How to Plan the Best Black Friday Marketing Campaign

It’s that time of year. And you haven’t even thought about how you’re going to plan the best Black Friday Marketing Campaign. Do you have enough time??

That completely depends on your business and the type of Black Friday marketing campaign you want. While it’s absolutely possible to create a simple campaign a week before your sale, is that the best way to launch a successful campaign? No, of course not.

What is the Goal of Your Campaign?

There are CPG brands who rely heavily on sales, which means this can be one of the most important campaigns of the entire year. And there are brands who hate sales and only run one because they’re trying to stay competitive.

I’ve had clients on both sides of the spectrum and the way we’ve approached the campaigns were totally different.

What Resources Do You Have?

As a CPG founder, you don’t need me to tell you that time is your most valuable resource.

That’s why a brand who relies heavily on the sales from Black Friday will start planning much further in advance. That time gives them the opportunity to invest in photography and videography, because those service providers book out several months in advance. If you’ve got an out-of-house social media strategist, they’ll need time to ensure your deliverables get completed on time, in addition to all their other clients.

How to Plan the Best Black Friday Marketing Campaign

Once you’ve considered your goals and resources, prepare the details of your 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 30% off with free shipping and a free gift with purchase, crappy marketing can cause it to flop. Because if nobody sees it, nobody can shop it.

Plus, those free gift with purchases can be used to increase average order value. The customer feels like they’re getting a better deal and you make more dollars.

Use my two-step process to create your promotion:

• What is the discount? 
• Can you include “bonuses” like a free gift with purchase?

Discount Code or No Discount Code?

No discount code, please, I’m begging you. Entering a discount code at checkout is just one more step between your customer and the purchase; it creates friction. And during the busiest time of year when we’re all running around like headless chickens, make it as easy as possible for them to buy from you.

Using an automatic, on-site discount removes that friction, reducing cart abandonment and increasing your AOV (average order value). It also allows customers to actually see the price difference and how much they’re saving on each item before they make it to checkout.

How Long Should Your Campaign Run?

Consumers are fed up with month-long sales. It’s overwhelming, frustrating, and let’s be honest: half the time everyone shops within 48 hours while the rest of the sale dwindles on and on.

At most, your sale should be a week long.

The shorter the sale, the more urgency you’re creating. Also, to be a little selfish, it means you’re spending less time marketing the sale which saves you time and cash.

What Marketing Assets Do You Need?

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

There are lots of ways to promote your campaign. 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 posts to reach as many people as possible.

Instagram reels are a strong way to launch the campaign because they’re shown to Instagram accounts that don’t follow you. However, right now carousel posts lead in terms of reach and engagement, so I highly recommend taking advantage of them. They can help you reach and engage your customers while showing off your different products, the benefits of them, or social proof like 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 campaign!

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 campaign, and repost any relevant user generated content to show customers what it’s like to use your product. Don’t forget the link buttons on stories! 

Resources to Help You Create Your Campaign Assets

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 want to make sure your product positioning is optimized, download Ready-to-Launch.

If you need help coming up with strong hook ideas, check out my best hooks here.

If you want to steal the systems I use to stay organized, so you can get your marketing workflows set up in time for this busy season, you need Scale on Socials.

If you’re over the time-consuming DIY method and you want to spend an hour with me so you can pick my brain, get my tailored advice, and even get me to review your campaign content, book a 1:1 Clarity Call.

But what I really recommend is booking a Make-It-Make-Sense Instagram Audit. This audit is designed to dig deep into your account, content, and goals to optimize every little thing. Which is exactly what you need before a huge moment like a launch, press opp, or your Black Friday marketing campaign.

And if you’re thinking way ahead and reading this a few months before Black Friday (good for you), check if I have any spots available for done-for-you social media marketing, where I’ll take all of this off your plate, completely.

Don’t Forget to Review Your Campaign 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. You can make this easy AF with Scale on Socials, which includes three systems for tracking weekly and monthly performance. It also includes my 10-Day Launch Framework, which you could totally use for Black Friday.

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Wait, Who Am I?

Hiiii! 👋🏻 I’m Sarah, a CPG social media strategist with over 10 years of experience. 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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