You already know your offer is the #1 most important thing when it comes to your BFCM success.
So today, it’s all about the emails and displays you need to prepare now to showcase that offer. Because everything you do between now and BFCM weekend needs to tie into that.
This 6-email playbook and small edits to the onsite displays you already have, will help you build hype and drive sales this holiday season.
Here’s what you need to be thinking about over the next couple weeks.
The 6-Email Playbook To Help You Drive Sales
This is why you’ve been building your list all year. It’s email’s time to shine.
And don’t be afraid to increase your frequency leading up to the holiday and day of (no one is going to pay attention to the # of emails you’re sending).
When it comes to sending BFCM emails, you can get incredibly targeted with your segmentation. But we want to keep this really simple. So let’s assume you only have two segments you really want to focus on: your VIP list and everyone else.
Your VIP customers can be selected based on the number of orders they’ve placed, amount they’ve spent, really whatever makes the most sense for your business.
Then you have your broader group that’s made of people who haven’t yet made a purchase and anyone who hasn’t met the criteria for your VIP list.
Over the next couple weeks, you really want to focus on building excitement around your BFCM offer, if you haven’t already.
Email #1: Build hype with your VIPs
Now’s the time to get your VIP customers pumped about your BFCM offer.
But you want to make them feel special. So make it extra clear that you’re letting them know first because they’re one of your best customers.
Whether you’re running a sitewide discount, exclusive product, or bundle offer, they should be the first to know.
Email #2: Build hype with the rest of your list
Copy your VIP email and tweak it to make it work for a larger, broader audience. Send it to anyone not on your VIP list.
Again, this is just to build excitement. You’re not actually driving sales yet, just priming people so when they see your next email come through, they want to open it.
Email #3: VIP early access
Your customers are getting an insane amount of emails. But your job is to get them excited about spending their money with YOU.
And you want to keep nurturing your VIP list and making them feel extra special. So a great way to do that is to let them shop first. Give them early access to your BFCM offer before your inventory runs out.
The Tuesday before BFCM is a great day to target if you’re not sure when to send this one.
Email #4: Share your BFCM offer with everyone
It’s officially go time for everyone else. On Black Friday, it’s officially time to share your offer with your entire list. You’ll want to send the first email early in the day (around 8 or 9am) so you have time to send a reminder and final email.
Remember: people are getting tons of emails today. So you want to give yourself more than one opportunity to land a sale.
Email #5: Midday reminder
Some brands also send a midday email as a reminder.
Feel free to skip this one if you’re not comfortable sending three emails in one day, but it could increase the chances your audience opens and interacts with your email.
It’s especially helpful if you’re running low on inventory.
Email #6: Last chance reminder
This will be your final email of the day, so make it count.
Let your audience know they’re running out of time to take advantage of your offer. If you search your inbox for “last chance,” you’ll probably see a bunch of great examples to inspire you.
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The BFCM experience on your site
Whether or not you already have displays running on your store, you’ll want to create special on-site displays for your Black Friday offer. Make sure everyone who reaches your site knows what your offer is, and when it expires.
Update your headline and hero image
This starts with your headline and hero image. They’re the first thing people see, so take some time to make them stand out (and relate to your BFCM offer).
Don’t let this feel more overwhelming than it is. Canva makes this super simple to do. You can even use the same image you already have with updated text to reflect your offer.
Update your welcome popup
Chances are, you already have a welcome popup in place.
But it’s important to pause your current campaigns and create one that showcases what’s happening specifically for BFCM. You might even want to include a link to shop the sale or the coupon code if they need one.
If you still want to collect email addresses, you can still use a form, but you can also keep things simple and remove the form just for today.
Just make sure you include a tab so visitors can access it again if they close it out and want to reference it again later.
Launch your cart saver
Rather than just waiting til after visitors leave your site, a cart saver will help you convert more carts into sales before they’re gone.
It’s a special type of popup that combines exit intent (when a visitors’ mouse is getting close to the dreaded ‘X’ button) and cart value to try to get them to stick around and complete their purchase. Usually that means introducing a discount that’s slightly higher than your welcome offer.
But just for BFCM, you don’t necessarily need to hit them with another discount. You can use something as simple as, “Wait! Don’t leave. This offer expires tonight. We’ll never do it again.” As long as it’s true, of course. You can also choose to leave out the form field asking for emails this time of year if your main focus is trying to drive a sale.
You can also target visitors that have a certain amount of $ in their cart, but just make sure you’re hitting them with a BFCM-specific message.
Tweak your abandoned cart email
You might already have an abandoned cart series in place. But for BFCM, you’re going to want to update your messaging to remind shoppers what your offer is and when it ends.
It should go out 1 hour after abandonment.
Similar to your cart saver, you don’t need to include a further discount at this point, it’s more a reminder that drives urgency to make a purchase before it’s too late.
Key takeaways: Now’s the time to prepare your emails and onsite experience
- Build hype with your VIP list.
- Send at least 2 emails on Black Friday.
- Make sure the onsite experience reflects your offer in a way that’s really obvious.
- Update/create your abandoned cart email and cart saver to reflect your BFCM offer.
