Five Tips for Your Black Friday and Cyber Monday Marketing Strategy This Year
Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are the biggest shopping events of the year, and with the right preparation, brands can turn them into a powerful driver of sales and engagement. For consumer-facing businesses, it’s about building anticipation and delivering value. For B2B, the best move is often to take a step back from the frenzy and focus on long-term strategy.
Either way, successes come from planning early and showing up with a clear, customer-first approach.
1. Prioritize Your Customer’s Experience
We’re seeing a clear shift in how people engage online: they’re drawn to brands that feel human, empathetic, and intentional. The businesses that stand out are the ones that create intuitive journeys and build genuine relationships.
- Lead with empathy: Earn attention by creating spaces that people want to be a part of.
- Design seamless experiences: Make it effortless for customers to move from curiosity to conversion.
- Prioritize connection: Show up with authenticity and care to keep customers coming back.
2. Don’t Just Discount, Create Value
Slashing prices is not the only way to win during BFCM. Shoppers are looking for convenience, creativity, and reasons to connect with your brand.
- Bundle Products: Pair complementary items together at a slight discount to increase cart value.
- Gift Guides: Make shopping simple by curating themed gift collections.
- Exclusive Access: Offer early access or specialty deals to your top-spending or long-standing customers.
3. Start Planning Your BFCM Strategy Early
The most effective BFCM campaigns are the ones that are mapped out months ahead. If you are just starting, the key is to act now.
- Email Campaigns: Plan a sequence that builds momentum.
- Pro Tip: Set up a drip campaign to stay connected with customers after the holiday scramble and keep your brand top of mind.
- Pre-event Buzz: Use social posts, sneak peeks, and influencer teasers to generate anticipation.
- Website and Checkout: Optimize for speed and mobile to reduce abandoned carts.
- Inventory check: Confirm you have stock ready to meet demand.
4. Use Ads and Countdowns to Build Excitement
Emails and ads keep your products and services top of mind, and countdowns can create excitement that motivates action.
- Countdown Timers: Add them to email campaigns and landing pages for when deals start (and then for when the deals end).
- Retargeting Ads: Show up in ads for shoppers who visited your site, but did not make a purchase.
- Cross-platform presence: Coordinate messaging across email, social, and paid ads for consistent presence.
5. A Note for B2B Brands
For B2B companies, competing during BFCM rarely pays off. Buyers are not influenced by short-term promotions, so rather than trying to match the retail noise, focus on reinforcing long-term value.
- Publish thought leadership tied to yearly trends.
- Share case studies that highlight ROI.
- Nurture client relationships with end-of-year insights.
Pro Tip: Consider lowering budget or pausing ads during BFCM to avoid increased CPC and reserve your budget for a more lucrative period of the month.
The most effective BFCM strategy for B2B is to step back from discounts and show up as a trusted advisor while your audience is preparing for the year ahead.
Final Thoughts
The real opportunity is not just in the sales you make, but in the connections you foster and the momentum you carry into December and beyond. Brands that approach their BFCM strategy with intention instead of stress will be the ones starting the new year ahead of the curve.
This year, make BFCM work smarter. Connect with us today!