Guide to Klaviyo x Black Friday Email Marketing Campaigns in 2023

We cannot quite believe it either but yes, it's that time of the year again - Black Friday is right around the corner. BFCM is a super busy time for all email marketers and we know for sure subscribers' inboxes will be filled to the brim with discounts and promotional offers. 

If you don't already have a BFCM marketing plan in place and are new to Klaviyo, don't fear, we have your back. This blog includes personal recommendations from our email heroes on Klaviyo features we encourage you to use to enchant your Black Friday marketing content. 

We have put together a list of awesome tools and strategies using Klaviyo that will supercharge your BFCM email marketing. Let's dive in!

1: Use Klaviyo's forms and popovers for early access

One way to can get the most from Klaviyo is by using the platform's epic forms and popovers. These features can be used to kick off your BFCM marketing early with a pre-launch registration campaign. Popovers and forms can be used to invite people to subscribe to be the first to hear about your Black Friday deals. They can be used to offer subscribers early access to the sale. When a subscriber signs up for early access, they are giving you full permission to contact them before BFCM gets going. 

Using forms and popovers on your website to offer exclusive access means you can communicate with a small but highly active audience. You should focus heavily on this segment and nurture them to purchase. They have signed up for early access, showing that it's likely that they have more interest in your brand than someone who is subscribed to your general email list. This is the focus segment that you want to engage the most throughout the build-up to BFCM. 

2: Plan early using Klaviyo's template features 

"Plan early" may sound cliche, but it's super important if you want to get the most out of your BFCM email campaigns. One way you can start early is by using Klaviyo's easily customisable template features, the platform gives you access to over 100+ expertly built templates for email, SMS and automation. Klaviyo has made it super easy to use your subscriber's profile properties to fully customise all available templates - you don't need to be an email genius to use this epic feature - it's so simple. 

One word of caution - don't rely on Klaviyo's pre-built email templates. They are super basic and don't have best practice in mind. We'd recommend you build out your own email design system using the drag and drop editor. By planning with these ready-to-use features you can stay ahead of the email game. Klaviyo's template features will help you stay organised within the platform and allow your Black Friday planning to run smoothly - just as we email marketers like it. 

All of Klaviyo's template features have been trialled and tested so you are only a few clicks away from launching an awesome BFCM email campaign - get planning now!

3: Utilise Klaviyo's SMART sending 

What is smart sending we hear you ask? Well, smart sending enables you to stop emails being sent to subscribers that have received an email from you in the last 12-24 hours. Doing this makes sure you avoid spamming your subscribers with BFCM emails. You can configure these timings manually in your Klaviyo account. 

Superheroes, you need to ensure smart sending is turned off for the campaigns that you want to reach in the inbox. It is also worth turning smart sending off for any super important automated emails like cart abandonment campaigns and product browsing to make sure these emails are landing in your subscriber's inbox on time. 

4: Use Klaviyo's segmentation and list features 

Klaviyo's segmentation feature allows you to create email lists and update them effectively. 

If you regularly segment your database, you should be able to exclude people that have not opened or clicked on your emails in over 6 months. Although you have not recently communicated with this segment of people they still hold value for your company in terms of Black Friday. You should avoid bombarding this group of people with BFCM offers, they need to be warmed up slowly. To warm up this segment of subscribers you need to start bringing them back into some of your sends and run pre-tease campaigns. 

Email marketers, to take it one step further you might even want to invite this unengaged group of people to opt out of just your BFCM offers. You could give them the opportunity to say if they want to receive Black Friday offers so it feels like they are giving you permission rather than just assuming it is okay to email those contacts again. This segment is more likely to interact with your brand this way.  

5: Use segments to check deliverability by domain

Another way to get the most from Klaviyo's platform is to use Klaviyo's segmentation feature to check the deliverability reputation for each domain that you are sending to.

Sending platforms like Yahoo, Google and Hotmail should be checked regularly to make sure there are no issues when receiving your emails. It is worth checking these domains to see if there are any unusual patterns you start to see in terms of low opens and clicks. If you are experiencing any of these issues it indicates you have some work to do on deliverability - you should do this work in September well ahead of the Black Friday weekend. These checks should be made super often. The last thing email marketers want is for subscribers to not be able to receive their BFCM content during this highly competitive time.  

6: Increase your frequency with those that are continuing to click on your emails but have not converted 

Here at Enchant, we like to say "It is always your turn to speak next" - email marketers it is your turn to respond to subscribers that click or engage and also to speak to those that don't. And with relevance and purpose.

During BFCM many people are opening and clicking emails but not converting. If your subscribers are doing this regularly you need to make sure you are changing the conversation you are having. Make sure you have a campaign ready in Klaviyo as a template to send to those people that are engaging with your emails but have yet to purchase. Take charge and ensure you are leading that conversation and moving the subscriber along that path to purchase. 

7: Utilise the split testing tool in Klaviyo 

Superheroes, you should split-test features that are really high up on the engagement funnel - test your subject lines, how you frame your messages by applying behavioural science techniques and the stacking of your messages. For example, if your email campaign includes "20% off plus free delivery" you need to test which order wins. You should reorder these messages in the subject line, try with and without emojis and with and without personalisation and see what performs the best.  

Top tip: test these features as a pre-send split test rather than an entire campaign. Doing this will allow you to send to 20% or do of your database and then you will be able to launch the most successful of those tests you have carried out to the main list. With all tests you run make sure you use a statistical significance calculator - this is not included in Klaviyo and is often overlooked by email marketers. But it will help you to understand if your tests can be relied upon or if there is a fallacy in the outcome - don't ignore this step it's super important (you'll also get mega kudos from your CMO to have proven that your test results are trustworthy).

8. Establish an SMS program

Don't worry SMS marketers, we haven't forgotten about you!

With the rise in subscribers communicating with their favourite brands via SMS, you should encourage your subscribers to opt into SMS marketing to receive exclusive access to your Black Friday pre-sale. These subscribers can be the first to hear about the pre-launch campaign. You can also promote your BFCM marketing content much earlier through SMS than you would through email. With inboxes more crowded than ever, SMS communication could be an easy way to make sure your message/BFCM sale is seen first. 

SMS marketing also is a great way to create personalised customer experiences, drive engagement and nurture relationships. By offering readers early access you could convert email list subscribers to high-value subscribers. However, SMS should not be used as a replacement for your existing marketing channels - instead, see it as that extra puzzle piece that your brand could leverage to make Black Friday a success with email marketing in your organisation.   

Wrap Up

With Black Friday marketing launching earlier and earlier every year, you need to be on your A-game when it comes to planning your BFCM email marketing strategy. Klaviyo's platform can definitely help you with this. 

Klaviyo offers some epic features to help supercharge your BFCM marketing content and provide you with success throughout the Black Friday period. Be sure to take advantage of all of Klaviyo's tools and templates to make your Black Friday campaigns WOW your subscribers.