5 Tips To Maximise Your Paid Media Campaign Success This Black Friday

This Black Friday, UK shoppers are set to spend an impressive £3.8 billion, marking an £800 million increase from last year. With so much at stake, early preparation and a strategic, creative approach are essential to make the most of the busiest shopping season of the year. In this blog, we’ll explore 5 ways to prepare your paid campaigns effectively to ensure you stand out in the crowd during the peak period.

1. Early preparation is key 

As the saying goes, “failing to prepare is preparing to fail”. This is especially true for Black Friday campaigns. Rushing to set up your campaigns at the last minute can result in missed opportunities, underperforming ads and overall mediocre results. Start planning early to give yourself ample time to test, optimise and align every aspect of your campaigns. 

Stand out amid intense competition 

Every brand will be vying for consumer attention and conversions over the peak weekend, so it is crucial to have a strategy that helps you stand out. If you start early enough, you’ll have time to:

• Create compelling, concise ads that cut through the noise with a clear message. Give yourself enough time to develop well-designed creatives that showcase your offerings.
• Test and optimise different ad variations, formats and audiences to identify what resonates best with consumers. Use this time to finetune your assets so that only the highest performing go live at the most important time.

Make data-driven decisions

Leverage historical data and analyse past Black Friday performance so you can:

• Identify key trends and take note of which products, discounts and messaging drove the highest engagement and conversions in previous years. Use these insights to build a data-driven strategy that meets customer expectations.
• Forecast demand by using data to anticipate which products are likely to perform best, and plan your budgets accordingly. By setting realistic goals based on historical performance, you’ll be able to allocate resources more effectively.

2. Perfect your audience targets 

Audience targeting is crucial to getting your ads in front of the right consumers. Fine-tuning your targeting strategy can significantly improve your chances of reaching those ready to buy on Black Friday. Some steps to getting it right:

• Utilise custom audiences: Leverage custom segments to reach those most likely to purchase from your shop, using available data collated from their browsing history and interests. 
• Explore lookalike audiences: Expand your reach to new consumers who share similar characteristics to your existing customers. This is a powerful way to reach new audiences who may be inclined to purchase during Black Friday.
• Retarget wisely: Encourage previous shoppers and cart abandoners back to your site with retargeting campaigns, making use of personalised messaging and reminders to re-engage those who’ve previously shown high-intent.

3. Optimise your ad copy and creatives 

You’ll need to craft ad copy and creatives that align with your Black Friday strategy and boast your offerings. Here’s how to maximise the impact of your ads:

• Highlight the deal, making sure your offer is front and centre. Consumers typically scan quickly for the best deals, so clearly communicate any discounts, bundles or limited time offerings in your ad copy. Avoid any extra ‘fluff’- keep it short and simple.
• Create a sense of urgency to encourage consumers to act quickly. Phrases such as ‘limited time only’, ‘exclusive Black Friday deal’ and ‘ends soon’, combined with countdown and time sensitive visuals can influence decisions to buy. 
• Use eye catching creatives to stand out in crowded feeds and search results. High quality images/videos, bold colours and engaging formats can capture attention and drive CTR.

4. Don’t sleep on mobile

Mobile traffic spikes over Black Friday weekend, with shopping on mobile devices up 10.4% in 2023 vs the previous year. Some points to consider include:

• Mobile optimised design: Ensure that your landing pages load quickly and are easy to navigate on mobile screens. Make sure your creative formats are also suitable, such as using vertical videos. 
• Easy checkout processes: The fewer steps a user has to take, the more likely they are to complete the purchase. Simplify the process as much as possible and offer popular payment options.

5. Follow up with Cyber Monday & Post-Black Friday deals

Consider running follow-up campaigns that cater to late shoppers or promote different products to keep the momentum going. 

• Retarget to abandoned carts: many shoppers add items to their carts but don’t make a purchase. Use retargeting to remind these customers or offer additional incentives to encourage them to check out.
• Offer extended deals to those who may have missed out. Once the noise quietens, an extended offer can capture the attention of those still interested in getting a deal.

To summarise, Black Friday is one of the biggest opportunities of the year for brands to grow customer bases and drive revenue, but success is more than just a good discount deal. By preparing your campaigns early, leveraging data insights, fine tuning your targeting and having attention grabbing visuals, you can create a winning strategy that stands out over Black Friday.