8 proven BFCM promo strategies to try out this fall

Profile photo of author Milos Lepotic
Milos Lepotic
14 min read
Ecommerce
October 22, 2024
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This holiday season, it’s not just about slapping a discount on your product and hoping for the best. You need to be intentional.

Black Friday Cyber Monday is the Super Bowl of online shopping. According to Statista, nearly 80% of American shoppers plan on shopping during the weekend.

While millions of people are lined up in front of their phones and computers ready to do some shopping, there’s also a ton of competition trying to win those folks over.

Shoppers are receiving offers left and right as early as late September. If you don’t have a game plan that gets your message across at the right time and place, you’re leaving money on the table.

Here are a few proven BFCM promotion ideas to help you make sure that doesn’t happen.

1. Use every marketing channel at your disposal

Taking a multi-channel approach during Black Friday and Cyber Monday is a near-foolproof idea. That’s how you reach your customers at every touchpoint.

Research like Klaviyo’s 2024 consumer spending report shows that consumers interact with brands through various channels, including email, SMS, social media, and even in-app notifications. Relying on a single channel, like paid advertising, limits your potential reach and risks missing out on customers who have different marketing preferences.

Of course, taking a multi-channel approach to BFCM promotional messaging doesn’t mean you should do the exact same thing across every channel. Every channel can, and probably should, tell its own story in a way that makes your overarching message feel complete.

You might, for example, send an email unveiling your top BFCM deals early to your most engaged subscribers, while simultaneously posting user-generated content about what’s selling out quickly on Instagram or TikTok. Then, cap it off with SMS reminders featuring one-click purchasing links for last-minute buyers.

Olive oil brand Graza does multi-channel marketing well year-round, but you could do something similar around BFCM to coordinate your channels without making them too redundant during a particularly noisy marketing time for consumers.

Graza’s Instagram is filled with delicious recipes, funny videos, helpful tips, and, once in a while, brilliant product unveilings, as in this 3-day sequence:

Day 1
1

This reel that tells us “Something crunchy” is coming soon. What is it? We don’t know—and that’s the point. This post not only sparks curiosity but also boosts engagement.

Day 2
2

The day after the reel, we get an image teasing the new product. But, wait, what’s that speckle on the screen? Are followers finding an answer if they zoom in? Nope! That’s just a piece of oatmeal.

Day 3
3

Finally, the big reveal. We get Grazola—crunchy, sweet, salty granola. And yes, the link’s in bio, so everyone can place their order for it in only a few clicks.

While that kind of product unveil may be a smart strategy for teasing your upcoming BFCM deals, take a look at how Graza uses email marketing a little differently. Here, they share exciting incentives with their subscribers, from a 24% discount on a 4-pack of their “Drizzle” olive oil to a free “cooklet” with purchase.

Image shows an email from olive oil brand Graza, featuring a zoomed-in photo of someone preparing salad dressing by pouring Graza oil into a bowl and whisking it together with other ingredients. A sticker over the photo reads, “get a 4-pack 24% off.” The email explains that the discount applies automatically because “salad season is forever.” Further down, it advertises a free “Drizzle Freak” cooklet, the brand’s very limited-edition, sold-out pamphlet featuring “incredibly delicious salad dressing recipes.” The CTA button reads, “shop Drizzle.”
Source: Milled

Black Friday promotion tip: SMS, in particular, can be your brand’s secret ingredient to a successful Black Friday sales season. Plenty of people prefer SMS over other marketing channels, and text messages have consistently proven to speed up time to purchase.

As Michael Pattison, lead digital strategist at Klaviyo, says, “Almost no other marketing channel offers the open and click rates that SMS does. Not only does the ROI prove strong, but many prefer SMS over email, social, and other channels when interacting with brands they love.”

2. Tease your upcoming deals and drops

If there’s one thing to take away from Graza’s masterclass on teasing a new release, it’s creating a sense of mystery and incentivizing engagement with your upcoming promotions. Since you’ll be competing hard with other brands in the BFCM lead-up, you need to motivate your customers to stay engaged until your offers drop.

You can do this by following Graza’s social media strategy—using fun Instagram or TikTok videos to make your audience guess what’s coming, then using email or SMS to reward the ones who do. This can work wonders for engagement, helping you spread your message with a little bit of help from the algorithm.

But you can also build mystery with your owned marketing channels alone. Here, watch how intimate apparel brand LunaLae balances intrigue with transparency, revealing just enough to get their audience excited but leaving out key details to create a curiosity gap. Readers see the new set and gorgeous fabrics, but what exactly is “coming soon”? Guess they’ll have to stay tuned to find out.

