How to promote your business on Black Friday for people who hate Black Friday
Black Friday, in my mind, is hoards of people shoving through the entrance of a big box store, trampling other humans to get the best deal on a massive tv.
It’s endless ads and reminders between every TV show to buy buy buy and buy some more for every person you’ve ever met.
It’s especially the people who are forced to work during the holidays or risk losing their job instead of being at home also enjoying paid time off.
I want to avoid every bit of it, however, as a business owner I can’t ignore that IT IS also the time of year when most people are spending a shit ton of money. If we’re not showing up with our businesses, they will spend it somewhere else. Like Target. Ew.
In order to remind everyone to avoid big bullshit stores with their fake discounts, we need make sure people are seeing more small businesses in their feed.
Whether you’re sending discounts and deals, or not, you SHOULD be pushing more content, emails, and ads at this time of year. Pull out all your best posts and videos and re-share them again. Share your friends and local posts and products too!
But first, collect the data:
October is the month to reach out and gather numbers and results from past customers and clients so you can use that information in your marketing. Ask them for experiences, outcomes, and actual numbers so you can say things like:
My web design clients saw a 72 percent increase in search engine traffic after their new site launched. What would a 72 percent increase in traffic look like for your business?
Clients said they felt less stressed about making decisions and have been delegating twice as many tasks as before we worked together.
Then use that info to:
Reach out to past clients + customers: This is the easiest way to get a revenue boost at the end of the year. Offer them the opportunity to get in your schedule one more time before the end of the year. Or offer them the first spots starting in the new year. Ask them for referrals, testimonials, feedback. Check on their goals while letting them know how you can help them in the new year.
Focus on goal setting, new hobbies, and big energized ideas: Motivation and inspiration get a boost around the new year. Be specific when sharing examples about what your audience wants to accomplish. What product, service, offer, workshop do you have to help? A journal perhaps…
Create a bundle: A flat discount always works, but if you want to do something extra, pulling together products in a discounted bundle can grab those on-the-fence buyers who’ve been watching your stuff. A catchy name (New Year New ______) will cause skimmers to stop and take a closer look.
Partner with other business owners: Put multiple products into a bundle and promote it to all three of your audiences at once. A copywriting course, plus a friend’s design course, plus another friend’s systems templates could help someone launch a business in weeks instead of years. You never know who is hanging out in your business bestie’s audience in desperate need of YOUR stuff.
Create a limit: Only 10 available at this price, only 15 spaces available, price goes up at midnight, price goes up with every purchase, product disappears at the end of the year. Add a countdown timer and give those fence-sitters a reason to go for it.
Be cheeky and post something like: “Small biz owners don’t get paid time off - here’s 20% off my shop so you can help me pay for this vacation” or “I’m in my comfy chair with a book for the rest of the year here’s $50 off so you can be first in my schedule for 2027” or “Every time someone buys a copy of my book I do a little dance. Here’s 20% off, lets boogie!”
Lastly, schedule it all in advance so you can enjoy your time off in peace.
One thing we’re NOT doing is piling extra work at the end of the year. YOU need to be taking time off. I know, as a solopreneur myself, that you’ve worked your butt off and deserve a break.
Remember - you’re the boss, you’re building a business that FITS INTO your life and helps you create an even better one. You make the rules. You deeply deserve and require time off. Even if it’s not quite paid time off yet, you should still take it.
Which is why we’re not creating anything new for Black Friday. We’re not checking on or stressing over how the Black Friday promotions are going. We’re NOT checking messages or opening email. I dare you to fucking RELAX.
Create a promotion, set everything to auto post, and then enjoy your vacation while you know the sales are coming in.
