Black Friday Cyber Monday campaign best practices

Traits of great campaigns

What exactly makes a BFCM campaign truly great? Looking at our data year over year, we see clear patterns that distinguish a "good" campaign from a "great" campaign.

A great campaign uses:

1. Personalized content to each customer.
2. A clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA).
3. Channel-specific best practices

Let’s see how the 3 campaigns below apply these 3 best practices.

Drive traffic from the inbox to your site

Consider how each element of your email engages subscribers. They’ll likely receive an influx of content during BFCM, so your goal should be to stand out among the crowd. When someone opens your email, make it abundantly clear how and why they should shop. Here’s an example from NANI that promotes a BFCM sale. They provide eye-catching visuals and get right to the point: it’s time to shop.

Personalize your content: Personalization pays off! During BFCM, personalized messages see significantly higher click rates compared to non-personalized ones. Use show and hide blocks with dynamic variables to tailor content to each profile, such as showing gift guides based on customer preferences collected through your form.

Use a clear and compelling CTA: This example’s main CTA is to shop a 25% off sale; it’s front and center to catch the recipient's attention. Your CTA should be obvious, and you should clearly indicate where someone can click to shop. Add a sense of urgency by inserting a countdown timer.

Use a channel-specific best practice: Customers rely on your emails to discover your products. Unlike SMS, emails offer ample space to showcase your catalog and convert BFCM browsers to buyers. Personalize templates with product feeds to display recommendations based on browsing history or items in their cart. These subtle nudges can significantly boost your revenue!

Boost sales with each text

As with email, stellar BFCM text messages stand out and encourage shoppers to take action. These subscribers are generally very engaged in the first place since text is such a personal channel, so make the experience feel exclusive and personal. For example, brands often send early access promotions to SMS subscribers to treat them with early access to their deals. Let’s walk through how to make your SMS messages truly special in order to offer up a real VIP experience. Here’s a great BFCM text from SWAK. It feels personalized and gives clear instructions on what action to take.

Personalize your content: SMS messages achieve better results when tailored to the recipient. Amidst fierce BFCM competition, leverage your data effectively. Add your recipient’s first name or remind them how many loyalty points they can redeem this BFCM!

Use a clear and compelling CTA: Your SMS subscribers are often highly loyal shoppers, so treat them as such. Offer early access promotions with special discount codes. Add urgency by providing a time limit (“shop our 24-hour sale!”) or scarcity (“get our exclusive holiday item while supplies last, only 300 will be sold!”).

Use a channel-specific best practice: Reviewing Klaviyo customers’ SMS messages, one thing was clear: the shorter, the better. SMS allows up to 160 characters (or 70 with an emoji), so make each word count. Get right to the point, highlighting your CTA for Black Friday, likely a sale or special offer. Need help with copy? Klaviyo’s SMS assistant can draft creative content based on your brand and message goals.

Drive app engagement with timely push notifications

If your brand has a mobile app, use push notification campaigns to send timely alerts that encourage customers to shop exclusive deals or notify them of important app reminders. Use push sparingly, for content like new holiday collection drops, limited-time BFCM sales, and important reminders related to your mobile app.

Note: Still need to set up Android push notifications? Learn how to get started.

SWAK Cosmetics promotes a key BFCM sale on their app. This notification is time-sensitive and personalized to drive immediate action and make the notification worthwhile for shoppers.

Personalize your content: Tailor your message to the channel. Push notifications should focus on in-app promotions, unlike SMS. SWAK specifies in-app shopping, so recipients know what to expect when they click.

Craft a clear and compelling CTA: Add scarcity or urgency. Time-bound deals with immediate notifications have a reason: “24-hour sale,” “today only,” or “shop now before it’s too late.” Use scarcity with: “while supplies last,” “only the first X number of shoppers,” or “these are flying off our shelves.” SWAK may launch a week-long sale with an SMS or VIP email, then follow up with a push notification and an exclusive mobile deal when there are just 2 hours left.

Use channel-specific best practice: Don’t be too pushy. Push subscribers are major fans; avoid bombarding them with unnecessary alerts that lead to unsubscribes. During BFCM, send no more than one push per day, only when urgent. Otherwise, use email and SMS. In your push, add clear value and personalization; avoid being impersonal or overly sales-heavy. These are your VIPs, so treat them as such!