Torey SchellHow to plan your content for Black Friday: A month by month guide
Seeing success from your Black Friday marketing campaign doesn’t happen by chance–it is the result of strategic planning and content creation.
In order to help you create your own holiday content plan and close out the year on a high note, we’ve prepared monthly and weekly content tips. Let’s get started.
What to consider for your Black Friday campaigns
If you’ve been in business for any amount of time, you know that Black Friday is more than just one day. In fact, preparing and sharing holiday-related content is a months-long process!
Here are some of the most common campaigns small businesses should consider when planning their social content:
Pre-holiday - Lay the groundwork in October and early November by doing some market research and experimenting with different types of sales to see what your audience wants. This is critical to inform what sales are more likely to be a hit with your audience.
Pre-Black Friday - In the time leading up to Black Friday, hype up your upcoming offers with sneak peeks, previews, and countdowns.
Black Friday - The day is finally here! Black Friday kicks off a whole weekend of deals. Ensure your audience is aware of your offers before the actual weekend.
Small Business Saturday - You may feel the pressure to compete with big businesses during Black Friday sales, but another opportunity to consider is promoting Small Business Saturday through your social. Use that day to shine a light on what makes your small business unique. Emphasize things like your community and the real people behind your business.
Cyber Monday - Traditionally, Cyber Monday has been the e-commerce version of Black Friday. But with more businesses increasingly focusing on promoting their online shopping experience over in-person, this Monday has become an extension of the entire weekend. Extend Black Friday deals through Monday, or save some web-exclusive deals and offers until then.
Post-Black Friday holiday shopping - Promo for holiday shopping doesn’t end after Black Friday. Keep the momentum from this weekend by sharing curated gift guides with your products, and informing your followers of any shipping date cutoffs.
Now, let’s break it down each month to help you create your social media content plan and establish a cadence for your posts.
Content to Plan for October
October is the perfect time to ramp up your marketing efforts to stay top of mind and prime your audience to buy from you. Make an effort to post a couple times a week to your social media feeds as well as Instagram Stories.
October is a key time to experiment with both paid ads and organic content to see what type of offer lands best with your audience. Offers could be a discount code, free shipping, or a BOGO sale.
Key social media posts for October:
Introduce winter collections or new products for the season
Take new product shots to keep up a fresh and up-to-date presence
Try Facebook Ads for advertising an offer that can reach more people
Post content to drive engagement (this or that polls, questions, surveys, and more)
Announce any business updates; changes to operating hours, changes in products or services, and anything else related to the “behind the scenes” of your business.
Content to Plan for November
With Halloween over and Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon, November is the time for your marketing to really shine. Use insights you got from your content in October to optimize your marketing and drive more sales.
This month tends to be busy both personally and professionally, so the more content planning and creation you do ahead of time, the better off you’ll be. Try your hand at content batching to get a head start.
Here is a week-by-week breakdown of key social media posts for your November planning:
Key social media posts for week 1
Encourage shoppers to get a head start on the holiday season
Share a customer review or testimonial of your product or service
Key social media posts for week 2
Run a Facebook ad for advertising Black Friday sale
Share UGC or customers enjoying your product
Encourage holiday pre-orders to beat the holiday rush or lock-in limited availability
Key social media posts for week 3
Post a Black Friday sneak peek or countdown
Share your small business story with your followers
Run a Facebook ad for advertising your Black Friday sale
Key social media posts for week 4
Run a Facebook ad for advertising Black Friday sale
Share your business hours and any holiday updates
Share a Thanksgiving post
Post about your Black Friday deals. Use Instagram Stories to get more eyes on it
Celebrate Small Business Saturday by encouraging your followers to support small businesses like yours
Content to Plan for December
Not everyone starts their shopping early. December is the final stretch of holiday marketing and shopping. If you’ve been putting off advertising on social media but are curious, now is the time to get started.
The clock to Christmas is ticking, and some folks may be undecided on what to get their loved ones. Share posts that promote your products with curated gift guides, buying recommendations, and gift card options. Make sure to include information related to shipping time cutoffs, shopping deadlines, etc.
Here is a week-by-week breakdown of key social media posts for your December planning:
Key social media posts for week 1
Post your Cyber Monday deals
Remind customers about shipping cutoff for holiday orders
Share holiday gift guides to help shoppers
Key social media posts for week 2
Remind customers about shipping cutoff for holiday orders
Share holiday gift guides to help shoppers
Take your audience behind the scenes with BTS content to drive urgency or FOMO
Key social media posts for week 3
Share a post about last chance or countdown for holiday sale final hours
Remind customers about shipping cutoff for holiday orders
Share updates about holiday business hours
Key posts for week 4
Share after holiday sales
Post a thank you to everyone who shopped with you
Tips for success with your Black Friday campaign
In addition to monthly and weekly planning ideas, here are some quick tips to help you find success with your Black Friday content marketing.
Plan ahead
It’s no secret that having a plan is the first step in any successful marketing campaign.
Here are some links related to content planning that can help get you started:
Schedule posts
Wondering how everyone keeps up with their content during the holiday season? The answer is scheduling posts ahead of time. This is essential for keeping up during the holiday season without being constantly glued to your social media.
Make time for mental health
Managing a business, family, and a personal life is a lot. Checking in with your own mental health is important in order to keep your energy levels up while still enjoying this time of the year. Take time away from your phone to be present with family and friends.
For more help with your content, check out our October social media calendar.
