As Black Friday approaches, marketers are under pressure to create standout campaigns. With designers, media buyers, and e-commerce teams working overtime, the stakes are high—and so is the anxiety.
But don't worry — launching a successful Black Friday/Cyber Monday campaign doesn’t have to be overwhelming. In this article, I’ll draw from my experience to share 21 Black Friday marketing ideas to boost your sales. Whether planning your first Black Friday marketing campaign or refreshing an existing one, these actionable tips will give you the clarity and confidence to create a campaign that drives results.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, marks the official start of the holiday shopping season. Traditionally, it was a brick-and-mortar shopping event, with crowds flocking to stores for steep discounts driving holiday sales. 

Today, Black Friday (BF) and Cyber Monday (CM) present opportunities for e-commerce brands to increase sales and attract global customers. 

For online retailers, this season means prioritizing high-impact Black Friday marketing strategies, with discounted prices and exclusive deals that consumers can’t resist. 

For shoppers, the anticipation builds each year as they save in hopes of snagging the best Black Friday deals and scoring big on their favorite brands.

• Black Friday/Cyber Monday is the biggest shopping event of the year. Americans spent over $9.8 billion on shopping in 2023 and are projected to surpass that amount by another $3 billion by 2028.
• During Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2023, the top 100 performers on the Mailchimp platform saw their daily order value increase by 325% compared to their usual daily averages.
• Buy now, pay later” (BNPL) orders rose 72% during Black Friday week in 2023 compared to the previous week, with BNPL customers spending 48% more on average than those using cash or credit.
• Mobile shopping dominated Black Friday 2023, with 54% of all online orders placed on mobile devices, a trend expected to continue in 2024.

1. Set clear goals and objectives for your Black Friday marketing strategy

Before launching any Black Friday campaign, take time to define your goals. Holiday campaigns are unique, and profitability thresholds are often tighter during this high-spend season. 

Here’s how to set clear and actionable objectives:

• Understand your profitability thresholds: Identify your breakeven ROAS (return on ad spend) and decide if you’re willing to trade off on profitability in favor of volume. For example, if your usual ROAS is 2:1, you might consider a lower ROAS if it means attracting more first-time customers or moving inventory quickly.
• Set realistic, data-backed targets: Review last year’s data on metrics like revenue, ad spend, and customer acquisition costs. If you aim to increase sales volume by 30%, calculate what that means for your budget and how much you’re willing to discount.
• Be prepared to adjust: Set up real-time tracking to monitor performance, especially if you’re working with ad platforms. If you’re underperforming in sales volume, consider raising bid caps or increasing budgets on high-ROI platforms to capture last-minute conversions.

2. Prepare your marketing lists and funnels

“Measure twice, cut once.” This principle applies perfectly to Black Friday/Cyber Monday prep. Double-check every detail to ensure smooth campaign execution. 

A few ways to prepare include:

Segment and clean up your lists

There's nothing quite like sending a bulk email to millions of users and seeing thousands of bounces in your account. Make your email marketing spend count this Black Friday by targeting only engaged, relevant subscribers.

Here’s how to clean and segment your email list:

• Remove inactive or bouncing addresses to ensure your emails land in active inboxes and avoid wasting the budget on disengaged recipients.
• If you have a multi-SKU store, tailor promotions to match previous purchase behaviors. 
• Identify your best customers—those with a high lifetime value (LTV). Offer them exclusive deals or early access, knowing they’re more likely to convert at a higher average order value.
• Run year-round A/B testing and use the insights to implement winning strategies that increase open rates, click-throughs, and revenue.

Make sure your emails are not going to spam

A few tips to ensure your emails reach inboxes include:

• If you haven’t sent emails in a while, gradually increase send volume to improve deliverability and avoid being marked as spam.
• Use a custom domain (e.g., [email protected] rather than [email protected]) and verify it with email providers. Employ SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols to protect your emails from being flagged.

Ensure your analytics suite and marketing pixels are all firing correctly

A few tips to improve data accuracy and measure campaign performance in real-time include:

• Test your Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and other tracking tools to ensure they capture visitor behavior accurately. Use tools like Google Tag Assistant to verify each tag.
• Implement server-side tracking through Meta Conversion API or Google Tag Manager. Use server-side for more resilient tracking, especially on iOS, where ad tracking limitations have impacted insights.
• Use test events on platforms like Facebook Ads Manager to confirm you capture conversions correctly. This will give you confidence that ad spending aligns with your ROI.

Invest heavily in building up your audiences

A few tips to help you grow your audience ahead of Black Friday include:

• Repurpose popular blog posts, guides, or checklists into downloadable lead magnets. These resources attract new sign-ups and strengthen your subscriber base at a minimal cost.
• Use platforms like Meta Lead Ads to collect sign-ups directly in-app, reducing friction and acquiring leads at a lower cost. Incentivize subscriptions with early access or exclusive Black Friday deals.
• Tailor messages with specific offers for VIP customers, new leads, and general subscribers.

3. Start early with a pre-Black Friday campaign

Over the last 13 years of my career, I've seen Black Friday's sales period increase from just a few days to a relentless marketing assault lasting more than a month, with promotions kicking off in early November. 

