Tips For Getting Your Business Ready for Black Friday

Preparing Your Business To Be Ready for Black Friday

It might seem like there is plenty of time to get things ready, but as you know, things come around quickly in business, and it will soon be that mad rush that is Black Friday! It seems that Black Friday is not so much a one-day event now but more a week or, in some cases, a month-long event for some companies, and this year is on track to be no different! With that in mind, what steps should you be taking to get your business and your website ready for the big event? Morgan Branding is here to help with some top tips so that you can be prepared and thrive this Black Friday!

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What Is Black Friday?

Black Friday started in America and is always the first Friday after Thanksgiving, and is a day when retailers traditionally kick off the festive shopping period with significant discounts and deals galore. Every year billions are spent in-store and online, so if you run a business, it is wise never to ignore Black Friday and Cyber Monday to get those sales ringing in! 

So-called Black Friday is rumoured to have gotten its name when police officers in the 1960s coined the phrase due to the increased number of cars clogging up the roads when people started their festive shopping combined with an Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia. Another reason it may have gotten its name is because it is said that retailers were operating at a loss for the year until people started their festive shopping at this time of the year – and so got back into the “black” in financial terms. 

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!

Suppose you want your business to do well over the Black Friday period. In that case, you will need to ensure that everything is in place before it, i.e. know what offers you will be offering customers and have your marketing materials in place before the big day. As the old saying goes – fail to prepare, prepare to fail! You will need to know what offers you are going to be presenting, and in what format, i.e. is it a coupon or just an automatic discount, then you will need to prepare:

• Social media assets: Graphics, videos, posts etc.
• Your website: Coupon codes, website banners and promotional graphics.
• Promotional materials: Such as leaflets or banners for instore.
• Email: Promoting emails designed and ready to send.

An excellent way to ensure that all of this is ready is to create a guideline for what you hope to achieve and how to get there. So, for instance, knowing what offers you are giving, then how you want to deliver that in the build-up to the day itself. Ramping up your marketing in the build-up to the day is critical – people will be on the lookout for offers – ensure your brand is at the forefront of their minds! 

Getting everything ready in advance is critical. Using social media scheduling tools and pre-designing and setting emails to be sent on the day is another good way to ensure that nothing is missed or forgotten. 

Morgan Branding Black Friday Top Tips

When it comes to marketing your business for Black Friday – it is important to remember every retailer and their dog will be screaming for your customer’s attention. Sitting back and expecting your brand power to do the work is the wrong approach, so you need to be shouting your offers from the rooftops – both on the day and in the days before the main event. Our top tips are:

• Be clear with your offers.
• Prepare and schedule everything well in advance.
• Ramp your marketing up in the days leading to the event.
• Avoid black hat tactics such as raising prices only to lower them.
• Ensure all staff are aware of the offers and are ready to answer any questions. 
• Have a plan to revert the marketing, such as removing banners on websites to prevent confusion once the offer has finished. 

Need further advice? Get in touch with us here at Morgan Branding we have a fully dedicated team ready to help you and your business get ahead online. You can get in touch via our contact page or get social with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn! 

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