November 25th, technically called Black Friday, is the kickoff for the holiday season. This not only includes Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), but Thanksgiving weekend and Cyber Monday, the Monday following Thanksgiving.
The phrase, Black Friday, was coined in the 1960s. Used to mark the first day offline retailers believed their bottom lines moved from a loss to a profit. And today the day after Thanksgiving is still the highest grossing day of the year for most businesses.
Cyber Monday is a more recent phenomenon, started in 2005. Yet today this particular weekend has now combined to create a mega selling event. Days on which millions of people, even those from other countries, come to shop online.
Despite a sluggish U.S. economy in 2011…
This season Internet sales are set to be oh-so Merry and Bright! With a projected sales increase of 12% from $32.6B in 2010 to what could be a record breaking $36.5B in 2011. Translating into millions of new shoppers. Cash in hand; galvanized and ready to shop. A group you will, no doubt, want to tap into. Getting your share of the business pie.
Here’s some of the gifts research shows people buying Black Friday, Cyber Monday and throughout this holiday season:
A wide variety of services. Including:
Expensive dental work, coaching programs, education & training, digital products. Home improvement services (kitchen and bath re-modeling top the list). Trips & vacations. Spa visits.
Also:
- Health Equipment
- Cars and luxury items
- Sports gear and equipment
- Gold and Diamond Jewelry
- Children and baby furniture, clothing
- Games and books
- Furniture
And that’s just to start.
Furthermore, an estimated 21% of Internet shoppers, says comScore.com, expect to spend more money purchasing gifts on the Internet this year, than last.
How do you tap into, and get, your piece of that incredible pie?
Here’s 7 Valuable Marketing Tips to kickoff Black Friday and Cyber Monday to successfully take your biz through the holidays and beyond:
1. Create an email campaign starting with Black Friday. Mailing early, about 8:AM. To ensure your email ends up near the top of their inbox. On Cyber Monday send your email so it ends up in their box around 10:00am.
2. Mail frequently. Statistics show November has a staggering 47% open rate. Your engaging emails help ensure your biz stays at the top of a customer’s mind once a buying decision is made. Slow up after New Years; but do keep regularly emailing.
3. Utilize social media marketing. Not just the usual Facebook and Twitter. Use bookmarking sites, Stumbleupon, Yahoo and Bing Local; set up a Google Places page. Submit your info to Directories. In fact, this should all be an integral part of your permanent marketing plan.
4. Cut down on your website’s bounce rate. Have your webmaster check the site to be sure it’s uploading quickly; has no HTML problems; navigation’s working properly, for example. These are irritating problems which can have site visitors leaving (bouncing) before it totally loads up.
5. Have your webmaster set up a squeeze page where people sign up for a free report you’ve created. Slowly begin emailing this new group. Who, in time, you’ll feel confident re-selling and up-selling to.
6. Build in increased product value. For example – Add a bonus or future discount; add in a free service; create a membership set-up with specific added member services and products. Create bundles, adding together related products and services.
7. Utilize video, article and mobile marketing sites. Top ranked sites will provide backlinks to yours which can stay active, providing traffic to your site, for months. This strategy allows you to reach out to a whole new audience of potential buyers.
When you prepare a solid marketing campaign, reaching out in a variety of ways during the opportunistic Black Friday / Cyber Monday weekend, you begin financially reaping rewards. Rewards which can easily resonate far into the future.