Starting early can make a huge difference, with eager shoppers looking for deals before November begins. For example, during Cyber Week, online clothing store Able offered Black Friday early access with discounts ranging from 25% to 50%.

By launching a pre-Black Friday campaign, you can:

• ​Test offers and campaigns: Use the early weeks of November to experiment with different discount levels, bundle offers, or limited-time promotions. Track which offers resonate best with your audience and perform well in terms of engagement, clicks, and conversions.
• Optimize ad spend and performance: When you know what works best, you can allocate budget more efficiently. I encourage you to double down on platforms and ads that perform well in early tests.

4. Create a dedicated BF/CM landing page

Having a dedicated landing page to showcase Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals will make it easier to market on the fly throughout the holiday season.

Here’s an example of Boohoo’s Black Friday landing page optimized for keywords like “best Black Friday deals” and “Black Friday sales.”

Here are some handy guidelines to follow:

• You can increase organic traffic by optimizing for keywords such as "Black Friday deals" and "Cyber Monday sales" with your category and product terms.
• Highlight your most compelling discounts and highest-margin products to maximize your potential earnings.
• Ensure your page is built to convert. A mobile-friendly UX, clear calls to action (CTAs), and trust badges are all essential to increasing conversion rates.

5. Use automation to safeguard your customer service operations 

There's nothing worse than unhappy customers unless unhappy customers get ignored during your most critical sales period of the year.

 In anticipation of a surge in traffic and orders, here are a few ways to improve your customer service infrastructure:

• Implement AI chatbots to handle common queries and route complex issues to the right support team. Chatbots can manage repetitive inquiries about Black Friday deals, order status, and return policies, freeing up your support team for more critical issues.
• Use automated emails to acknowledge customer queries and set clear expectations on response times. For example, an email confirming receipt of their inquiry calms nerves and prevents unnecessary follow-up messages.
• Create a robust FAQ section that answers common Black Friday questions about shipping timelines, return policies, discount codes, and order modifications.

For example, Optimialprint uses an AI chatbot to answer common questions and only routes queries to human support when it’s not provided in the FAQ.

6. Create gift guides

Black Friday is prime time for targeted promotions, and gift guides put your products in front of the right audiences.

For example, e-commerce store FlexiSpot curated a gift guide filled with its products. It also included text about its Black Friday sales with a timer and free shipping offer.

Here’s how to use gift guides to increase visibility and sales:

• Tailor your guides to specific interests, such as “Holiday Essentials for Home Chefs” or “Best Deals on Office Furniture.” This makes it easy for shoppers to find items and increases your chances of conversions.
• Partner with complementary brands to create a joint gift guide. Cross-promotion expands your reach and adds variety to your offerings.
• Promote your gift guides across social platforms and email campaigns to reach your existing audience. 

7. Create a sense of urgency with limited-time offers

Instead of relying on a single discount code for the entire Black Friday weekend, create a layered promotion plan to keep your audience excited and engaged throughout the promotional period. During Black Friday and Cyber Monday, FOMO (fear of missing out) is a powerful tool for capturing shopper interest and driving conversions.

For example, mattress provider Emma's pre-Black Friday sales page includes a timer showing when the sale ends to trigger shoppers' FOMO.

 Here’s how to maximize this approach:

• Roll out an exclusive deal at the start of Black Friday, offering limited-time discounts that run only for the day or extend through the weekend.
• Phrases like “Hurry! Only three left in stock” or “Ends in 2 hours” prompt visitors to purchase.
• Limit each offer to a specific time frame to create urgency. Use countdowns or “limited time only” messaging to drive this urgency across your website and email campaigns.

8. Partner with influencers and other vertical brands

You can expand your reach by partnering with influencers in your niche. Niche content creators wield substantial influence over their audience, often driving higher engagement due to a personal connection with their followers. 

For example, Samsung partnered with influencers for Black Friday to create content around how these influencers use Samsung products in their homes.

Here’s how to maximize partnerships:

• Prioritize micro-influencers for niche products: Not everyone can afford to spend five to six figures on popular influencers. Instead, work with micro-influencers whose audiences align closely with your brand. Their recommendations can resonate more with followers, especially when building trust for niche products.
• Cross-promote with vertical brands: Collaborate with brands that share your target audience but don’t directly compete with your offerings. For example, a smart garden brand partnering with a healthy drink company (like Vegehome and Rise Kombucha) creates synergy by tapping into an audience interested in wellness and sustainable living.
• Offer exclusive deals through partners: Consider offering exclusive bundles or gift packages with your partner brands. This strategy exposes both brands to each other’s audiences, creating a win-win during the holiday shopping season.

9. Offer free shipping, returns, and exchanges

Cart abandonment often spikes when unexpected costs like shipping fees appearing at checkout. Avoid this pitfall during Black Friday by offering clear shipping and return policies. During the sales rush, these perks can help you convert more shoppers, build loyalty, and increase your customers’ lifetime value (LTV).

For example, H&M incentivizes members to spend more by offering free delivery and returns when they meet the minimum requirements.

