Top 5 Hints and Tips for Black Friday Email Marketing Campaigns

It's that time again! Black Friday is right around the corner and very shortly it will be knocking on our door. If you haven't started planning your Black Friday email campaigns already, there's no time like now. Standing out from your competitors is going to be hard, but it's definitely not impossible.

In this blog, we'll uncover the best tips and hints to create epic Black Friday email marketing campaigns that without a doubt will get noticed in the subscriber's inboxes. 

1. Create a compelling tease campaign

Email marketers, throughout BFCM your emails should be playing on the reader's curiosity. One way to get your subscribers curious is by launching a Black Friday teaser campaign. Teaser campaigns are used to build excitement and suspense around your upcoming BFCM sale. These emails should not give too much information away but should spark anticipation and get subscribers excited for what is to come. 

Teaser email campaigns should be used to build hype among subscribers by slowly unveiling the big launch through a series of emails.  Your first email could let subscribers know something big is coming without telling them exactly what. Then you could send out a sneak peek email, eluding to the sale information or even providing your email subscribers with early access. This email campaign should give subscribers an idea of what they can expect on launch day and what to look out for so they don't miss your special offer- this is a great way to increase pre-engagement in the build-up to Black Friday.  

These compelling emails should be sent out towards the end of October/early November. It is super important not to sit back and wait until Black Friday to start promoting your sale - you need to make sure that your subscribers know that something is coming, especially as some brands don't take part in BFCM any longer. Make sure your sale starts with a bang and get subscribers excited for what is to come. 

You could also add a countdown timer to your teaser email campaigns. This will add a sense of urgency to your emails reminding your subscribers when your BFCM sale starts. We have put together 20 examples of email marketing countdown timers used throughout Black Friday - take a look and get some inspo. 

2. Launch early - as early as October 

Although it's called 'Black Friday' there is of course no rule as to when you can start your BFCM email marketing. However, we know if you want to stand a chance of getting noticed in the sea of emails flooding your subscriber's inbox, the key is to start early.

Subscribers will start looking for BFCM deals as early as October. You should start sending your Black Friday emails out in October/November to lock in early purchases - you don't want to be late to the email party. You want to get your subscribers excited about your sale and sending your Black Friday emails early is the perfect way to do this. Sending your BFCM campaigns out ahead of time will also increase your open rates as your emails are more likely to get seen before the inbox is bombarded with Black Friday deals. This is highly unlikely to cause much erosion of your campaigns on the day of Black Friday...

3. Stick to one main offer

With the number of offers bombarding a subscriber's attention, it is easy to get caught up in the frenzy of Black Friday. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to present your subscribers with deals they simply cannot resist. 

The most common Black Friday offer is a site-wide discount. Having one main deal across your BFCM sale makes it more accessible to all subscribers as they are not required to unlock the discount by having to purchase a certain product, or spend a certain amount. However, not every great offer, no matter how discounted, will appeal to all subscribers. You should keep one main deal active throughout the entire Black Friday sale while also offering smaller discounts for a limited time only. For example; X% off should be your main offer, but then have secondary offers and bonus offers in different categories and products for 24 hours only - this will increase FOMO and encourage your subscribers to act immediately so they do not miss out. 

During BFCM, subscribers expect more than a generic discount, so make sure your offers excite them rather than bore them. Offering your subscribers that little bit extra makes them feel valued and appreciated. It will also help you stand out more if you are offering multiple deals, which is vital during the BFCM rush. 

4. Influence weekend spending by sending emails on key days 

Pinning down the optimal day for deploying your BFCM email campaign is a question that occupies the minds of every email marketer this Black Friday. However, there isn't a clear victor in this realm (except for the actual Black Friday and Cyber Monday themselves). Historically, Thursday has emerged as an exceptionally fruitful day for launching BFCM email campaigns.

Insights from Campaign Monitor's research underscore Thursday's supremacy in generating high open rates. Positioned on the brink of the weekend, Thursdays evoke thoughts that extend far beyond the realm of work—apologies to employers everywhere! So receiving a BFCM email jam-packed full of offers will stick in a subscriber's mind when it comes to the weekend and are more likely to start browsing your website for weekend purchases. 

Sending your BFCM email closer to the weekend will also mean it reduces the likelihood of your email getting lost in the inbox among the craziness of Black Friday email marketing. 

5. Send multiple emails on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 

Black Friday and Cyber Monday still remain the most lucrative days to send emails by far - so make sure you use this to your advantage. 

During the BFCM weekend,  You should be sending multiple emails across Black Friday and Cyber Monday to ensure your messages can be acted upon by the maximum number of subscribers. Although you do not want to bombard your subscribers with BFCM emails, your readers will be hit with hundreds of Black Friday deals, so sending multiple emails on these peak days will increase your chance of success.

These emails should be packed full of psychological tricks. They should stress the urgency and highlight the scarcity that your BFCM sale will not last forever. It should leave subscribers in no doubt that if they don't act now, they are going to miss out!

Wrap up

If you don't have your BFCM email marketing strategy yet, get planning now! Use these top tips and hints to up your Black Friday email game further - you need to go all in this Black Friday.

Get creative and create unforgettable BFCM email marketing campaigns. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by Black Friday email planning, reach out to our team of email superheroes and we'll step in.