For many merchants, it seems as though Black Friday kicked off in July. The frenzy of markdowns to generate revenue has been prevalent throughout the Bike, Outdoor and Wintersport markets. For the more traditional BFCM time, all indicators point to another strong promotional period, with online sales peaking once again YOY.
As an online retailer, gearing up for this massive shopping event is crucial to your success. To help you navigate the intricate world of digital marketing, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide on how to prepare your business for BFCM, focusing on Performance Advertising, Paid Social, Email, and SMS marketing strategies.
Performance Advertising: Prepare to Scale
Budget Allocation:
We recommend you log into Google Ads, go to “Tools and Settings”. Visit your Billing settings including payment methods and current funding sources.
– Check the credit card expiration date to make sure you will have the credit line to cover the increase in ad spend over the shorter duration but higher average daily spend.
– Pay your credit card bill in advance of the sale period if you can. Signal your bank that you may have a higher than normal spend in the period so it doesn’t get flagged.
– Add a backup funding source just to be safe.
Ad Optimization:
Review “mark-down” strategy for your website so that you can tailor the customer experience for Performance Ads.
– Utilize strikethrough pricing in Shopping Ads feeds, and make sure it’s automated for accuracy.
Creative:
– Scale up Creative so you have several versions of your promotional campaigns to serve with the increased budget. This avoids serving the same Creative too frequently to the same audience.
If you’re concerned about your Creative Strategy, we have a BFCM Promotion running this year, so contact Scott Montgomery
Paid Social: Effectively Engage your Audience
Budget and Admin:
Like Google Ads, we recommend you review your Billing settings including payment methods and current funding sources ahead of BFCM.
Creative:
– Make sure to invest in eye-popping static and motion Creative for your campaign, and develop several versions.
Promotional Offers:
– Many times a brand will run multiple promos during BFCM. Make sure all ad Creative, Copy and CTA’s are locked in well ahead of campaign flight dates.
– Make your offer unique to your brand and compelling.
Community Engagement
– Always be sure to look around the corner with Community Management during BFCM, and don’t leave comments or DM’s unattended.
Email & SMS Marketing
Budget and Admin:
Our recommendation here is similar with regards to funding source in Klaviyo (or other email provider). Make sure you have an active card and adequate credit limit. Bear in mind you will be sending MORE Campaigns and Flows during BFCM than normal, so your monthly plan will need to increase. We will check to be sure all accounts are set to “auto-upgrade” for both Email and SMS in the case you need more sends than your current plan allows.
Creative:
– Adding several Creative Templates for Email that are specific to your promotion and Integrated with your Paid Media plan is crucial for success.
Shopify + Apps
Here too you will need a stable funding source for your Shopify monthly subscription and Apps. Double check the funding source because an outage would be costly during BFCM.
Questions?
Reach out to your Account Manager if you’re unsure of where these setting are located. If you’re stuck, email info@cranktank.net and we will get you sorted.
Adrian Montgomery
Chief Technology Officer
CrankTank™