Tis’ the season! Well, almost. It may not be time to deck the halls just yet, but it is the perfect time to start prepping your marketing plan for the holiday shopping season. Black Friday and Cyber Monday remain the two of the biggest shopping days of the year, and both serve as a great opportunity to acquire new customers and boost sales! Influencer marketing is a highly effective strategy that can be used to capitalize on these too-good-to ignore Black Friday and Cyber Monday benefits. Most companies jump right to selecting influencers and then are disappointed with their results. Don’t let this be you! Here is our 6 step process to building a Black Friday/Cyber Monday influencer campaign that will blow through all of your goals. Hint: Reaching out to influencers is the last step, not the first!
But first, why prep now?
When done properly, utilizing influencer marketing during this time can be a hit out-of-the-park for brands. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are both lucrative days for sales, and according to Statista, around 108 million people planned to shop on Black Friday and another 62.8 million planned to shop on Cyber Monday in 2021. And if that’s not enough to convince you, think about Walmart, who shows us how it’s done each year! By partnering with 6 TikTok influencers and using relevant trends as part of its Black Friday campaign, Walmart expanded its reach to well over 75 million people! This is a huge opportunity, so it serves not only your brand but also your consumers to be on your P’s and Q’s before the shopping season begins!
Now let’s get to the good part!
Black Friday/Cyber Monday How-To:
1. Start planning early
Smart marketers (and we’re sure all of you are) would start planning NOW! Think about it, most shoppers have their shopping lists ready in advance so they can hit the stores with a swift, and hopefully safe, exit. Why wouldn’t you do the same for your marketing plan?
2. Include a work-back timeline
Incorporate a work-back timeline to highlight all dates, deadlines, and expectations for the campaign as it progresses. Give your team an opportunity to determine whether or not a deadline is reasonable for their schedule, or if any adjustments need to be made.
3. Plan a content strategy
Plan your content strategy leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The first thing you want to do is present your audience with an offer that’s far too compelling to turn down. Maybe it’s a discount or a BOGO, either way it should be a key component of your strategy. But don’t stop there, add a call-to-action to give your viewer that extra motivation to make an actual commitment! During this step you’ll also want to decide on content type, which platforms you would like to focus on, and products you want to feature (these will probably be the products that are the most ‘giftable’). It’s also an optimal time to set content specific deadlines such as when you’ll announce sales or when the teaser content will start. Remember, the best content strategy will not only attract your target audience but keep them engaged even after a purchase!
4. Plan your budget
Behind every good campaign is a well-thought out budget! You’ll want to plan your budget before you get into the heap of the season.
There are a few things you need to consider when planning, such as:
- Number of influencers
- The platform you plan to activate on
- Any whitelisting negotiations
- Branded content usage rights with influencers – if yes, you’ll need to plan for an incremental performance budget
- What content types (video or still)
- Number of pieces of content you plan to contract from each influencer
Keep in mind that the amount spent per campaign can vary wildly, but expect the cost to be higher than other times of the year. Be honest about what you want to spend, what you can afford and plan accordingly.
5. Determine the success metrics
Think about how you will measure if you’ve had a successful, or unsuccessful, campaign. Determine which metrics matter most to your brand. Influencer marketing can build brand awareness, expand reach, and generate sales, so it’s more than important to measure these and set goals to outline what you expect from your campaign.
6. Test, test, test
Lastly, remember those days before a big exam you’d study as much as you can by taking pre-test and going over all the right and wrong answers? Well, we hope you kept keen on those skills because before the big day (or days in this case) we suggest that you test what you can to ensure there are few kinks in your plan of action.
So…
To put it simply, it’s time to start thinking about your plans now and not later! Start implementing these tips into your marketing plans and avoid getting left behind! If you need help building a plan, ask us about Postworthy for Influencer Marketing. We have a special Black Friday/Cyber Monday project that can guarantee success!