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BFCM Sales Insights: Email Marketing Expert Roundup
Experts Reveal How Brands Can Maximize Revenue This BFCM Weekend
Sayan from The Growth Tribe
October 12, 2023
Presented by
📆 Thursday, 12th October 2023
As we edge closer to the holiday season, ecom brands are gearing up for the highly anticipated Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) Sales extravaganza 🎉
In our quest to supercharge your BFCM email marketing campaigns, we've tapped into the wisdom of email marketing gurus. They've generously shared their insights and experiences to catapult your sales into the stratosphere.
We've condensed their wisdom into 11 actionable points that can make a real difference 🎯 And, as a special treat, we've tucked away some bonus tips at the end to take your BFCM success up a notch!
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…Now back to nailing email marketing this BFCM season
1. Systematic testing is the key
Select your BFCM offers through systematic testing, NOT based on gut feeling. The right offer is a force multiplier, but you need a little bit of planning and execution to figure out what it is. Here's what I recommend:
a) Create a list of 10 offers (discounts, free gift with purchase, quantity breaks, etc.)
b) Shortlist 3 out of 10 that you think would crush.
c) Create an A/B/C test campaign where you divide up your email list into 3 and send 1 offer to each batch.
d) Measure the profit you make from each offer (NOT revenue or conversion rate).
Lead with the winning offer in your emails and all other forms of communication when BFCM comes around. This is by far the best way to figure out how you can maximize your profits, so it's worth investing some time into.
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2. Focus on varying promotions this year
One valuable strategy for planning an effective BFCM campaign is to focus on varying the promotion from year to year.
For example, if you ran a discount offer last year, then consider running a time-fused bonus offer this year. It's tempting to repeat the exact same promo year over the year but I've found that offers fatigue so it pays to experiment.
At the email level, a quick hack: send an email in advance of the promo period where you ask subscribers to reply with one word or an emoji if they're excited about the promotion... it boosts your deliverability and creates a sense of excitement!
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3. Implement Seasonal Email Automation
One highly effective strategy that I've found invaluable for planning email marketing campaigns during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales season is the implementation of seasonal email automation. Instead of sticking to your regular Welcome Flow, Abandoned Checkout, or Browse Abandonment flows, consider adapting and re-creating them using your BFCM template and offer.
To further bolster your efforts, it's also a great idea to introduce a new welcome pop-up on your website during this period to capture more email addresses.
Here's what I've been implementing for my clients:
In addition to running dedicated BFCM campaigns, I create a suite of specialized email flows, including a new Welcome Flow, Abandoned Checkout Flow, Added to Cart Flow, Browse Abandonment Flow, and Post-Purchase Flow, all designed around the BFCM template and offer. The central focus is to highlight the BFCM offer prominently.
Additionally, it's essential to ensure that the offers in your non-seasonal flows do not clash with the BFCM offer. Consistency in messaging is key to avoiding confusion and to maximize the impact of your BFCM campaign.
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4. Don't Underestimate Email Frequency
A common mistake that marketers should be cautious to avoid when preparing their email campaigns for the BFCM sale season is underestimating the importance of email frequency. While it's true that sending fewer emails is a common practice outside of BFCM, the dynamics change during this critical sales period.
During BFCM, it's acceptable and even beneficial to send multiple emails in a day. However, the key is not to inundate your subscribers with irrelevant or repetitive content. Instead, focus on maintaining a strong and targeted approach. Here are some key considerations:
Re-send Campaigns to Non-Openers: After 3-4 hours, consider re-sending your campaigns to subscribers who didn't open the initial email. Utilize a compelling subject line and preview text to entice them to open it this time.
Send Reminder Emails to Engaged Customers: Leverage the opportunity presented by engaged customers during BFCM by sending them reminder emails. This is the perfect time to encourage them to take action.
For instance, you can begin the day with a sale-focused email, re-send it to non-openers later in the day, and craft a new campaign targeting those who engaged with your emails but haven't yet placed an order.
The key takeaway is not to shy away from sending multiple emails during BFCM, but always prioritize providing value and ensuring that your email frequency doesn't become a nuisance to your purchasers.
5. Easy to remember, but unique offers
There are so many offers it can be hard to stand out. Take the time to brainstorm easy-to-remember offers, but unique.
The goal is to create an offer that gets people to buy right now. Not tomorrow, not at the end of the week, but to create an offer so good, they need to buy it as soon as they see it.
Last year, one brand I worked with had a day where every hour we decreased the discount by 2%. So we started the day at a massive discount - like 30%. And ended the day at full retail price. It led to a huge amount of purchases in the beginning hours of the day and incentivized people to act fast and now, instead of waiting for a hopefully “better” deal.