Image shows a teaser email from intimate apparel brand LunaLae, featuring a countdown clock across the top followed by a black and white photo of a model under the copy, “something new is coming.” The email goes on to reveal two new fabrics in color, and ends with a section of white copy on a black background that reads simply, “coming soon, 28.09.24, 10am aest.”
Source: Milled

Black Friday promotion tip: If you have data showing that your subscribers have been visiting product pages, making wishlists, and adding products to their carts without actually buying them, that’s a good sign that they want what you’re selling. All they’re doing is waiting for the nudge—in this case, the BFCM deal you’re cooking up.

3. Tap into FOMO

Fear of missing out (FOMO) is a powerful motivator, and BFCM is the perfect time to tap into it. When people see that time is running out or that stock is limited, they may be more likely to buy something because they don’t want to miss out on a good deal.

Phrases like “Only 5 left” or “24 hours remaining” may push customers to make quick decisions. And whether it’s in a form on your website, in an Instagram story, or in an email, a ticking countdown clock always adds that extra layer of urgency.

Take a look at this example from Lectric eBikes. The first thing a reader sees when they open the email is the countdown timer and the words “Ends tonight.” Then, as the reader scrolls, the email reinforces the urgency message with clear, but not pushy, “last chance” wording, reminding customers that if they don’t act now, they’ll miss out.

Image shows a “last chance” promotional email from Lectric eBikes, featuring a countdown timer above the headline, “Tailgating flash sale ends tonight.” The email features photos of people riding bikes, a “shop now” CTA button, and plenty of “last chance” language, as well as customer testimonials paired with images of various bestselling products.
Source: Milled

Black Friday promotion tip: Take a leaf out of Lectric’s book and make your BFCM offers more tempting by incorporating customer testimonials into your communications. In ecommerce, product reviews are a crucial way to let your happiest customers do your marketing for you.

4. Give your VIPs early access and discounts

Your brand’s VIPs—customers who’ve spent a certain amount of money with your brand or placed a certain number of orders—are your most loyal and valuable customers. They’re also the ones most likely to go on a shopping spree during the BFCM, so it’s a smart idea to do what you can to make them feel special.

In 2023, apparel brand POPFLEX did this by creating a password-protected early access sale reserved for customers in the top two tiers of their loyalty program. The strategy drove sales and created excitement for their BFCM sale.

“When the doors opened for them to shop, they felt like they had first dibs,” says Jen-Ai Notman, POPFLEX’s VP of marketing. “People converted really quickly.” In fact, POPFLEX went on to record the highest revenue hour of the year during that early access period.

A VIP discount is another way to incentivize your top customers to shop early and shop big. Here, see how footwear brand Mahabis offers VIPs a sitewide discount for a limited amount of time, and makes sure they know this discount is for VIPs only. It’s not much of a VIP perk if it’s available to everyone, is it?

Image shows a VIP email from footwear brand Mahabis, offering a 20% discount to VIPs only. The email features a photo of a model wearing slippers, over the copy, “We’re making room: a new season is coming. For a limited time, take an exclusive 20% off everything sitewide, including sale. Enter code VIP20 at checkout.” The CTA button reads, “take 20% off.”
Source: Milled

5. Collaborate with influencers to reach more people

Collaborating with influencers, preferably in your niche, is a stellar way to reach audiences who are likely interested in your products but aren’t familiar with your brand.

As long as the collaboration isn’t forced, influencer partnerships can yield massive results. Brands like FashionNova have become household names, in part, because of their collaboration with influencers—both big and small.

Of course, not everyone can land big names like Cardi B or Kylie Jenner, but that shouldn’t discourage you from reaching out to influencers to plan your Black Friday Cyber Monday strategy.

Here, see how fragrance brand Snif collaborates with lifestyle influencer Tieghan Gerard to create a new product and inform subscribers it’s hitting the virtual shelves. You could do something similar, unveiling a new product during BFCM to capitalize on the fact that everyone will be shopping during the weekend.

Image shows an email from fragrance brand Snif, featuring the headline, “the apple of her eye.” The email copy explains, “we worked with at-home chef and lifestyle influencer Tieghan Gerard to create a fall burn that’s nostalgic and crisp.” The email features a photo of Gerard holding a basket of apples, sitting on a stepstool next to several wooden crates overflowing with apples. Then, it goes on to feature a Q&A with Gerard about the new scent, wrapping up with a CTA button that reads, “shop apple cider smash.”
Source: Milled

If creative or product-development partnerships aren’t something you’re interested in, engaging in paid partnerships with influencers or micro-influencers, like Glossier does here, can also be a lucrative strategy. Several social media posts promoting your products could help you reach new audiences and keep your brand top of mind come Black Friday.

