Black Friday + Cyber Monday Review

The past two weeks we have discusses Black Friday and Cyber Monday. With the week of Thanksgiving here and the long shopping weekend approaching, we wanted to do a quick review of key points/ideas for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. If you have any ideas or want to share your experiences with this time of year, feel free to head over to the Squareberry Strategies section of our Forum.

Black Friday

• Lunch on Black Friday is a big opportunity for local restaurants. Most of the shopping is done in the morning to early afternoon and shoppers will need a place to refuel and grab a bite.
• Local small businesses can target the afternoon for promotions. The morning is dominated by large retail chains with big ticket items that are tough to compete with.
• Full Black Friday Post >

Cyber Monday

• Small businesses with online stores should focus on social media to get their local audience sharing and talking about their special offers.
• Restaurants and other local businesses can sell gift cards (a popular git choice) at a discounted rate on Cyber Monday. This is an easy promotion and a way to assure more people will be coming in your doors down the road.
• Full Cyber Monday Post >

 

Next week we will start looking at some tips for promotions and events during the busy holiday season. We will also discuss ideas on bringing in people who are from out of town.

Cyber Monday for Local Business

Read our Previous Post about Black Friday >

Cyber Monday is a more recent tradition in the holiday shopping season. Online retailers looked for ways to capitalize on the hype of post-Thanksgiving shopping. Cyber Monday takes advantage of a workforce sitting at computers following a long holiday weekend. Cyber Monday is becoming (if it has not gotten there already) just as big of a shopping day as Black Friday. Small/local businesses can also take advantage of Cyber Monday to boost sales.

Small Businesses With Online Stores

Many small businesses now offer online stores and ordering. With the creation of easy-to-use content management systems and online stores, local businesses are more capable than ever in this area.

For small businesses with online stores, Cyber Monday can be pretty straight forward. Special promotions and money-saving discounts can be offered to your customers. The key is getting your message out there on a day when all online retailers are looking to promote something. Utilize social media, especially Facebook, and encourage your followers to share you promotions so they spread with your local audience.

Small Businesses Without Online Stores

Things are different for local retailers (or restaurants) that do not have online stores. Cyber Monday normally involves purchasing items online that are shipped to you. However, there is no reason why you can not offer 'online promotions' that are redeemed at your actual business location.

Local businesses can offer special promotions and coupons on Cyber Monday only, meaning the coupon/promotion is only published on your website or on social media for that single day. People can print it or save it on Cyber Monday. At the end of the day, you can take the promotion down. The promotion can then be redeemed anytime after.

Gift Cards

Many local businesses do not have online stores or traditional products to sell. Gift cards are big sellers during the holidays. Restaurants, local retailers and small businesses can take gift card orders on Cyber Monday, offering discounts on their gift cards. Many people will take advantage of this promotion to buy gift cards as gifts for others.

Black Friday for Local Business

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the USA. Generally, it marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season and features large sales, discounted items and early store hours. On Black Friday millions of people go out spending money. They shop, they buy gifts and they often dine out. Despite not having the big ticket items or large advertising budgets, local businesses can still participate in Black Friday (if they choose to be open).

Restaurants on Black Friday

Local restaurants can see a lot of business on Black Friday. Much of the shopping is done in the morning and in the early afternoon. This means, there are a large number of people who are out of the home and will be hungry for lunch (not everyone wants Thanksgiving leftovers everyday). If your restaurant is open, make sure you are letting people know on social media. You can also run a special promotion to help draw in more people.

Promoting on social media is essential. Mobile devices users who are out shopping will be checking Twitter and Facebook to see news, updates, where their friends are and what their friends have bought. Your restaurant should be part of this conversation and let people know that they can stop by your location to refuel.

Small Businesses

There probably won't be a lot of business in the mornings for small/local retail businesses. The morning crowd is dominated by large retail chains with big ticket items and huge savings. However, the afternoon could be prime for the taking. Most shoppers plan out their morning - what stores they will hit and when. But, the afternoon is often overlooked. If you have a local retail store with specialty items that holiday shoppers are interested in, try promoting special "Afternoon Savings". Your small business may not be where they line up at 5 AM, but you could be the final stop on the way home.

Not for Everyone

Black Friday may not be for every local business. Restaurants are more likely to see big crowds and some local retail shops may decide it is better to just not be open. It all depends on your market and your situation. If Black Friday is not for you, maybe Cyber Monday is...

Next week we will take a look at Cyber Monday, the digital cousin of Black Friday.

Embed a Video on Your Event Details

Why Videos?

Videos rule. They grab attention and convey information in a more engaging way to viewers. Using videos can help you promote your events and boost attendance. Earlier this year, Forbes ran an article entitled "Why Online Video Is Vital For Your 2013 Content Marketing Objectives". The article mentions 4 reasons why we are drawn to video:

• #1: The Fusiform Facial area makes us pay attention to faces
• #2: Voice conveys rich information
• #3: Emotions are contagious
• #4: Movement grabs attention

Read the full Forbes article here >

Videos for Events

The easiest way to get video content for future events is to record video during your current events. If you have a special Trivia Night, you can record a short video to show off your big crowd and people having fun. Now, you have this video to use when promoting future Trivia Nights. Add your Trivia Nights video to the event details of your schedule Trivia Nights to help promote these future events.

How to Embed a Video on an Event

• Upload your Video to a video service such as YouTube or Vimeo.
• Get the Embed Code for your video. Copy this code.
• On the Add/Edit Event page, go to the Content area.
• Click the "HTML" button on the content editor.
• Paste the embed code into the page's HTML (the top is usually the best place to feature the video).
• Click the "Update" video.
• Save the Event.