How to Plan Your Black Friday Marketing Strategy

It’s that time of year. It’s the end of September or the beginning of October, when it’s time to plan your Black Friday marketing strategy. I know, I know, it comes earlier and earlier every year. 

But that’s a good thing because your business deserves more than a few posts thrown together at the last minute. 

Another way of looking at this is that as your business grows, you’ll outsource tasks (like photography and social media) that’ll require more lead time than if you were to do the job yourself. 

For example, if you’re investing in product photography for your holiday gift boxes, you might need to book your photographer 1-3 months in advance. If you’ve hired a social media strategist, they’ll have other clients and will need enough time to ensure every client’s deliverables get completed on time. 

Now that you have a couple reasons to plan your Black Friday marketing strategy early, let’s get into the “how”. But first, download my complete Black Friday Marketing Template. It’s the exact launch sequence, post ideas, and checklists I use to secure record sales year after year for my own clients.

Step 1: Prepare the Details of Your Black Friday Campaign

There are two parts to a successful Black Friday marketing campaign: the promotion itself and how the promotion is marketed.

If the promotion is a boring 10% off, no amount of brilliant marketing can save it. On the flip side, if the promotion is an enticing 20% off with free shipping and a free gift with purchase, crappy marketing can cause it to flop. If nobody sees it, nobody can shop it. Plus, those free gift with purchases can be used to increase average order value, which is nothing to sneeze at. The customer feels like they’re getting a better deal and you make more dollars.

Before we get to the marketing, use my 3-step process to create your promotion.

• What is the discount? 
• Can you include “bonuses” like a free gift? 
• What are the dates of the sale? 

Get a more detailed checklist here.

Step 2: Fill out Your Black Friday Marketing Template

Now that you’ve decided on your Black Friday campaign, it’s time to plan the marketing.

There’s a variety of ways to promote your sale. You can use Instagram reels, graphics, carousel posts, Instagram stories, email newsletters, not to mention Facebook or TikTok. 

I highly recommend using a variety of post formats to reach as many people as possible.

Instagram reels are a strong way to launch the sale because they’re shown to Instagram accounts that don’t follow you. Graphics and carousel posts can help you educate and nurture your customers by showing off each on-sale product, the benefits of your products, or customer reviews.

Memes are a simple way to engage your customers and remind them of your sale. They’re also shareable, so they’ll get more eyes on your sale! But you can’t forget Instagram stories because that’s where your most engaged Instagram followers are. Share your posts to stories, hop on camera and talk about your sale, and repost any relevant user generated content to show customers what it’s like to use your product. Don’t forget the link buttons! 

Step 3: Create Your Social Media Posts and Email Newsletters

Once you’ve planned your promotion and have your assets from your photographer or designer, it’s time to create your social media posts and email newsletters. 

If you need help coming up with strong hook sentences, check out this free guide.

If you want the exact checklists I use when creating social media posts and email newsletters for my clients, download them here.

Step 4: Review Your Black Friday Marketing Performance for Next Year

You’ve hit publish on your posts, scheduled your emails, and are ready to pack your orders. But the marketing doesn’t end there.

Once your campaign is complete and your promotion has ended, it’s time to review what worked so you can get even more sales next year. Here’s how.

“But Sarah, I Don’t Have Time to Create My Own Content! SOS!”

No need to panic. That’s what I’m here for! Get in touch here, tell me what you need help with, and I’ll direct you to a 1:1 Clarity Call or my 48-Hour Fix.

But to be transparent, there’s only TWO SPOTS LEFT for each offer. 

For the entire year. 

I’m taking two more Clarity Calls and two more 48-Hour Fixes in the month of November before closing off the books for the 2025 year. Just in time for some end of the year organization, some 2026 prep, and a lot of peppermint mochas.

All that to say, if you need hands-on support, let me know ASAP.

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Wait, Who Am I?

Hiiii! 👋🏻 I’m Sarah, an online entrepreneur & marketer of over 10 years. I went from starting a clean beauty blog right out of high school to managing social media for Canada’s largest wellness retailer. Now I live in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina, helping high-growth entrepreneurs get SEEN so they can build a crazy fun life their business supports, and not the other way around.

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