Every year, Black Friday kicks off a pivotal time of year for many small businesses – from independent retailers, to fully digital companies.
However, it’s becoming more and more challenging to stand out of the crowd. There are some key tips and tricks for getting set up, and maximising your online presence around this time, and it’s not too late to get the ball in motion. Peggy de Lange, VP International Expansion at online marketplace, Fiverr explains how.
Offer Promotional Bundles
Do you have products or services that compliment one another? If so, think about how you can bundle them together and offer someone a deal they can’t refuse. Product bundles can be a great option for pushing a customer over line.
Offer Pre Orders
If you have products that are high in demand, pre-ordering products lets you adjust the stock levels and manage the potential of running out of stock early. If you can keep track of supply and demand you can maintain sales throughout the season and stay on top of operations no matter how busy it gets.
Attract Repeat Custom
Make sure that the customers who bought from you on Black Friday will also buy from you in the future. You can regularly inform these customers about new products through newsletters or loyalty cards. This will be advantageous over the Christmas season when your customers are already looking to buy presents. If they had a good shopping experience with you and your advertising has caught their attention, you may turn first time customers into loyal customers. That’s why customer experience is so important, and shouldn’t be compromised even during busy periods.
Social media
Social media is king. Whole businesses are built on social platforms and taking the time to get this right could be make or break. Take a look at your company’s social media presence, is it updated frequently? Consider whether it’s tailored to your audience and effectively represents your brand. Social profiles such as Instagram are good forums to inform customers of new products and promotions and keep them engaged with your brand. The more social media platforms you are on, the larger the audience you will reach – but remember, quality over quantity is essential.
Advertising
One of the easiest ways to generate sales quickly is by running ad campaigns, be it Facebook, Instagram or Google ads. If you set these ads up correctly, you will immediately get sales or at least data about your customer base that helps you to optimise your product portfolio. Understanding your audience is a valuable way to gauge supply and demand on the run up to Black Friday and throughout the festive season.
Customer service
Customers are used to good service and this can be a great differentiator for you. Personalised and efficient support continues to grow in demand so you should look at how customers can get in contact with you. If the answer is only by mail, this is probably not sufficient -ake a look at chatbots, a phone hotline or maybe even WhatsApp support. Depending how busy your business is, it may be valuable to outsource this service. Digital marketplaces such as Fiverr allow you to hire specialist freelance talent who can support during busier periods such as Black Friday.
Consider freelance support
Digital freelancers specialise in many of the online tactics to help small businesses thrive. Consider bringing on freelance support to help with everything from your festive season sales imagery, your social advertising strategy or even working with influencers. Hiring a freelancer means you can dial up and dial down support during those peaks and troughs.
Start early
Did you start marketing your products early enough this year? Starting early is advised for a successful festive season. Customers are used to seeing products and ads for Black Friday products starting early November so if you didn’t manage that this year, ensure it’s part of your strategy for the next one. Being proactive is a good way to ease your company into the festive season and maximise potential sales throughout. Nevertheless, working with specialist freelancers that can maximise your brand in a short time frame is a good alternative.
