It’s that time of year again. The holidays will be upon us faster than you can say “Pumpkin Spice.” We all know that with the changing of the leaves comes a plethora of holidays to prepare for; Halloween, Thanksgiving, and of course, National Cookie Day on December 4th.
While focusing on prominent holidays is both important and fun, (we can’t resist a jolly Christmas campaign) there are a few popular shopping days tucked into Thanksgiving weekend that you won’t want to ignore while planning this years holiday social media campaigns.
Black Friday
This is the most well known of the shopping holidays. Black Friday is known for being the busiest shopping day of the year and generating record-breaking sales traffic for many businesses. However, some companies choose to use Black Friday as a day to build connections with customers, rather than selling.REI is possibly the most popular example of an organization closing shop on Black Friday. For over 4 years now they have been closing their locations to promote what they call “#OptOutside.” REI encourages both employees and outdoor enthusiasts to post pictures of their outdoor Black Friday adventures with the hashtag “#OptOutside.” Their website even provides a link that helps direct consumers towards local recreational events they can choose to participate in.
If you choose to close shop on Black Friday to encourage family time, you can still find a creative way to brighten the day of your online followers.
Small Business Saturday
If you’re a small or local business this is a great day to reach out to your followers with special messages and deals! Smaller businesses can’t always afford to slash their prices Black-Friday style like Wal-Mart does. Discounting product by such high percentages is not always a wise decision but you don’t have to dramatically slash prices to draw in consumers!
Often on this day, individuals in the community will go out of their way to support smaller businesses so this is a great day to offer small sales or customer appreciation services! Share a post that describes how your business came into existence. What inspires it? Who owns it? Offer a small incentive such as an online code that customers can use for free shipping.
You may want to consider teaming up with a local influencer or blogger to promote your business to local consumers. It is not uncommon for influencers to do a roundup post highlighting a few of their favorite local businesses. Finally, it could benefit you to center some of your ads and online posts around the benefits of supporting small businesses. Some of these benefits often include personalized service, unique products, or fresh meal options.
Sofa Sunday
After the rush of Thanksgiving, many consumers enjoy spending their Sunday doing a little online window shopping in preparation for Cyber Monday the following day. Past studies have shown us that 45 percent of shoppers spend at least two hours of Sofa Sunday researching Cyber Monday deals. Thirty-six percent of these shoppers plan to do all of that research from their phone.
Since you know your customers will be browsing for deals on their phones, why not reach out to them with early deals that they can act on immediately? A simple solution for this might be to extend your black Friday sale throughout the weekend. Sofa Sunday is an important shopping holiday to set yourself apart from your competition. Consumers on sofa Sunday are less likely to make an immediate purchase because they’re on the hunt for the best deals. Offer up a small gift or coupon with each purchase to help your product stand out from your competition.
If you choose to hold true to Cyber Monday tradition and wait to start your sale on Monday, this could provide you with a great opportunity to build up your email list. Offer priority access to customers who create shopping accounts rather than use guest mode.
Cyber Monday
We all know that online shopping is continuously on the rise but did you know that in 2019 mobile sales are expected to make up 34% of all ecommerce sales in the United States? While older generations of Baby Boomers and Gen X still lean heavily towards making online purchases on the web, 62% of Millenials and Gen Zrs prefer making their ecommerce purchases through apps. Here are a few of our favorite tips for creating a comfortable shopping experience for your customers on Cyber Monday:
- Ensure that both your cover photo and bio clearly display your Cyber Monday deal
- Announce Cyber Monday promotions in a series of posts leading up to the big day
- Insert a link in your bio that directs customers directly to the sale
- If possible, pin a post to the top of your feed outlining your deals for the day
- Have a clear end date and time for the sale to create a sense of urgency
Whether you choose to run a weekend-long sale, focus on one shopping holiday, or simply connect with your customers, you’ll want to take advantage of this exciting holiday weekend!