How to Stand Out on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Markers prep all year from the biggest shopping days of the holiday season: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You’ve probably already had a few long nights, gone through dozens of A/B tests, and fixed a handful of IT issues. 

But standing out is tough. And it’s getting more challenging as competition increases and customer needs change. Doing the same old basic stuff isn’t good enough anymore. Today’s consumers are savvy. So to appeal to them, you have to be different while still offering personalization and variety in every message you send.

So how do you catch your customer’s eyes this Black Friday and Cyber Monday (and the rest of the holiday season)? We have a few tips. 

Get in the spirit

How your brand comes off to your readers is a lot more about the copy in your email campaigns. The entire aesthetic matters too. So when the holiday season comes around, make the time to craft holiday-themed templates across your email and SMS templates. 

A little bit of upfront effort on your end can help set the stage moving forward. And don’t forget to include triggered emails like welcome campaigns. Review these to see if you need to clip the length or add new links or discounts during the holiday season.

Build up FOMO

Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a powerful psychological driver for consumers. You’ve probably felt it, too. You see something on a countdown or get teased about a sale, and you don’t want to miss it. 

Now, apply the same to your email marketing. Use your email to tease offers. Smart Banners™ can feature countdown timers for a sale, product release, or special event. Make sure you add SMS reminders into the mix.

Combine SMS and email

Speaking of SMS, are you using it effectively? Rather than looking at email and SMS as two separate channels, have them work together to reach more customers and add variety into the mix. 

SMS can pick up with email leaves off, giving consumers nudges to complete purchases, reminding them about upcoming events, and encouraging them to cash in loyalty points for bonuses. Plus, having more than one channel in the mix reduces friction and makes it easier for customers to shop.

Personalize, personalize, personalize

And then personalize some more. The holiday season presents the perfect opportunity to add more personalization to your content and messaging — and customers want to see it. 

Delivering personalized shopping experiences helps customers convert. So you have to go beyond personalizing for names and dig into the data. Look at shopping trends, location, and browse history. Then, send emails and SMS that include personalized product recommendations, shopping lists, and more.

Drive customers in-store

Although online purchases continue to grow, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of shoppers who want to go in-store. So if you have a retail shop, create messages targeting local customers and encouraging them to pop in and shop. 

There are plenty of ways to do this, including: having in-store special events, creating personalized reservations for VIP customers, offering in-store pickup, and promoting extra loyalty points for shopping at the customer’s nearest location.

Make shipping a priority

Customers care about shipping year-round, but that kicks up a level during the holiday season. They need to know when to buy to hit key cutoff dates — and you should communicate that. Smart Banners™ make it easy. 

Just look how Thrive Causemetics used Smart Banners™ last holiday season to clearly highlight critical shipping information to their customers. Doing the same can help you boost your revenue and save your customer service department from endless where is my order calls (WISMO).

Do more this holiday season

Giving your readers and customers an amazing holiday experience this year is easier than you think — and you can say goodbye to extra stress and long nights. 

Does a smooth holiday season sound like a dream? It can be! Check out our recent webinar: Avoid Holiday Email Panic in 2022: 5 Tips for a Chill Busy Season.

In it, you’ll get all the insight and advice you need to kick back and enjoy marketing during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Click here to watch it today.