The busiest time of the year has arrived. With Christmas, let alone Black Friday weekend just around the corner, this phenomenon has taken over globally. According to JungleScount, out of the world’s 195 countries, an estimated 50-60% “celebrate” Black Friday in some form or another. Even more, Adobe Analytics reported that consumers in the US spent $9 billion on the web during Black Friday in 2020. This went up by 22% year over year, for reference. Nearly the entirety of Q4 has become a time of prime real estate for brands across the globe.

Vying for the best ad spaces, brands face the holiday rush of competition to promote their specials across the web. In addition to 2020’s pandemic, 65% of shoppers will choose to buy products online instead of in-store to avoid crowds. Meanwhile, 64% choose to purchase online for the comfort of shopping from home. With that said, let’s talk about how you can stand out on Black Friday weekend to boost your Q4 sales.

Tip 1. Leverage the full potential of the upcoming holiday season

Think about your audience and customer base- what special deals can you offer each segment as we go into the holiday season? Did you know that 82% of consumers plan to finish purchasing holiday gifts after Black Friday? On top of that, 6% of those same consumers said they will not be done until after Christmas. That means that nearly the entirety of Q4 is real estate gold in terms of ad space. You can strategically funnel your target group from awareness to conversion of your holiday specials.

Possible Black Friday holiday strategy by customer segments and layered messaging

For example, October can be your planning month. Here, you can exclusively offer your best customers first access to retrieving your offer, followed by your Tier 2-3’s, prospect customers, and finally external audience into November. After a “soft,” exclusive promotion to your loyal customers, go all out a week before Black Friday weekend and promote all the way until after December. For the 3-month duration, you’re able to promote your one holiday special to at least three segmented audiences. Plan strategically to maximize the full scope by reaching all pockets of conversion opportunity.

Tip 2. Create engaging content and deliver across relevant channels

Now that you’ve planned your messaging, timeline, and special offer to promote, it’s time to prepare content and delivery. As mentioned earlier, targeting your message should be segmented by your tiered customers, prospects or leads, and finally, your external audience. Knowing your target group and where to reach them on the web makes all the difference of an effective Black Friday campaign. Based on each segment, how will your content resonate with your audience? Consider moving content and interactive ad formats to engage your audience with an impressionable and memorable experience. For instance, gamifying your special offers and creating attention-grabbing videos about your offer already increases your chances of catching your target group’s attention.

Animate your Black Friday campaign with plista’s Rise Ad format.

Once you’ve got your content and target group ready, it’s time to distribute. Which channels are best to find your target group? Beyond social media, there’s still 600 million people who are inactive on these channels but are still Internet users. What about devices? Did you know that in 2020, 42% of all online shopping was done from smartphones (up 55%)? When preparing your content, it’s important to be mindful of how you’re positioning your message, to whom, and its reach. Consider adding plista solutions into your marketing mix to go beyond social media and grow your audience. Our ad products combined with AI technology help you extend your reach across the web through relevant content.

Achieve up to 90% viewability with our newest product, Floating Video, or take it to the next level and create engaging and interactive content with our clickable ad features such as countdown function or multiple clicks to gamify your promotions.

Tip 3. Stand out across the web through competitive campaign bidding

With the much-anticipated holiday season just around the corner, stopping short on your strategy and content creation is not enough. At a time like this, do not hesitate by saving your last penny as there’s plenty competition for prime ad slots. “There’s definitely bigger competition for placements. Not only do you need ‘eye-catching’ ads to get attention, you should also be prepared to increase your normal campaign bidding to win impressions,” our Sales Team Lead Maria Rosenau, recommends. “Our High Impact Ads and Shoppable Video products are definitely suitable to gain user viewability and engagement with multiple clickout features.”

We at plista offer affordable pricing models with our programmatic approach as well as strategic consultation to bring you business outcomes. Want to learn more about how our solutions will help you achieve your Black Friday and holiday campaign goals this quarter? Contact us here.