The countdown to the estimated $6 billion shopping event of the year is on with the Black Friday frenzy fast approaching. Amid the cost-of-living crunch, it’s likely that sales will become even more important for many consumers keen to secure a bargain in the lead-up to Christmas.
If you are keen for your small business to be involved, now is the time to set up your strategy to ensure your website and marketing plans can help your business stand out from the crowd. Here are four questions all small business owners need to ask before November’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday:
Is your website ready?
Now is a good time to audit your digital shopfront to ensure you can put your best foot forward to capture new customers and re-engage existing customers. Here’s a basic checklist to run through before the sales begin:
- Check your logo is current and the web design aesthetics are still true to your brand.
- Check to see if your contact details are correct.
- Make sure you’ve plugged your social channels into your website.
- Check your hosting deal to ensure it’s reliable, stable and fast to anticipate the increased demand during Black Friday weekend.
- Review your product photos to make sure they are current and enticing.
- Review your security requirements. Does your online store have an SSL Certificate to ensure all the data shared between your server and your customers’ is encrypted? Comprehensive website security can build customer trust, drive assurance and encourage purchases.
Have you got a winning marketing plan?
Once you’ve identified the right deal for your business to promote this Black Friday, it’s time to turn your attention to promoting it. Typically, many big brands start their Black Friday marketing well in advance of the sales to encourage maximum exposure.
With major advertising campaigns out of budget for most small businesses, your email marketing list and social media channels can be your primary tools for promotion. Maximise your exposure by considering a schedule of email and social media marketing starting with teaser emails leading to the big special offer reveal. Reminders on the day of the special offer or before the deal expires can also help to prompt purchases.
Have you considered the checkout experience?
It’s one thing for customers to pop an item in their cart, it’s another for them to make the purchase final, so it’s critical to consider what happens at the checkout. Integrating popular payment platforms like Apple Pay and PayPal is one way to make the checkout process more seamless. It’s also a good idea to ensure your shipping prices and policies are clear to avoid any surprise costs for customers at the checkout.
How are you going to secure repeat business?
Sales events like Black Friday are a great opportunity to introduce new customers to your business. So, it is worth giving some thought to what happens after they make a purchase to help inspire them to purchase from your store again. Encourage your customers to sign up to your email marketing list at the checkout so you can send them future offers. After purchase, you can automate thank you emails, send requests for product or service reviews and email or text a discount or offer to encourage their next purchase.
Now that the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are a firm fixture on the Australian retail calendar, it’s a great time to consider how your small business can take a share in the spend-athon. With a few simple steps, you can ensure your website is performing at its peak and you have a marketing strategy that sets you up for ongoing sales success.
