Black Friday and Cyber Monday Marketing
Small to mid-size businesses have so much to look forward to with end-of-year holiday sales opportunities, and it all starts with Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing. The planning that goes into how to market your products or services for these deeply discounted retail events is key.
In the United States, Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, and Cyber Monday falls on the first Monday after Black Friday. These days are two of the busiest shopping days for discounts and deals throughout the year, and it’s never been more important for small to mid-size businesses to stay in the game by utilizing smart marketing strategies for their brands, products, or services. It’s also important to remember that Amazon still commands most online sales, so marketing for awareness and acquisition will help get your business in front of consumers before they browse on Amazon.
Many Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing guides across a variety of industries, from retail to real estate recommend the following to drive revenue during the busy holiday season:
- Look at your database and determine if it’s in good shape. Do you need to clean it up, add prospects, append data for better segmentation, etc.? From customer profile reports to list services targeting the best prospects likely to buy, Modern Postcard can help you get your customer data ready for all your holiday marketing.
Tip! If your business offers value to Gen Xers, make sure your database includes this demographic. According to Blippr, Gen X spends the most ($782) on holiday shopping.
- Spend your marketing dollars wisely. Think about long-lasting marketing. Which medium stays in front of your customers and buyers the longest? One idea is to consider physical marketing such as Direct Mail. This season, send catalogs, tri-folds, or postcards to your target audience because this type of marketing is tangible, and has a long shelf-life that stays in people’s homes for days – in fact the average shelf-life is 17 days.
Tip! Earlier marketing gets in front of Thanksgiving and helps customers avoid the rush while still providing a Black Friday offer. We recommend planning out your marketing starting in early September. This way, you’ll have ample time to strategize and budget wisely, and when October and November comes around, you’ll be ready to start your campaigns.
- Focus on creating an irresistible incentive. Once you have a strong list of prospects or current customers, it’s time to decide what your message will be. Create an offer they simply cannot resist by designing your mail piece with the incentive as the star attraction.
Tip! Create a QR code on your Direct Mail piece to drive people to your website. Make sure to describe what happens when they scan it. For example: Scan code to receive 20% off!
- Personalization and digital integration is the way to go. Personalize and design your holiday discounts and deals to match your recipients’ names and interests. Ask us to provide you with a free customer profile report with insightful demographics to help you better understand your customers and buyers.
- In order to create a lift in response, pair your Direct Mail campaign with matching digital ads. Modern Postcard can easily help you with this via our program, Modern MAX. This program integrates online and offline marketing by turning a single mail piece into multiple online impressions – to the same audience. From copywriting and design to printing, mailing, and all the digital marketing pushes, Modern Postcard creates and manages the entire program, and everything is tracked from a single dashboard.
There are multiple benefits of adding digital to your offline marketing strategy. Writer’s Block Live reports that “Direct Mail paired with digital campaigns produce 28% higher conversion rates and boosts response rates by 450%.” Give us a call to inquire about Modern MAX! 800.959.8365
Tip! According to research done by Blipper, 76% of holiday shoppers prefer to shop exclusively online. That’s why programs such as Modern MAX are vital because they keep your brand in front of your buyers when they are browsing the web for discounts and deals.
Is Black Friday or Cyber Monday Better?
It’s not a matter of one over the other. It’s a matter of understanding your customer base and their buying behavior. If you are a computer repair shop, for example, you need to have your customers physically stop by your store to surrender their item for repair. Leading up to Black Friday, your marketing should absolutely focus on in-store rebates or special deals. Come Cyber Monday, visitors to your website should find coupons or rebates they can use through end of the year. This is just one example of how a small business can take advantage of both Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing.
Tip! If you are an e-commerce business, use Direct Mail to connect with your audience, and entice them to visit your online store early by offering them something they can’t resist. For example, a BOGO (buy-one, get-one) deal is super popular – especially around the holidays! According to Forbes Advisor, e-commerce sales are expected to grow 10.4% in 2023, and 20% of ALL retail purchases in 2023 are expected to occur online. Plan ahead to get in the game early!
In addition, we encourage any e-commerce business to take advantage of Direct Mail Retargeting. It’s an effective and affordable way to entice lost website visitors to revisit what your business has to offer.
The difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is that Black Friday deals happen both in-store and online, while Cyber Monday deals are strictly available online. The important thing to remember when planning your holiday marketing is that it’s not Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday; it’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday – and don’t forget, Christmas is around the corner.
Plan-Ahead Holiday Schedule
Dates listed are for flat cards on regular turnaround.BLACK FRIDAY/CYBER MONDAY
Mailing
| Order + Submit Materials By 12PM PST | Approve by 3pm PST: | Mail Date | Land in Mailboxes (9-14 Day Delivery) |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 27 | October 30 | November 7 | Nov 17 – 23 |
| November 6 | November 7 | November 15 | Nov 27 – Dec 2 |
| November 13 | November 14 | November 22 | Dec 4 – 9 |
| November 17 | November 20 | November 30 | Dec 11 – 16 |
| November 28 | November 29 | December 7 | Dec 18 – 23 |
Shipping
| Order + Submit Materials By 12PM PST | Approve by 3pm PST: | Ship Date | Delivered by (5 Day Ground) |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 15 | November 16 | November 22 | November 30 |
| December 8 | December 11 | December 15 | December 22 |
Based on flat postcards printed on 14pt cardstock using Standard Postage (10-14 day delivery). Contact us for rush options and deadlines for folded products and catalogs.
So, what’s the takeaway from all of this? Plan well in advance to determine your go-to-market strategy and the most profitable ways to invest your marketing dollars this season. If you need help, we’re here for you. We have extensive Direct Mail knowledge while also being able to pair this traditional medium with online marketing initiatives that will drive people to your business.
Looking for even more strategies for the upcoming season? Check out these 19 Black Friday Marketing Strategies to Try in 2023 from Hootsuite.
Contact a Direct Marketing Consultant to help you plan, design, launch and track your holiday marketing.
Call a Direct Marketing Consultant at 800.959.8365