6. Divide Your Email Marketing Strategy into 4 phases
Marketers should begin planning their strategy 30–45 days before the BFCM sale. Additionally, leverage SMS marketing to differentiate yourself from the competition.
Ensure that your signup forms, flows, and campaigns are synchronized with your offers, even those in your store.
Divide your email marketing strategy into 4 parts to elevate your game to a higher level:
a) PRE-BFCM
b) BF
c) CM
d) Post BFCM
Gone are the days when you could just pop up with deals in late November. Now, it's all about the build-up. Think of it as warming up the crowd with some teasers, exclusive sneak peeks, and maybe even an early bird special or two.
Build anticipation by teasing your deals through email, social media, and your website ahead of time. Give customers a sneak peek to generate excitement.
8. Be Consistent and Build Trust
When it comes to winning the BFCM email game, it’s all about being a consistent friend to your subscribers. Sounds simple, but it’s a goldmine! So, why’s consistency the secret sauce? When you’re regularly dropping valuable content in your subscriber's inboxes, you’re building trust and rapport. When BFCM rolls around, you're not just another brand, you’re the brand they know and love!
But remember, it’s not just about frequency; it’s about quality. Engaging, valuable content turns your emails into anticipated nuggets of goodness. It sets you up as a go-to source and keeps those open and click-through rates healthy. Add in a touch of personalization and segmentation, and you’re hitting the sweet spot! It's like having a chat with a friend—knowing their likes and dislikes makes the conversation (or in this case, emails) a whole lot more meaningful.
9. Don’t forget to Warm-Up your emails before the Sale
Ensure domains are warmed up before Black Friday. Aim to send the same number of emails for at least 1.5 months leading up to the Black Friday sale.
10. Avoid Heavily Discounting Without Considering Margins
The most common mistake I see brands make is discounting heavily without factoring in unit economics.
A 30% discount requires way more than a 30% increase in conversion rate to make up for the loss in margin. And most times, you don't even need to discount that much to increase sales.
BFCM is a high-converting period; people have been saving up to spend on themselves and get gifts for the upcoming holidays. Maximize your email revenue by promoting high AOV bundles to your list, not by heavily discounting lower-priced items.
11. Prepare early and test all your moving parts
Preparation is key for BFCM!
Make sure your templates are ready to go, whether that's in a visual editor or with HTML.
Test those templates ahead of time using a service like Sinch Email on Acid to check renderings on hundreds of clients and devices. A broken email means missed opportunities for conversions. This will give you confidence in sending and will allow you to quickly create emails in case you want to send that last-minute promotional campaign or you need to pivot your strategy.
Besides testing those emails, your list should be warmed up and ready to go. Don't let the first time you're sending in a while be a deluge of promotions. That's a great way to kill your deliverability and end up with a lot of spam complaints.
12. Be prepared to Monitor and Adapt
Even with our best intentions, common mistakes can creep in and hinder the success of BFCM campaigns. To navigate this critical season successfully, keep a close eye on your marketing campaign's performance with analytics tools. Track metrics like website traffic, conversion rates, and revenue. Use this data to make adjustments and improve your strategy during the sales events.
Bonus Tips:
Modify the sender name for easy sale recognition. Consider using terms like “Special Deals,” “Exclusive,” or “Black Friday” alongside your brand name.
Additionally, not considering plain text emails for better personalization is another problem. Plain text emails can feel more personalized and intimate compared to heavily designed ones.
Provide training to the customer service team to ask for upsells and provide incentives for upsells. There is a massive amount of revenue left on the table every year because customer service teams are trained just to resolve the issues presented to them. However, since the customer service team has an inherent trust factor built in, they’ve got access to customers when their BS radar is down and can offer upsells simply and easily. Brands I’ve worked with that properly incentivize their customer service team during this week easily add another 5-10% of revenue just from their customer service team.
As we wrap up this newsletter, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for being a part of our vibrant community of marketers. Your commitment to excellence and your enthusiasm for learning are truly appreciated đź‘Ź
I trust that these expert tips will prove to be invaluable assets in strengthening your BFCM email marketing strategy, and ultimately, your holiday season's success. Keep in mind that BFCM isn't just about discounts; it's a unique occasion to forge deeper connections with your audience and deliver authentic value.
Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to marketing excellence. Wishing you a fantastic BFCM season and beyond!
Stay tuned for more insights from industry leaders on TheGrowthTribe, and a big thank you to our email marketing experts for generously sharing their insights with our community.! ❤️
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