Black Friday: Social Media Tips For SMEs

How do I know if taking part in Black Friday is right for my business?

“I think for any business, on Black Friday in particular, it’s about being mindful of your business goals. Is it that you’re looking for new customers? Or are you just looking for a surge in revenue?

You can’t get caught up in the excitement of Black Friday, it’s about understanding how you can utilise this period for long-term benefit.

For example, if you had an influx of new customers throughout Black Friday, can you then remarket to them going into the new year and build them into loyal customers going forward.

So, in summary, understand what your goals are and make sure you’re getting the most out of this period.”

How can social media help my business on Black Friday?

“Social media is a ‘push’ type of marketing, this is where your ads and campaigns are being ‘pushed’ onto people that may not have heard of your brand before, but have relevant interests to what you offer.

It’s about coming up against your competitors and hopefully shining brighter, in what is going to be a saturated time of Black Friday offerings.

Your creatives are really important, you need to make sure that they’re bright, bold and strongly represents your brand.

Is your advertising copy emotive? And does it have a clear call to action so your customers know exactly what you’re offering?”

What about budgets?

“I think for any business looking at using social media, one of the massive benefits is that you can have a lot of control over your ad budgets.

For Black Friday in particular, I’d advise starting with a bigger budget than usual, for example, £50-100 daily budget, so that you can maximise the Facebook algorithm.

This can always be amended as you progress through the promotional period, depending on what return you are getting.”

What platforms should I use?

“For Black Friday, all social media platforms would be fantastic to use – when you think that anybody who visits your website can be remarketed to through your social media platforms.

This could be across, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok – there’s a lot of different opportunities.

Facebook and Instagram are your core leaders, your ads will be served across 18 different placements across these platforms, e.g. Facebook feed, Instagram feed, stories, articles, Marketplace, etc.

Another thing to consider is that, in some cases, different industries lend better to different platforms.

So, for example, on Pinterest, arts and crafts businesses, or businesses with visually-engaging products tend to do better on this platform.”

What discounts should I be offering?

“You need to have offers that a really strong, that will entice people to purchase, whilst also being mindful of your business goals.

Consistency is key.

Make sure your ad copy, the promotion/discount you are offering is the same offer that’s being shown on your website and across all your platforms.

This help to make the whole customer journey from start to finish is consistent.

If you’re sending out mixed messages, it could confuse your customers and therefore lose out on sales.

Types of promotions could be, 20% off, limited time only offers (e.g. purchase today and receive 2 items free), etc.

You’ve got to have special offers that really encourage people to purchase then and there, so they don’t have time to go away and reconsider because the offer is too good to miss out on.

You also don’t want to offer a discount that is too high to a point where it begins to discredit your brand. For example, if a new customer who has never come across your business before, sees a 75% discount, then the credibility and trust may not be there and you could miss out on that sale.

I personally wouldn’t recommend offering 75% off, this would be too high, but at the same time, I wouldn’t offer 5% off as this would be too low – you have to be mindful of what benefit there is to the customer.”

When should I start talking about my Black Friday promotions?

“You don’t want to talk about your Black Friday promotions too early on social media.

If you do this, you could be discrediting your regular and loyal customers, as well as new customers that are considering purchasing already (for example early Christmas shoppers) – they may see that you’re going to be doing a big promotion on Black Friday so could just wait for that sale. Meaning you could miss out on substantial revenue.

I would advise starting to talk about your promotions 7-10 days before your promotional period starts.”

What do the best-performing businesses have in common?

“The best-performing businesses are those that are prepared for Black Friday.

They know exactly what they’re doing and they have a planned strategy in place, for example, when will they be starting their campaigns, teaser campaigns etc.

Have your special offers, strong creatives, advertising copy, website, all set up and ready to go in advance.”

What is your no.1 top tip for business owners on Black Friday?

“Make sure that your goals are all aligned.

Is your intention just a surge in revenue? Are you looking at clearing out old stock that you’ve not been able to sell? Are you wanting to focus on new customer acquisition?

Make sure that you have a clear goal in mind for Black Friday and how this works with your overall business goals heading into the new year as well.”