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What to focus on to double your results this year

Today’s talking points:

It might not feel like it right now, but Black Friday will be upon us before we know it! Here is how to prepare and capitalise on this massive spending holiday so you can boss-up in business.

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Welcome to episode 3 of the Boss Your Q4 series!

Over 5 episodes, I’m going to be coaching you on finishing 2023 strong, strategising the rest of the year and me basically trying to help you as much as I can!

So far we’ve talked about how to boss the rest of 2023 with a successful strategy and how to take advantage of the seasons when content planning.

That brings us to the third installment of this series which is going to be all about how to prep for Black Friday.

Spoiler alert: I highly, highly, highly recommend planning for this ahead of time.

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about different ideas, different ways to promote and different things that you can put on sale for Black Friday.

A lot of these ways that I’m going to share with you are so fun and creative and I'm excited to see what you come up with.

But beyond that, we're gonna talk about how to prepare for this event in your business PLUS how to get your audience ready for it too.

So grab your notebook and let’s map out your Black Friday plan.

Black Friday is a big deal

So just to paint the picture for you. I delved into some stats to gauge the scale of Black Friday. Here's what I found: In 2022, a year marked by financial and economic turbulence, global online spending on Black Friday exceeded a whopping $40 billion. Sales were up by 2.3% compared to Black Friday in 2021. It's going to be interesting to see how this year's trends and buying behaviours pan out.

One thing is crystal clear: Black Friday is a big deal. The data doesn’t lie. It is a prime promotional opportunity.

engaging your community early

Let's dive right into it.

When you're gearing up for your Black Friday promotion, it's crucial to get your audience involved well in advance - you need to warm them up! Many people wait until the week before Black Friday, and then they rush to announce their sale. But by then, the noise level is through the roof, and they end up lost in the shuffle. Last week, we discussed the importance of preparing seasonal content early to get ahead of the game. Things get pretty chaotic during this period, with people amping up their marketing efforts and the algorithm going a bit haywire.

Focusing on your email list is paramount as the holiday season approaches. You could think about crafting different nurture campaigns to re-engage your audience in a fun and relevant way. Take this "Boss Your Q4" series as an example. If I were doing it through email, it could involve five weeks of continuous nurturing, a strategy that you can thoughtfully adapt to your own business. Being one step ahead in your nurturing and marketing game is especially vital during this time of year.

You'll want to capture their attention and start re-engaging them well before November rolls around (check out my last blog and podcast episode here on this) by planning for this date in advance.

You should also consider ways to introduce an element of surprise and the "free value" factor into your approach. By talking about seasonal content and ramping up for Q4 ahead of the crowd, you can create a disruption that piques people's interest. When you discuss something before everyone else does, it's like a shockwave, and it makes people pay attention.

So, take a moment to ponder how you can achieve the same effect in your business and community. What topics, missions, or messages can you use to make folks sit up and take notice? Leveraging this approach well before you start selling anything is where the real magic happens.

make your black friday offer stand out

So up next comes to what to sell and how to make it fun!

First off, remember that teasing your offer before the launch can have a huge impact. This is a fundamental truth I always turn to when it comes to launching anything, including Black Friday. It's all about building anticipation, stirring curiosity, and sparking excitement.

Think about your own shopping habits. When you're hunting for deals, do you plan ahead or do you dive in and see what's available? Try to put yourself in the shoes of your customers. Understand their thought processes, what grabs their attention, and what prompts them to take action.

So, when it comes to the sale itself, my advice is to break away from the traditional. Get creative and have some fun with it. Rather than just offering a standard discount, think about how you can make it more meaningful and distinctive. For example, instead of a "buy one, get one" deal, consider a "buy one, gift one" offer. It's a unique twist that ties in with the spirit of giving during the holidays.

You can also run a campaign where a percentage of your sales goes to a cause or charity that you and your community care about. Transparency about where the proceeds are going can be a powerful motivator for customers. I recently had a client who did this during Mental Health Awareness Week, and it was impactful and meaningful.

Another idea is to reward your customers with something extra for their purchases. For instance, you could offer a thank-you gift, like a gift card or a discount, for every specific amount they spend. This encourages them to come back and shop with you again, increasing client retention.

The goal here is to make your Black Friday promotion stand out from your regular offers. Think outside the box and get creative. Create a sense of urgency by offering something unique that's only available during this special time of year. When people know your sale is a one-of-a-kind opportunity, they're more likely to take action.

You could consider giving a free physical gift with purchase, especially if your business is more digital-based. Sending something tangible can be a delightful surprise. You can design and order physical products easily through various websites without breaking the bank.

Another effective strategy is to incentivise customers to spend more in order to save more. Offer tiered discounts based on their total purchase amount. Bundling your products or services together into a special package can also be a hit. People love getting a great deal on a bundle they can't get any other time of the year.

Remember, you don't have to use all these ideas; choose the ones that resonate most with your audience and align with your brand. The key is to make your Black Friday promotion unique, memorable, and special. In a season when people are already in a shopping mindset, offering something distinctive can set you apart from the competition and make your campaign a success.

it’s all in the marketing

Your marketing should also stand out and be just as exceptional as your offer. I recently came across an article discussing a study on email subject lines used on Black Friday. The findings were very interesting. Almost every email had subject lines like "Black Friday is here!" or "25% off Black Friday sale now live." They were all the same. So, before Black Friday arrives, think about how you can break through this wall of noise.

In the article, one subject line that really stood out boldly declared, "Black Friday is cancelled," with "cancelled" written in capital letters. Now, that's intriguing. Amidst a sea of emails shouting about Black Friday being here, this one dares to be different. It contradicts the others, and it makes you stop and wonder, "What's going on here?". You're far more likely to click on it. And what do you find when you do? Surprise, it's still a Black Friday promotion, but it's marketing that slices through the noise.

That's the essence of marketing—standing out, especially when everyone else is singing the same tune, as they often do on Black Friday. It needs to be bold or they're not going to see the promotion, and if they're not going to see the promotion, they're not going to buy. So making sure that they see the promotion because your marketing is so magnetising and just cut through the noise is so, so important.

Top tip: google calendar

The last tip I want to give you is a good one. I recommend everyone do this.

If you're running a Black Friday sale, create a shareable Google Calendar that features your sale dates and links. (If you're unsure how to create a shareable Google Calendar, a quick Google search will guide you through it - it's a breeze). Then you can easily distribute it via email, or on your website or socials.

So when people add it to their Google Calendar, and they're looking at their calendar anyway, your sale is going to be pencilled in, it's going to be top of mind, they are not going to forget about you. It's easy access - now you're meeting them in a different place where maybe their inbox is flooded with emails, but they go to their Google Calendar and your sale is the only one on their calendar. I just think that's so cool. This isn't just handy for sales promotions; it's a fantastic tool for general time management and productivity too.

There you have it, how to plan and stand out this Black Friday!

It is a very, very big sales period and so I would love to see you maximise that, especially with the end of the year being so close. So if you are behind on a sales goal, if you really need that cash injection, being intentional and strategic for Black Friday can really close that gap for you.

Here is a link to episode 2 of the Boss Your Q4 series in case you missed it!