It’s no secret that Black Friday and Cyber Monday dominate holiday sales, but shoppers and entrepreneurs alike often underestimate the influence of retail’s two most important days. Statistics highlighted by Bloomberg indicate that 20 percent of total annual sales occur during the last two months of the year, with a significant share specifically taking place on these shopping holidays. In 2018, for example, Cyber Monday brought in a whopping $7.9 billion in sales. Meanwhile, Black Friday reached a record of $6.22 billion in revenue.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales continue to rise, but those profits aren’t just a coincidence. Not only is considerable preparation needed to ensure that shoppers show up, but businesses must also make an impression well in advance to get an edge on the competition. Discounts help, of course, but online visibility is essential. With this in mind, utilizing a full-funnel approach is critical for Black Friday and Cyber Monday pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. By using this method, you can generate an impressive response from prospective customers.
What Is a Full-Funnel Approach to Digital Marketing?
A full-funnel approach consists of a top-down model, in which a wide net is cast in hopes of scoring as many leads as possible. From there, marketing efforts become increasingly targeted to ensure that the most relevant audience is reached. Each consumer navigates multiple phases, as highlighted below:
- Awareness – Forming the wide top of the funnel, this critical phase focuses purely on positioning the brand for maximum visibility.
- Consideration – Especially critical during the holiday season, consideration goes beyond awareness to include prioritization between brands. Ideally, leads will emerge from this stage feeling confident that the marketed brand is a better alternative to the competition.
- Decision – At this point, consumers should be aware of your brand and understand how you can outpace your competitors. Still, many require an additional push towards conversion. This can be accomplished via optimized ads.
- Conversion – Awareness and favoritism mean little if customers fail to take action. As the narrowest portion of the funnel approaches, achieving a full conversion should be a priority.
- Retargeting – Following a successful conversion, businesses should make every effort to ensure future interaction with established customers. Often, this will involve remarketing on relevant platforms.
Full-Funnel Marketing and the Holidays: The Importance of Starting Early
The full-funnel process can be effective, but it takes time. Ideally, marketing Black Friday and Cyber Monday strategies should be in place long before the holiday season arrives. While timelines vary from one company to the next, it’s not uncommon for these ad campaigns to show up before Halloween. Such efforts ramp up in the early days of November, when customers learn what deals each business has to offer – and how they can get involved.
It’s definitely worth your while to cast a wide net with an initial marketing campaign, but you’ll also want to pay attention to customers who have been identified as most likely to invest in your brand. This can be determined based on both demographic indicators and previously expressed interest in your company’s offerings. Those who have visited your website in the past, liked your pages on social media, or signed up for your email list are far more likely to convert. However, your best chances of scoring conversions lie with loyal customers who have successfully made purchases in the past.
How a Unique Selling Proposition Can Give You an Edge
Strategic timing can make all the difference as you prepare for Black Friday and Cyber Monday – but this alone will not get customers on board. You’ll also want to take a close look at your company’s unique selling proposition (USP). This key marketing effort will help your business attract attention in an increasingly competitive market.
When determining your USP, consider what sets your company apart. Which features are most likely to captivate consumers who are already bombarded with holiday shopping ads? How can such offerings be quickly and effectively conveyed in a PPC campaign? Without a strategic USP, you hold little chance of gaining a competitive edge during the consideration phase of the full-funnel approach.
Secrets to Online Conversion
You’ve done all the hard work of finding the right customers, targeting them with the right message, and demonstrating your USP. Now, it’s time to cash in with increased conversions.
Unfortunately, even those who adore your brand may be slow to take action. Success ultimately relies on providing a streamlined shopping experience. Impatient digital consumers will not put up with glitches – even when an amazing deal is at stake. So, before you launch your campaign, make sure you have the following essentials in place:
- A website that is equipped to handle sudden spikes in traffic.
- Adequate supply to ensure that popular products will not sell out early.
- Clear and usable coupon codes that allow customers to score impressive discounts.
Don’t forget to obtain email addresses from any consumers who ultimately convert. This could give you a head start on your full-funnel process for next year’s holiday season.
Ready to Maximize Your Cyber Monday and Black Friday Marketing for Ecommerce? Reach Out to Zero Gravity Marketing
If you’re ready to level up your PPC campaign in time for the holidays, look no further than Zero Gravity Marketing. We can help you develop an effective full-funnel Cyber Monday and Black Friday marketing strategy to promote greater brand awareness and a better conversion rate. Contact us today to learn more.
