Shopping Season Prep: Start Preparing Black Friday Ad Campaigns Now

’Tis the season to utilize AI for paid media.

It’s every shopper’s fantasy when Black Friday deals roll out. The jaw dropping discounts, the BOGO offers, the cheery holiday spirit that paints every storefront. It’s the surest sign holiday season has arrived. It also means it’s time to start spending! For marketers, this alludes to launching successful Black Friday ad campaigns that attract your target audience.

In years past, Black Friday has been marked by buzzing department stores and 4am wake up calls to snag discounts on big-ticket items. However, with an idling pandemic, the shift to online sales is ever-present. According to ABC News, U.S. consumers spent $6.3 million per minute shopping online during Black Friday 2020. On top of that, $3.6 billion was spent from smartphone use alone.

With all this in mind, marketers should approach Black Friday differently this year. The focus on online sales will still continue to drive commerce sales, but there are some obstacles that will challenge marketers in the months ahead. Luckily, there are several ways to make sure the holiday chaos doesn’t limit your Black Friday ad results.

This guide will lay the groundwork for preparing Black Friday ads in 2021.

Get moving early — run test campaigns now

This year you can expect more brands to launch Black Friday deals early. This is largely due to the growing demand of online shoppers and the pandemic-induced shortages that are haunting the upcoming holiday season. Suppliers are essentially at a standstill to replenish inventory, which indicates product stocks won’t last long during Q4. As a consequence, you could face empty shelves and warehouses during the busiest time of year. In order to avoid unhappy consumers, stretch out your holiday ad campaigns throughout November.

Image source: Adobe

This means — it’s crunch time! To navigate a relatively rocky Q4, the best plan of action is to perform test campaigns ahead of time. Work out all the kinks before you’re neck-deep in shopping season and you don’t have the time or money to make ad set adjustments. Perhaps the most urgent reason to start preparing early is that most competitors will launch Black Friday ads in early November.

If this news invokes instant panic, no need to fret, Lightning AI can help you get on track and achieve real time results for Black Friday ads.

Stand out among the competition

Though Facebook ads traditionally cost more in Q4, this doesn’t mean you should decrease your ad spending. In fact, you should do quite the opposite. You’ll face fierce competition in the fourth quarter, which means your feed placement is crucial.

Depending on your objective, your Black Friday ads will perform best when your target audience is reached. From Facebook newsfeed to in-stream videos, the type of content you choose and where you choose to place it is particularly important. Without any clear direction, you’ll set yourself up for failure.

First, get organized by creating a holiday marketing calendar. This will help your business or brand consummate every advertisement goal you have for Black Friday. It will also keep your team accountable and offer a better vantage point of what you can do to improve your ad campaign.

Create a holiday marketing strategy

Running ad campaigns during the holiday season poses a different set of challenges for marketers.The efficiency of your platform makes all the difference on how well consumers will respond, which means all the technical aspects of Black Friday ads must be hammered out beforehand. For example, you’ll want to check on the following checklist items to keep Facebook ads consistent:

• Website performance
• User-friendly social media
• Optimize product pages
• Prepare reusable permalinks

Basically, you don’t want to craft artful campaigns only to find out your optimization tools are lacking. That is why it’s important to cross your t’s and dot your i’s, especially during Q4. Due to the vast rise in sales, you’ll want to avoid any easily preventable hiccups to your marketing platform.

Build momentum

While Black Friday discounts do a great job of enticing consumers, sometimes shoppers need the added push to proceed to checkout. With online sales expected to exceed last year’s metrics, it’s imperative for marketers to get creative and use these tactics to their advantage.

Luckily, there are ironclad methods for generating urgency. For starters, launch a flash sale. This type of Black Friday ad will typically last for a few hours to a few days, but the results are rewarding. The countdown will ultimately tempt consumers to purchase before time runs out.

Another great method to peak consumer interest is to display low inventories. The pressure to buy paramounts knowing that only a few items are left. In turn, consumers will be more adamant to buy with the thought of missing this opportunity.

Take advantage of custom audiences

Black Friday 2021 is approaching quickly, which means it’s time to get your Black Friday ads out for viewers to see. While you might have an ambitious strategy in mind, it’s best to focus on warm leads first. Next, pivot your attention to new business. This approach enables better retention and helps marketers connect with buyers on a personal basis.

Custom audiences allow marketers to tailor ads according to your sales funnel too. The simplest steps to consider are using:

• Existing customers’ email addresses
• Names of visitors to your website, mobile app or social media pages
• Any engagement with people on your Facebook page

These resources provide a starting base for your Black Friday ads, with the potential to build on from there.

How AI can help with Black Friday preparation

For even the most experienced marketing professionals, Black Friday ad campaigns can evoke a level of chaos. With the use of AI, you can see what is or isn’t working from the start and develop a successful holiday marketing strategy in 2021. The sooner you get started preparing your Black Friday advertisements, the better results you’ll have.

Try Lightning AI today

Lightning AI is the leading resource for marketers looking to reach their target audience this Black Friday. Our AI platform successfully studies your current data on Facebook, and identifies new interest groups based on your most successful ad campaigns. With our help, you’ll see results in real time and make the most out of your Black Friday ad campaigns this year.