@hannahjuneva

glossier cloud paints are the key to my heart 🫶🏼 loving the new bronzing shades #glossier #cloudpaint #glossiercloudpaint

♬ Les Fleurs – Minnie Riperton
Source: Hannah Juneva TikTok

Black Friday promotion tip: You can even use the influencer approach to grow your subscriber lists in the weeks leading up to BFCM.

Let’s say you’re partnering with an influencer on a top-of-funnel digital marketing campaign, and you’ve built out a special landing page at a vanity URL where the influencer is sending their audience. Launch a specific sign-up form for that page only, as well as a unique welcome series featuring the influencer endorsing the influencer endorsing your company.

6. The gift-giving season starts with BFCM—so lean into it

BFCM marks the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season, and for many customers, it’s all about finding the perfect gifts for loved ones. This is the time to lean into the gift-giving spirit and tailor your marketing efforts to reflect it.

Your BFCM gift guide will depend on what your brand is selling. If you’re selling toys or kids’ clothes, tap into the parental desire to make kiddos chipper on a Christmas morning. If you’re selling jewelry, focus on your products’ romantic appeal.

If your brand doesn’t sell something traditionally considered a gift, take a leaf out of FluffCo’s book. What do people enjoy doing when it’s cold outside? Staying inside and keeping warm—and FluffCo brilliantly taps into that desire. For this luxury home goods brand, it’s all about cozy nights and at-home spa days and turning practical items like pillows and bathrobes into thoughtful gifts.

Image shows an email from luxury home goods brand FluffCo, featuring the brand’s fall gift guide. The email is full of beautiful product shots with prices and CTA buttons, organized into the categories “bedding essentials,” “best in bath,” and “vacation at home.”
Source: Milled

7. Make it easy for your customers and bundle up your products

Bundle deals work because they offer customers more value for their money—plain and simple. When shoppers see they can get more products for a lower price than if they bought them separately, it triggers that feeling of getting a great deal—and who doesn’t love that during BFCM?

But it’s not just about saving money. Bundle deals also remove friction from the shopping experience.

When crafting your own BFCM bundles, think about how you can make life easier for your customers. Are there complementary products that naturally go together? Can you help them solve a problem with a one-stop purchase?

The more value you can show, both in terms of cost savings and experience, the more irresistible your bundle deals will be.

In this email, home essentials brand Snowe offers 20% off a “bath refresh” bundle—towels, bathrobes, and bath mats. But it’s not just about the savings. The email also taps into the practical and emotional aspects of shopping, highlighting the utility of upgrading bath essentials and allowing readers to picture a cozy, spa-like experience in the comfort of their homes.

Image shows an email from home essentials brand Snowe, titled, “Bundle up.” The email features beautiful product shots categorized into sets, with brief descriptions and CTAs encouraging shoppers to buy products in bundles rather than individually.
Source: Milled

8. Turn one purchase into two (or more)

Cross-selling and up-selling during BFCM is like striking gold twice. When customers are already in the buying mindset, offering them complementary products or a premium version of what they’re purchasing is a stellar way to increase average order value.

Best of all, this is a strategy you can put entirely on autopilot by incorporating personalized product recommendations into your email and SMS automations.

For example, if someone is looking for a new suitcase, finds it, and adds it to their cart but doesn’t buy, you can nudge them in the right direction by not only reminding them about what they left behind, but also offering travel accessories.

If this sounds oddly specific, it’s because we’re thinking of this cart abandonment email from Hartmann Luggage. After a customer shows interest in a particular product, the luggage brand follows up with a simple yet effective message: “Well, what are you waiting for?” Hartmann reminds the shopper of the product they looked at, and while they’re at it, they recommend accessories—a carry-on and duffle—both useful to frequent fliers and avid travelers.

Image shows an abandoned cart email from Hartmann Luggage, which reads, “well, what are you waiting for?” In addition to including an image of the product the shopper left behind, the price, and a “shop now” CTA button, the email includes a section called “you may also like” featuring personalized product recommendations for up- and cross-selling.
Source: Milled

Up-selling works in a similar way. If someone wants to buy a basic version of a product, show them the deluxe version that offers a few extra perks for just a slightly higher price tag. With the right deal, they may just upgrade—and feel like they’re getting an even better value.

In fact, Hartmann’s email does this, too. Just check out the third product in the “you may also like” section—it’s a bigger, better, and more expensive suitcase.

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Milos Lepotic
Milos Lepotic
Milos Lepotic is a seasoned content writer and editor with an extensive background in creating SEO-optimized, research-driven content across various niches, with particular expertise in nutrition, tech, fintech, and martech.

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