How to Make Black Friday Bright For Your Brand

Black Friday is almost upon us. While the sales team might be rubbing their hands in glee at the thought of everyone rushing out to spend big, brand managers could be forgiven for wanting to spend the day hiding under the duvet.

Unless it’s handled carefully, slashing prices to deliver a brief spike in sales threatens to completely undermine the work they have been doing for the rest of the year to establish the brand in consumer’s minds as something worth paying a premium for. With customers conflating price as a shorthand for quality, if you’re knocking 25% off the price, then you risk undermining the value of your brand as a whole, too.

The good news is that if you play your hand right, you can absolutely make Black Friday work for you. In fact, it’s a massive opportunity to deepen your connection with your users, if you can crack the right strategy and execution.

The opportunity lies in your brand being in more people’s hands that at any other point in the year. People will be trying your products for the first time. Your repeat customers will be buying their ‘usual’ this time. It’s a massive opportunity to not only bring in new users, but delight the ones you already have.

The real trick to winning on Black Friday is to focus on everything that surrounds the discount. This is the part that people usually forget in the headlong rush to drop prices. If the discount is the stick by which you get them into the stable, what is your brand’s carrot?

Think about what you can do to make your brand extra special at this very busy time. Can you make a website experience that surprises them, can your tone of voice stand out in emails, can you poke fun at yourself, or at Black Friday? Think about how to be different from the faceless deals and discounts that will be plastering people’s lives right now.

There’s a reason that endless YouTubers have post videos of themselves unboxing Kylie Jenner’s press packs: there is a magic to the moment they open it. The more you can make their trial memorable by delivering an unforgettable experience beyond the discounted price, the more they will want to keep on buying your brands long after Black Friday is over.

For those people who tend to keep coming back to your brand, Black Friday is also the perfect opportunity to drive cross-sell or up-sell; think about the range of products in your portfolio and what bundles you can offer. They might religiously and routinely buy the same product of yours, but in this spend-happy week, they’re quite likely to pick a little extra something if it’s discounted and pitched right.

Make sure that your website flags upsell and cross-sell opportunities to people – at this point in the year, it can be fairly remorseless! Take the sting out of the sell by using a humorous or gentle tone of voice – a suggestion from a trusted friend, rather than a plug from a salesman.

No matter what tactic you’re using, making the most of Black Friday for your brand is dependent on showcasing your brand’s personality. Think of Black Friday like a showcase, that your brand is sitting in. You need to behave in a way that truly reflects who your brand is. Push the boat out on the flair you communicate with: having a stronger tone of voice right now will help you stand out. Whether you’re choosing to go out with emails, website or social media, make sure you put all the punch you can muster into your character.

If you can push people into trial with an initial discount, then seduce them with the brand’s experience and character, you’re winning customers for the years to come.