Boost Your BFCM Sales with Influencer Marketing: A Strategic Guide
Every year when August approaches, it is hard to believe that people are already thinking about the holiday season, but if you are a marketer you know this is the most important time of the year to be planning. Brands must begin strategizing early on so that their Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) holidays are executed seamlessly. Known as the biggest shopping week of the year, it has become the most crucial time for brands to see a high ROI. According to Salesforce, during the last BFCM there was a 6% increase in global sales. With so much on the table, it’s important to plan ahead when building your strategy so that you are at the forefront of this year’s trends.
Build Audience Anticipation Through Planning Ahead
It’s not news that it is important to plan ahead for BFCM, but this year is more important than others in creating your content strategy early on. With an election cycle landing in the same month, a shorter holiday season, and everyone beginning to shop earlier, your campaigns need to be launched early with consistent follow ups leading to the big weekend. In the current attention economy that we live in, it is important to engage your audience and keep their interest. Here are a few ways to keep audience engagement.
Sneak Peaks: Drop stories early on with a look into new products that will be part of BFCM or popular products that will be making a return. You could create Reels or TikToks incorporating trends that hint at what the products will be.
Exclusive Access: Sinch recommends creating early access to BFCM deals to loyal customers.
Countdown: Get creative with a countdown to BFCM. You can include a behind the scenes look, giveaways, and more.
There are many ways to engage your audience before BFCM, but it is important to add a longer campaign to your strategy this year. Simply advertising your BFCM plan during November might not suffice in bringing in more customers, you have to be in it for the long-haul.
Mobile Shopping: Optimization is the Key to Success
The majority of shopping is beginning to take place on phones more than anywhere else so it is important that the consumer’s mobile experience is just as pleasant as one on a desktop or in person. This means that you have to optimize your online presence for mobile which includes the following.
General mobile optimization: Make sure your website is easy to use through a mobile browser. Keep the shopping cart button easy to access along with product categories, a contact us link, and (we recommend) an FAQ section. It may take some time to refigure the navigation but it is crucial to make sure your website is user friendly during this time of year.
Hashtags: Research which hashtags are gaining the most traction amongst your target audience to reach larger numbers. People are using TikTok as a search engine now and according to Tribe Group, 15% of all product discoveries are happening on social media.
Amazon SEO: As Amazon continues to be the most popular tool for all shopping needs, brands are having to consider how Amazon will affect their strategy. According to Remazing, 66% of consumers begin their shopping search on Amazon. If a product appears on your brand website and on Amazon, you will have more luck appearing for a wider audience. Optimizing your SEO to appear during Amazon searches will help you stand out from other brands. If you sell directly on Amazon, make sure your tech stack integrates.
Keep Everything Together: With social media growing, there are endless options for advertising your product as well as services that your brand can take part in. While it can be tempting to be part of everything you can, this can make it confusing for your consumers. Have a clear and consistent landing page for updates. Whether that is your website, Instagram page, or something else, if consumers know they can go to one place to search, purchase, and find updates they will be more likely to buy something and stay loyal. Additionally, if you keep everything in one place it will help your team save time and produce quality work because they can focus on the platform to optimize.
If you can’t only use one platform, we recommend using services like Linktree as a directory.
Taking the extra step to make sure your mobile platform is working at its best is not only a good look for your brand but will keep consumers coming back for your products.
Combining Online and In-Person Experiences
Everyone goes shopping during the holiday season whether they enjoy it or not. Some people prefer accomplishing this task from the comfort of their own home but others enjoy traditional shopping in person. While online shopping popularity has skyrocketed, it’s important not to single out people who don’t pick up their phones for holiday shopping. According to Salsify, 49% of shoppers prefer a hybrid of online and in-person experiences. Every brand should strategize how to combine both methods of shopping and here are a few ways you can do so.
Create online codes that can only be redeemed in-store, then have products available in-store that weren’t seen online. The deal will reach online audiences, causing them to go in-store and then spread the word that there are limited items in stores only. For people who only shop in person, your brand representatives can let them know if they check out social media, they’ll find more deals to assist them in their shopping experience.
Add pick-up options into your strategy. Some people enjoy shopping online but don’t want to pay shipping and handling fees, so providing the option to pick up their items in stores creates the best of both worlds. This option isn’t doable for all brands but if your brand can have a partnership with in-person stores for BFCM, it may be beneficial for your strategy.
Make sure your return policy is clear and easy to find. Consumers are more likely to purchase a product if they feel like they aren’t 100% committed and can return the product if it isn’t what they expected. While you don’t want your consumers returning your products, having the option available will make people more likely to purchase in the first place and then they will see it is a high quality product they want to keep.
Combining the best of the online world with in-person interactions will show consumers you care about their overall experience with your brand.
Spend Time on Your BFCM Strategy
There are many different techniques and ways to boost your strategy but our biggest recommendation is to spend time building the right one for your brand. Plan ahead and stay detail oriented to curate the best BFCM experiences for your consumers and for your brand. If you want assistance through this journey, reach out today and go check out our Marketing Guide that we designed specifically for BFCM.
