We've been in the game since plain text emails were on-trend. And when it comes to Black Friday email marketing, it's basically the Super Bowl for our clients. Customers spend all year waiting for these deals and if you deliver, the rewards can be incredible. It's no secret that Black Friday email campaigns are essential to drive traffic to your online store. In fact, in 2022 alone, the amount of Black Friday emails sent rose to approximately 141 million. Chances are, this number will just continue increasing in the years ahead.
So how do you ensure that your Black Friday email campaigns are on-point in order to get a slice of that sweet, sweet Black Friday pie? Pour yourself a coffee and read on - we’ve got some beans to spill.
Here’s what we’ve learned after creating many (many!) Black Friday email campaigns and generating some incredible results for our clients (not to brag, or anything).
Creating Impactful Black Friday Email Campaigns - A Word From the Wise (That’s Us)
So you’ve got some great Black Friday email marketing ideas in mind. The problem is, so does everybody else. It’s the one day of the year when you’re competing for the eyes, hearts, and wallets of ALL your subscribers. Along with every other brand out there. But fear not - it’s not all doom and gloom. With a crystal-clear plan in place you can ensure that you pull off your best Black Friday yet. Ready to knock your sales out of the park and right into the stratosphere?
Here are some of our best tips for making every Black Friday endeavor a truly successful one:
- The early bird gets the revenue. You should get started on your Black Friday email marketing strategy as early as possible. We’re talking about at least two months ahead of time. That’s right, the beginning of September is the best time to start planning Black Friday campaigns. This gives you time to test each campaign and ensure that you’re ready to launch on the big day.
- And speaking of early: It’s always a great idea to send Black Friday email campaigns to loyal subscribers and purchasers a few days before the sale actually starts. This way, inboxes will be less crowded and you’re likely to reach potential customers before they spend their money on other offers.
- Keep things simple. Sure, it’s tempting to have six different offers. But the more complex and diverse your sale is, the less likely it is to resonate with your subscribers. The best offers are the simplest ones. Think sitewide discounts, BOGO deals or huge savings on your most popular categories.
- This goes for content and design, too. A good Black Friday email marketing campaign should hero the discount and include a clear CTA button above the fold. Keep content short and visuals attention-grabbing.
Now that we’ve covered the essential tips and tricks for an unbeatable Black Friday, let’s talk strategy.
Never Discount a Good Email Marketing Strategy – How to Prepare 2-3 Months Before Black Friday
Just like giving a speech at your best friend’s wedding, Black Friday is no time to improvise. To generate the ROI you’re looking for, you’ll need to build a well-thought-out, data-driven strategy waaay ahead of time. So roll up your sleeves, and let’s get started!
- Update your cart and browse abandonment flows. Black Friday isn’t just about the campaigns you send on the actual day. It’s about ensuring that every step of your customer’s journey has been considered - AKA stellar email campaign management. That's why it’s vital to ensure that your browse and cart abandonment flows are working as smoothly as possible. Go through the steps yourself to ensure that there aren’t any hiccups. Heck, why not add your Black Friday deals to these automations during the holiday to boost your sales even further?
- Look at your previous data. Evaluating last year’s numbers allows you to see which kind of offers your audience responds best to. It also shows what times they are most likely to engage with your campaigns. This should be the foundation of your Black Friday email marketing strategy.
- Create an effective sending strategy. Your campaign strategy is important, but just as important (and often overlooked) is the sending strategy for your Black Friday email marketing campaigns. One thing you don’t want to do is send all of your Black Friday email campaigns to your entire audience. Ensure that your audience is properly segmented, (more on that below), then stagger each send so it reaches the right people at the right time. Otherwise, a few months later your unsubscribe rates will be through the roof. A solid sending strategy helps ensure that each segment only receives relevant deals, which increases your chances of generating revenue.
But Wait, There's More...
- Segmentation: If necessary, you should create specific sending segments just for Black Friday. Your priority should be engaged subscribers and repeat purchasers. And yes, you should send Black Friday campaigns to unengaged subscribers, but not too many (and not too early in the month).
- Check your email deliverability. After all your hard work, be sure that those Black Friday email campaigns aren't ending up in someone's spam folder.
- Testing 1-2-3: Test your emails thoroughly across multiple email accounts to see if any tweaks need to be made. Test dark mode, too!
- Have a landing page for Black Friday promotions. Sure, you can send customers to your regular website. But it’s always more exciting to send your customers to a landing page specifically set for your Black Friday offer. Make it feel special!
- Hosting provider: This is a must-do as it ensures your provider is ready to take on a sudden influx of traffic.
- Test your payment gateway. Pretend you’re a customer and place an order on your own website using a real payment method. Then, go through the payment process. Is it smooth enough?
Black Friday Email Marketing Tips – One Month To Go
You’re in the home stretch! Just a few more steps to take and you’ll be knocking those Black Friday sales right outta the park.
- Review your offers and tweak if necessary. Cast a critical eye over the offers in your Black Friday email marketing campaigns. Are they as simple as they can be? If not, make the necessary tweaks to help drive sales.
- Sending etiquette: While it is important to start early, there is such a thing as starting too early. If you have a month of the same offers, your audience is likely to get fatigued before the big day rolls around. Be sure to keep things exciting and not bombard your audience with too many early bird emails.
- Offer a sneak peek the week of Black Friday. A preview of your discounts will create a stir as customers will already be on the hunt for Black Friday deals.
- Tell folks when to expect the big Black Friday reveal. In your sneak peek email, let customers know the date and time you’ll reveal your Black Friday offer. You'll be surprised at how your engagement rates will soar.
- Create reminders and resends. We get it, people are busy. And when your offer pops up in your subscriber’s inbox they may be grocery shopping, dealing with their kids, or they might simply miss your first send amongst all the Black Friday email marketing campaigns in their inboxes. Resends and reminder campaigns are an effective way to generate revenue from previously-distracted subscribers. What’s more, these also help convey a real sense of urgency and as we know, FOMO can be a powerful sales tool.
- Don’t stop at Black Friday. One of the best ways to stand out during Black Friday is to continue sending sales campaigns after the weekend has finished. Inboxes will be slightly less crowded and if your subscribers missed out over the weekend, they’ll have another chance to save on your products and services. How’s that for a win-win situation?
Now that you’re loaded with email marketing tips for Black Friday, you'll need some inspiration.
Black Friday Email Marketing Examples - Campaigns We Love
A winning Black Friday email marketing campaign should include an interactive design that clearly states the offer and the CTA. Just like this Neurogan campaign.
Be sure to mention your offer more than once. In this LYS Beauty campaign, the discount was showcased in both the hero title and a sticker.
Free shipping is always a winner. If you’re offering it, highlight it like we did here.
The Results From (Just Some) of Our Black Friday Email Campaigns
You would think with all that experience, strategic skill and design razzle-dazzle we would have achieved some incredible Black Friday email marketing results for our clients. And you’d be right.
Here are some of the numbers we’re most proud of:
We achieved a whopping 527% increase in Black Friday sales for this adventure brand. Talk about rocking the boat.
We polished up this nail art brand’s revenue with a 112% increase in Black Friday sales compared to the previous year.
BONUS:
You’ll find more dazzling results in our case study section here.
Want to set new internal records with your email marketing results during Black Friday and beyond? Chat with our ‘Crew today.
