Black Friday Marketing Strategies for Small Business

Strategy #1: Make a long weekend out of it

Instead of coming up with a different marketing strategy for each of the three events, combine Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday into one long shopping celebration.

This way, you save time and money on making separate banner designs, and ads, while also creating momentum around your holiday offering.

Promote one combined sale across the five-day weekend. Share your offers by email, text, social media, and in-store signs.

Strategy #2: Start a flash sale

A great way to create a sense of urgency among shoppers is by offering time-sensitive deals that change at least once a day during Thanksgiving weekend.

This strategy encourages shoppers to make faster decisions while showing them that it’s always worthwhile to check out your store and see what’s new.

Flash sales are also a great selling point to encourage shoppers to sign up for your newsletter, so they’re among the first to know about the next deal.

Strategy #3: Use loss leader pricing

Choose one of your bestselling or most compelling items and significantly slash its price. Before you ask, no, we haven’t lost our minds. Loss leader pricing is actually a well-established method of getting customers through the door and attracting them away from competitors.

Once shoppers are in your store, they tend to buy more. They already feel they are getting a great deal, so place related products near your loss leader to encourage add-ons.

Still, we suggest you tread lightly when using this strategy. Unlike mega-retailers like Walmart, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) cannot afford to overdo it with loss leaders.

To make sure you are not losing money on your own Black Friday sale, add a few simple guardrails:

• Cap the quantity: Limit how many loss-leader items each shopper can buy.
• Set a spend threshold: Offer the lowest price only to customers who spend a certain amount.
• Be clear: State the limits plainly in all your marketing.

Strategy #4: Be thankful

Thanksgiving weekend is an excellent opportunity to express our gratitude to friends, loved ones, and, of course, the loyal customers who play such an important role in keeping you in business.

One great way to say thanks is to reward existing customers with exclusive deals or coupon codes around the busy shopping season. This serves a dual purpose: making your customers feel appreciated while reminding them of the great service and value your business provides.

Strategy #5: Give a gift-picking hand

The holiday season is busy for everyone, and gift shopping can become quite a chore. If your business offers products that can be gifted, your customers will truly appreciate your help in sorting out the best presents for everyone in their lives.

When it’s easy for people to find something for everyone on their list without leaving your store, they’re less likely to start looking elsewhere. So, consider creating gift guides and, pre-picking the most relevant items from your catalog to fit various gift recipients such as significant others, kids, parents, colleagues, etc.

For an online shop, creating a gift guide can be as simple as adding tags to products—for example, “kids aged 6–12” or “work friends”—and linking to the relevant search pages in your marketing communications.

If your shop is brick and mortar, you can use social media posts to curate gift lists by bundling pictures of products relevant to each category together in one post.

Strategy #6: More is, well, more

While every purchase is a win, it’s evident that the bigger the deal, the better it is for your business.

One way to encourage upsells without being overly pushy is to offer a special Black Friday benefit to shoppers who spend over a certain amount.

Offer a perk once shoppers spend over a set amount:

• Free shipping
• 10% off
• A small, useful free gift related to your business

The key is to make it valuable enough that customers are willing to spend a little more to get it.

How can a small business attract customers on Black Friday?

Lead with a strong offer and share it everywhere your customers already are. Use email, text, social media, and in-store signs to point people to your deal.

How do you promote a Black Friday sale?

Build a little urgency and make the offer easy to find. Combine the five-day weekend into one sale, add a countdown or flash deal, and reward loyal customers first.

Is it too late to start Black Friday marketing?

No, it is not too late. Simple moves like a flash sale, a spend-based perk, or a gift guide can lift sales without weeks of planning.