Black Friday is coming, and it’s time to come up with a hook that will make shoppers want to come to your store on the big day. Here are some tips to get your planning started.
Start early.
Get your mailing or email list ready a few months or weeks prior to Black Friday. A good way to make sure your list is ready is to send out countdown emails and encourage social follows to get bigger discounts on the big day.
Then as the day gets closer, you can send out email announcements or post and promote your Black Friday sale or event on Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram.
Keep it simple.
You don’t have to have a million dollar budget or be the first to open to win big with shoppers on Black Friday.
A simple sweepstakes to give away a coveted gift everyone is looking for may be just the incentive to have people come to your store. Have shoppers complete entry forms in store — or online using codes they get in store. Just be sure to run the promotion by a promotional marketing firm like Marden-Kane to make sure it’s legal.
Another way to draw in customers is to offer grab and go items already wrapped, or provide tables with a selection of gift suggestions. A customer short on time will appreciate that they can pick up a quick gift for Mom from your “Suggestions for Mom” section that is already wrapped.
Give it away to keep it.
Other ideas to get people in your store are to offer free gifts or services.
A mystery gift with purchase could be the difference between people coming to your store or going to the competition, as would a free gift wrap table or home delivery.
And what mall shopper, after a long day shopping, would say no to a free five minute massage in your store if that came free with purchase?
Don’t expect customers to jump through hoops. (Or will they?)
The biggest shopping day of the year means you may be expecting your highest sales day of the year, so try to run promotions that encourage sales or new customers. The big day is not the time to run a treasure hunt, or ask for people to sign up for emails or like you on Facebook – people just won’t want to take the time while they are shopping.
The exception to that would be if you expect people to line up outside your store before you open. If you are expecting a big queue, that would be the perfect time to ask people to snap a picture and hashtag your store for a chance to win a prize in a #WaitingInLineSweepstakes on Twitter or Instagram and gain followers.
One last thing. Remember that there is a lot of competition for consumer attention on Black Friday. Consider waiting a day and running a Small Business Saturday promotion or a Cyber Monday offer instead!
Want Marden-Kane to help on your Black Friday promotion this year? Contact us!
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