Black Friday has been around since the 1960s. Black refers to retailers moving from the red to the black in terms of profit. Back then, when accountants kept records manually, a red number indicated a loss and a black number indicated a profit. The Black Friday concept is still valid today, if you use some creativity in your marketing ideas and giveaway ideas to attract the most shoppers.
Why Black Friday Marketing Ideas Works So Well for Retailers
If you’re wondering whether putting effort into Black Friday is worth the time, all you need to do is look at the results from 2018. Black Friday sales in 2018 were $6.2 billion. That’s up 23.6 percent from the same day in 2017. Thanksgiving Day 2018 resulted in $3.7 billion in sales, an increase of 28 percent from 2017.
Buy Online, Pickup In-Store sales for the weekend in 2018 increased by 50 percent. So, if you have a brick and mortar location and sell online, you can take advantage of the fact that online and offline shopping are merging in many shoppers’ minds.
Black Friday Giveaway Ideas
Making Black Friday work for you is a combination of the right marketing ideas and giveaway ideas. These ideas, along with giveaway examples, can make your Black Friday one to remember.
1. Appeal to the Snoozers
Not everyone wants to get up in the dark, or miss a relaxing Thanksgiving Day to get the best deals. Besides that, unless you’re running a big box store, you probably can’t compete with the discounts they can offer.
Even if you open at your regular time, you can offer special sales at noon or later. Just make sure that your customers know that you’re letting them sleep. Email marketing is one good way to keep your customers informed.
Or, use these giveaway example to get shoppers’ attention. You can use Facebook, other social media, and your website and blog to reach your target market. Prepare a giveaway that the winners can pick up at noon or later. As part of that offer, you can mention that you’re letting your customers get some sleep over the weekend and note the times when special sales will take place.
2. Giveaway Ideas: A Free Gift with Purchase
Braving the crowds shows how much people value Black Friday deals. Give back to your shoppers by giving them a free gift with every purchase. Some giveaway examples include small denomination gift cards, or a useful but low value item from your inventory. Some retailers even purchase fun gifts just for the purpose of a Black Friday giveaway.
You can also put limits on the number of gifts you give out. For example, set a minimum purchase amount, or give increasingly more valuable gifts at higher purchase amounts. If you don’t want to give a gift to every shopper, hold a contest to give shoppers a chance to win your free gift after their purchase.
3. Create Gift Guides
One of the best marketing ideas for Black Friday is to develop gift guides. Everyone knows someone on their gift-giving list who is impossible to buy for. You can help those customers by making suggestions for how your products will satisfy different types of people.
For example, if you operate a sporting goods store, create a guide for the Health Nut, Fishing Enthusiasts, Camping Enthusiasts, Golfers, and so on. Try to think of unique items that the person receiving the gift may not already own. An example could be a rangefinder for a golf lover.
This will also give you an opportunity to bundle products together. That’s particularly helpful for a non-camper, for instance, who has no idea what a camping enthusiast would like as a gift.
4. Run a Discount Contest or Giveaway
Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are excellent places to run contests for real engagement through comments. Offer your social media visitors the chance to win a special discount for their Black Friday shopping spree. Ask visitors to like or comment or both on your social media, then pick winners among those who participate for a special Black Friday discount.
You can describe the discount or use a mystery discount to add a bit more anticipation. Many people enjoy the surprise of determining what the actual discount is going to be. You can pick one or more winners, and get new contact information from shoppers you may not already know.
5. Examples for Social Media Fans
Building your social media presence is important in today’s marketplace. Therefore, doing something unique for them is always a good idea. You can make them feel special with deals just for them.
Giveaway examples include using coupons, or posting an instant win offer on your social media set up so that everyone wins. The winners could also receive coupons or a code to use in your store or online to get an exclusive discount not advertised or offered to the public.
6. Help Drive Traffic to Your Store
If you want to get more people into your store, try giveaway ideas that require the shopper to stop by. Examples include free gift-wrapping or a free holiday greeting card with their purchase. The gift-wrapping station will encourage other in-store shoppers to buy, and you could make it a party.
If you’re expecting large crowds, serve cider and snacks for people while they’re in line to get their free gift-wrapping.
7. Create Personalized Offers
If you have a good customer database, you’ll probably be able to make offers based on previous purchases, or specific personal information that you’ve gathered.
For example, you can create personalized emails directing customers to a custom landing page. Personalize the offer for the things the customer has shown interest in before. You’ll give your customers a Black Friday offer specialized just for them.
8. Promote Your Black Friday Deals Early
You can create anticipation for your Black Friday deals by giving a preview of what you’ll be discounting. One of the best ways to do that is to create a video showing the products that will have special offers on Black Friday. The video doesn’t need to be complex; it could be a slideshow and you don’t even need audio, although you could use royalty free music.
This promotion will get shoppers engaged before Black Friday and they may share the deals you’ll be offering with others. At a minimum, they’ll put your deals on their list of things to buy when Black Friday rolls around.
9. Make a Difference
Do you pay attention when you’re purchasing something that supports a good cause? According to Cone Communications, 89 percent of Americans will probably support brands associated with a cause if product price and quality are similar.
You can take advantage of this willingness to help by partnering with a local charity in your area. You could select a food bank or a charity that provides used clothing. Promote the fact that you want to give back by offering a special discount or free gift for people who bring a donation when making a purchase. Advertise your offer on your social media, website, and blog. The holidays are meant for giving, and you can help others while you help yourself.
How Will You Make Black Friday a Success?
All of your Black Friday marketing ideas and giveaway ideas depend on promotion. You may decide to offer giveaways, personalized discounts, create a gift guide, or give back to your community. The key to making all of these ideas work is getting the word out to your customers and shoppers who could become your customers.
Make Black Friday 2019 your best one ever. Use Woobox to promote all your special deals using one marketing platform. Get a free Woobox account now. You can also get started by calling us at 1-360-450-5200, or sending an email.
