The twin holidays of shopping, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are celebrations of FOMO by their very nature. Every company (well, nearly every company) is trying to make fast sales by creating a sense of urgency and bombarding customers with limited offers.
Social media, however, is about the long game. We build engagement with our followers over time, and we reap the rewards later, not only in terms of sales but also in customer loyalty and referrals. This is quite contradictory to the message of Black Friday, right?
How can you make social media work for you during these special days, especially in an extraordinary year like 2020?
Know your audience
This has never been as important as during a campaign like this. There are several shopper profiles that will react very differently to the ongoing pandemic, and Black Friday marketing efforts. Your followers might have lost their job and be anxious about spending money. Or they might up their online spending to pamper themselves and send gifts to loved ones they cannot meet in person this holiday season. You need to find out how they are feeling, and target your social media messages to that. Polls in stories and questions where people can respond with a simple emoji or one word are great to drive engagement and to learn more about your customers.
Make it a perfect shopping experience
Black Friday traditionally includes in-store shopping, which is largely restricted or even completely annihilated by lockdown measures all over the world. But fear not: statistics show that online BF spending has been growing steadily over the years, and this trend will likely continue, especially with online being the only space to satisfy your first-world needs.
Before you dive into social media, there are a couple of things you need to take care of.
Get your act together
Check your bio and update it with the correct links. Change your profile or cover photo to show you are doing Black Friday sales. Make sure everything looks the way you want hungry shoppers to see it.
Update your inventory
There is nothing more annoying on Black Friday than wasting time in an online store, only to find out your desired item is sold out. Update product details, pricing, and inventory on your website before the great rush!
Make your checkout process seamless
There are millions of offers competing for people’s attention. One annoying pop-up or extra step, and visitors will leave your site, never to return. Enable guest checkout and optimize the process so buying is painless. Either automatically or visually add your coupon code somewhere on the checkout page so shoppers don’t have to look.
Offer free shipping
Yes, this might mean you’re losing money this one time. But you know what? If your product is great and people enjoy using it, they will become your fans and bring you more business in the future, at regular prices.
Be in tune with 2020 in your messages
What is 2020 about? Social distancing, sheltering at home, Zoom meetings, and loungewear. Make sure your social posts target people who have been living in this reality, as you have.
With social isolation, everything we used to take for granted was turned upside down. Many people reflected on their lives and re-evaluated their priorities. Time spent with family and friends has gone up in value, luxury consumption has gone down. This doesn’t mean you can’t sell the same products as before: you just need to tailor your messages to the current reality.
Social media can be a great way to escape. People have been posting happy throwback photos of travels and group hugs, as a reminder that the world was once a better place. Feel free to whisk your audience away to an alternative dimension, and build a universe around your product. Provide sensory details: close-up photos, the conscious use of colors, and videos are all great tools to make people feel like they are physically interacting with your product. In 2020, there is no better feeling than that.
Use these social media tips and tricks
Once you have nailed down your strategy, it’s time to implement it. You can make it rain on Black Friday without alienating your loyal fans if you’re doing it right.
Hashtag like you never hashtagged before!
If you’ve been educating yourself on social media at all, you will know that hashtags are very important, especially on Instagram. On Black Friday, make sure to do a little research, and use specific hashtags like #blackfriday2020 or #blackfridaysale. Also, find some smaller hashtags that normal people would use: #shoptillyoudrop, #festivemood, or #shoppinglistbecause you have a bigger chance of getting users’ attention. If you have professional pictures, your posts will likely stand out more if most posts in a hashtag are by normal users.
Create custom offers for each platform
Even if you don’t subscribe to being too pushy, it is healthy to create a special moment that tells the customer “now or never”. Create special offers for each platform and make sure to show that on the image itself. On Instagram, you can create a free shop that allows people to buy without even leaving the platform.
Be the worm for the early bird
Many people prepare for Black Friday by searching and saving offers in advance. Let them know what your plans are and get them excited about the big day! If you can encourage them to sign up for your mailing list, even better.
Use social proof
When shopping online, people want to know that the seller is legit. They are going to look for reviews. Remember what we said about making shopping painless? This goes for reviews as well. Display your ratings and testimonials proudly and make sure to show them off in your stories as well.
Keep the love going
Black Friday takes up a huge chunk of holiday shopping, but it is far from the only time to make sales. After Christmas, a lot of people are looking to spend their gift cards. Target them with messages, and show that you care - not only on Black Friday.
Have you tried one of these tactics in your own socials? Share your social growth experience with us! Join The Ezer Tribe Group to get in on the conversation!