4 Marketing Mistakes To Avoid Before Black Friday

For a large amount of businesses, Black Friday & Cyber Monday are more than just days where they can get a few more sales in. This weekend in November can generate millions in revenue and also allow their business to create long-term relationships with consumers. If you can get someone into your store or to visit you online and buy something from you, if they feel as though they got a good deal on a quality item, chances are they will buy from you again at some point next year. This isn’t just about making sales; it’s about auditioning for future business.

That’s where companies make mistakes. They see this big weekend as only a chance to drive in revenue rather than building long-term trust and brand loyalty. If you want to get the most out of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you need to avoid these mistakes:

1. Thank you, we hope to see you again: Why would you let people leave your store or your site without trying to capture as much information as possible about them? You won, you got someone to visit you and buy from you. This is your ideal consumer and now you’re just going to let them walk away? You need to capture information like their email address so that you can continue to send them ads throughout the year or utilize retargeting, so they continue to see your ads when they visit other websites.

2. One major item to get them in door: This is a common mistake as the goal is to offer one item so ridiculously cheap that they will go to your store and buy more stuff. Yes, it works sometimes but the chances of them choosing you over the competitor comes down to the other things you offer. Don’t put all your eggs into one basked. Bundle items offer free warranties or other options that will make your business more appealing for them to spend their time and money with.

3. Marketing the week of: Most companies will release their deals the week of and start running ads. Smart companies will identify their audience and start marketing to them via email, social media, direct mail and banner ads at the beginning of November. Get your brand in their mind and keep them hooked that you have big news about your deals coming soon. This gets you more attention and a better chance of them checking you out when the big weekend comes.

4. Disappearing after: Consumers are not done shopping after this weekend. They will continue through the rest of the year as they try to take advantage of other deals. This is where capturing those emails is important because there’s a chance the audience you were reaching, as well as the people who did visit you, missed out on things because they were overwhelmed with the weekend and all the ads being sent their way. Keep sending them ads letting them know that there’s still time to get great deals.

If you plan on making a big splash on Black Friday weekend, then the time to start is early November. Identify the right audience and continue to go after them, even if it doesn’t produce results right now. Consumers are more likely to shop with the brands who have been reaching them for weeks rather than the ones who reach them at the last minute about their upcoming offers.