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We can feel the excitement of shoppers as Black Friday approaches. Has the holiday shopping season crept up on you this year? While your brand might not feel prepared. We are here to ease your stress by sharing why visual assets need to be part of your Black Friday strategy.
Still not convinced you need a strategy for Black Friday online? Check out our other posts to convince you.
Black Friday marks the beginning of holiday shopping. An anticipated time for consumers as they research the best deals and gifts. High-quality Black Friday marketing has never been more important. US adults are spending more time on their devices, which means your marketing must show quality content to gain their attention.
Discounts are exciting but are they getting you the best results? When preparing your marketing team, you can not only rely on presenting great deals. Visuals are the best tool when attracting shoppers. They tell consumers how your offering can and will improve their everyday lives.
There are many ways to prepare your team; our steps give you a clear place to start.
There is no time to wait; beginning as early as mid-October, brands will advertise or tease their deals. There are over 165 million Americans shopping on Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. Getting consumers’ attention early and sustaining it through holiday shopping is essential. An early start gives your brand the flexibility to see what is working and what you may need to adjust.
A Black Friday marketing strategy needs to have clear goals. They should work to benefit your brand beyond one day. If your goal is to gain more shoppers. Your team should find ways to delight customers into becoming loyal to your brand. Setting goals will empower your team to create clear objectives. That effectively focuses their efforts.
Consumers absorb many advertisements during Black Friday. All fighting for a moment of their attention. But, that attention is a small gain if it does not motivate them to action. To inspire action from shoppers, your team should focus on resonating with consumers that you bring the most value.
Take a step back with your team and ask:
These questions only scratch the surface in understanding your audience. They will prepare your team to discover consumers' wants and needs. Your marketing must illustrate who a shopper is and give a glimpse into their lives.
Visuals are powerful in storytelling. Research shows that visual content is 40 times more likely to get shared than regular text. When planning your strategy. Considering how you will visually interest customers can make all the difference.
Social media has changed the standards of users. Consumers can be more critical of the quality of your visual content. Equipping your team with quality visual assets. Gives your brand an advantage over competitors that focus on text-heavy advertisements.
Read a little more about creating assets for Black Friday social media with Cohley.
The best Black Friday strategy for retailers is using engaging, high-quality visual content. Competing with competitors to offer the lowest discount can be difficult. Visuals are your answer to standing out. Let us tell you about the picture superiority effect. Research suggests that humans are far better at learning and remembering content seen in pictures than in text.
Throughout the year, your brand has a distinct design. That design allows customers to recognize you. Black Friday is your chance to move away from the expected. Creating new visual assets surrounding holiday shopping will excite new and loyal shoppers. Black Friday content encourages consumers to act with a greater sense of urgency. That urgency to act will place you at the top of their minds.
When deciding what visual assets work best for you, consider your target consumer. When in preparation for your Black Friday marketing release. Conducting content testing on the best course of messaging and distribution is valuable for your team. Attracting consumers requires that your visual content meets them at the right touchpoints.
Black Friday visual assets that work well:
You can use images in a variety of ways for your marketing. When creating images, the message or story should be easy to understand and remember. Shoppers need to resonate with your content to make an impactful impression on them. Whether you plan on creating banners for your website or a relatable meme. Your audience and goals should drive your content creation.
Video content is an effective and quick way to deliver information to your audience. It gives opportunities to use visuals and sound to entice emotions from shoppers. A video can highlight your key points creatively while presenting a memorable experience.
The IKEA #BuybackFriday campaign. Gives a prime example of how to use information about your target audience. IKEA knows that its customers value sustainability. To highlight that value. IKEA's campaign shares their initiative to repurchase their furniture during Black Friday. This campaign attracts shoppers to their store without directly advertising Black Friday deals.
Visual assets in this campaign enhance brand messaging to be memorable and emotion-enduing. The video shows how IKEA makes life easier by following the journey of a shelf resold to different homes. They end the advertisement with their call to action “Furniture deserves many lives”.
The Steven Madden SA Black Friday Low-Down campaign; is an excellent example of how images draw attention to your offerings. They use a photograph featuring “Black Friday Low-Down” to gain initial interest. It is a simple and clear message. They then use the power of exclusivity to drive action and create long-term consumers. This campaign shows how Black Friday campaigns can support further retargeting efforts.
Visual campaigns do not need to stop after Friday. There are other big shopping days for businesses following Black Friday. Your brand should optimize your visual content for Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday marketing. Your visual can additionally announce an offer extension or reveal a special discount.
The benefit of visual assets in your Black Friday campaign strategy is clear. With more shoppers spending time on their devices, your brand must stand out. Use simple, relatable, and memorable visuals to tell your story. Now that you know the value of visual assets, how will your team earn their attention?