Black Friday ideas

So it’s that time of year again. Halloween is nothing but a distant memory and Christmas is very much on the horizon. But, before we starting hanging wreaths and singing carols we have to deal with Black Friday!
 
Black Friday has long been an American tradition but it’s been steadily growing in popularity in Europe over the last few years. So, this week expect to see every major retailer advertising Black Friday specials. But, you don’t have to be major to take part. Black Friday is a seller’s paradise and is the perfect time to grow your small business.

Whatever your previous involvement with Black Friday it’s likely that you associate it more with spending money than making it. Well we’re here to show you how to make money on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year.

​We have a number of suggestions for you but first let’s take a look at Black Friday itself. ​​

What is Black Friday?

​Black Friday is the name given to the Friday which follows US Thanksgiving. This year that date is Friday, November 24th. It is generally considered to be the biggest shopping day of the year. The reality is it fits into the overall holiday shopping period. You’ll notice that companies are starting their Black Friday sales earlier and earlier. It’s not uncommon to see sales now beginning anytime in November and continuing into the weekend past the Friday.
 
Ok, so let’s have a look at some of the marketing ideas you can use this Black Friday. 

Black Friday marketing ideas 

​We’ll start with digital files, do you sell digital files?
 
Even if you do this idea could work, have a look through your previous orders and see if there are any clients you can offer digitals to.
 
The key here is to offer to clients where the shoot is already completed and there’s no real chance of a further sale.

You don’t want to do this for new clients and have these prices as your standard, it’s a one-time offer for previous clients to purchase files that they may have missed out on or previously passed up.

If you don't want to work with the digitals the same can also work for prints. Get in touch with old clients and let them know that for one weekend only you’ll be offering previously unpurchased prints for a discount.
 
If you don’t want to offer previous clients something you can try something different to get some new clients.
 
Do you have an off season or a quiet period? If you do this gives you an opportunity to drum up some business.
 
If you have a period that you know will be relatively quiet you can offer a discounted package that can only be booked during this period. Again, this offer is for one weekend only and the discount won't seem so bad if it’s covering a time when you wouldn’t usually have a lot of business anyway.   
 
This is a great opportunity to beef up an otherwise barren period.
 
On that note, you can also offer something exclusively to new clients that sign up during the weekend of Black Friday, maybe it’s a discount or even a small gift, either way you can use this to both drum up business and grow your email list. 

Christmas marketing strategy 

Lastly, think about this time of year and tailor your marketing strategy around it.
 
Is there something that you can offer that’s specifically for Christmas? Maybe it’s a holiday shoot or a Christmas gift with each order, tap into the holiday spirit and use it!
 
The thing about this time of year is that people like to spend. The research proves that people are ready to buy around Black Friday, you’d be crazy not to take advantage of that. The issue is timing, you’ve got to hit it right and when the weekend is done, end your promotion.
 
This brings us on nicely to our final point.

How to market a Black Friday promotion

You need to have a solid social media strategy for Black Friday. It’s not enough to have a promotion if nobody knows about it. Paid Facebook ads are the most efficient way of getting your promotion out there.
 
You’ll also want to send a message to any subscribers you have, especially if you’re running a sale on old prints or files.
 
Find out all you can about paid Social Media ads by checking out our previous post on it! Jenny will give you all the info you need here!

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While we have you, if you're looking for Black Friday deals, we have a range of discounts available. Just use the code BLACKFRIDAY17 for up to 50% off certain products.

​Happy shopping!