday is crucial, as it’s one period where every brand is working to up the ante on one another. This means if you don’t have a solid strategy in place, particularly revolving around your email marketing, your sales could fall flat! Keep reading to discover our top tips for acing Black Friday this year so you can bring in the sales you rightfully deserve.

Have a clearly defined discount 

With so many brands hosting mega sales over Black Friday, you don’t have space to confuse your database. To ensure this doesn’t happen, define your discount clearly. Don’t use convoluted T&Cs that are hard to understand or may require customers to take additional steps they don’t have the patience to complete. 

Try to stick to a basic offer, such as a Buy One Get One Free, Percentage Off, Amount Off or Free Gift With Purchase, as these are what your customers know well already.

Optimize Your Website for High-Traffic Ahead of Black Friday 

Using email to drive traffic to your website during Black Friday is a great tool for boosting sales. But, is your website primed for this increase in traffic? Let’s say you email 100,000 people and 2% of them decide to click through immediately. This is already 2,000 people who will instantly jump online. Is your website able to handle this? 

Speaking to your developer to test if your site can manage increased traffic will guarantee that the excitement you build over email is not wasted due to slow loading times and glitches. 

Tease your promotions early via email 

You can also use these emails to gauge which customers do not want to receive Black Friday promotions. Allowing them to opt out will give them a breather from your emails. This can also prevent a high volume of unsubscribes during the promotional period due to email fatigue and frustration. 

Offer early access to your email marketing customers (or VIPs)

Similar to the above, remember that you make the rules here. If you’re launching your sale on a Monday, consider giving your email subscribers or VIP customers early access to it. This allows them to shop without the risk of their favourite products selling out. Telling them that you’re granting them early access due to their support of your business is also a phenomenal way to build loyalty, helping to strengthen your relationship with your customers tenfold.

Don’t just send one email 

Planning for Black Friday means standing out in a crowded inbox. There are going to be a lot of brands trying to make an impact during the Black Friday promotional period. We recommend you don’t just send one email during this period, otherwise, it can easily be drowned out by the sea of emails your customers will receive. Try sending a reminder once every few days to inspire your customers to purchase, show them what’s moving quickly and remind them about your amazing promotion. Try to design templates that POP a little against your regular templates, too. This can guarantee that customers clue into the fact that something big, exciting and different is happening on your end. 

When sending multiple emails, it’s also important to segment out anyone who has purchased during the Black Friday period so they aren’t receiving content they no longer need! 

Email By Design Can Help with Black Friday Preparation 

Planning for Black Friday is a big and stressful time for business owners, especially if you have high sales targets you’re striving to meet. Need help managing this period to give your results the boost they need? Book a free 15-minute consultation today.