Here’s how to make it work:

• Offer free shipping across orders—or at least above a specific spend to reduce friction and entice customers to complete their purchase
• Simplify returns and exchanges to make it easy for new customers to commit to a purchase
• Ensure return and shipping policies are displayed on product and checkout pages

Note: this is only recommended if shipping is a minor cost you can absorb. 

10. Use paid media to amplify your reach

Paid media is one of my favorite Black Friday marketing strategies. If you already have a strong paid media strategy, Black Friday is the time to let it rip! 

Paid media can increase reach and sales if you know your acquisition costs and platform performance metrics. 

Here’s how to maximize your paid media during the holiday shopping season:

• Prioritize Meta and Google: Meta offers nearly limitless reach for demand generation, especially if you can experiment with creative assets like video content. Google Shopping campaigns are equally essential, so ensure your product feed is error-free and optimized for Black Friday.
• Don’t ignore secondary platforms: If you want to diversify, try TikTok, X (Twitter), Microsoft Ads, and Snapchat to reach different segments and keep costs efficient. These platforms can support and extend your primary campaigns without breaking the bank.
• Double down on creative testing: Run A/B tests, try new messaging angles and optimize videos to make a strong impression. Visual appeal and fresh ideas can set your ads apart and drive conversions faster.

11. Experiment with upsells, cross-sells, and bundles

If your store offers a range of products, Black Friday is the perfect time to increase your Average Order Value (AOV) by encouraging shoppers to add more items to their carts. 

For example, e-commerce giant Amazon does a great job of cross-selling by showing dustbin replacement filters alongside vacuum cleaners.

Here’s how to leverage upselling, cross-selling, and bundling to boost Black Friday sales:

• Upsells and cross-sells: Use plugins to introduce additional products as customers browse or check out. Suggest complementary items (cross-sells) or higher-priced versions of their chosen products (upsells).
• Create special bundles: Offer discounts on related products to increase conversions and AOV. For Black Friday and Cyber Monday, consider offering exclusive bundles that save customers money when bought together. This approach works well for subscription and repeated-use products, like health supplements or coffee.

12. Share your values

Black Friday may be known for discounts and high sales, but it’s also an opportunity to show your brand’s commitment to social causes and ethical practices. 

For example, the popular shoewear brand TOMS donates a third of its profit to charitable causes.

Here’s how you can communicate your values during the holiday shopping season:

• Use post-purchase emails to educate customers about your company’s commitment to sustainability, ethical sourcing, or community support initiatives.
• Encourage customers to shop by pledging a portion of your Black Friday profits to a charitable cause, whether a local nonprofit or a global initiative.
• In your promotional content, share details about your sustainable practices, ethical manufacturing, or environmental contributions. This transparency builds trust and sets you apart from competitors fishing for extra dollars during the holiday season.

13. Run a social media contest or giveaway

People love free stuff. Giveaways are a great way to attract potential customers and spark excitement during Black Friday. In my experience, the LTV from contest seekers is relatively low compared to other shopping cohorts, but it's an opportunity to go viral with zany contests.

For example, ILIA Beauty partnered with Apparis for a giveaway contest to grow their social following.

Here’s how you can make the most of a contest during this season:

• Offer products from your Black Friday collection or exclusive items to keep participants interested in your brand.
•  Ask participants to follow, share, or tag friends on social media to expand your reach. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are ideal for viral contests.
• Post about the contest in communities focused on Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals (e.g., Reddit or specialized forums). While some entries may come from deal-hunters, a well-designed contest can build lasting brand awareness.
• Frame the giveaway as a limited-time Black Friday special to create urgency.

14. Entice affiliates with increased earnings potential

Ideally, your brand would have a mature affiliate program heading into Black Friday/Cyber Monday. 

For example, Fashion Nova has a massive affiliate program that offers commission rates of 5-10% of sales proceeds, depending on the product category.

Here are some tips to maximize your affiliate program:

• Increase payouts or introduce volume-based rewards for top-performing affiliates to drive more traffic to your Black Friday campaign.
• Work with affiliates to focus on high-margin, high-demand items, ensuring their promotions increase sales.
• Provide affiliates with promotional materials like banners, links, and content ideas to streamline their efforts and maintain brand consistency.

15. Send exclusive Black Friday deals to your email list

Less is more? No, that simply does not exist with Black Friday. To stand out in the flood of Black Friday emails, make your messages impossible to miss:

• Increase email frequency: Keep your audience engaged by sending regular updates and reminders throughout Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Your goal is to stay top-of-mind even as inboxes fill up.
• Automate follow-ups: Use email automation to retarget unopened emails with new subject lines and sender names or offer highlights to recapture attention.
• Offer special discounts: These should only be available through email, giving subscribers a reason to stay tuned and engaged with each message.

16. Optimize your abandoned cart email sequence

Implementing an optimized abandoned cart email sequence is the most important automation you can deploy during Black Friday/Cyber Monday. 

For example, boohooMAN offers a 10% discount on their next order to incentivize a sale.

Here’s how to maximize your abandoned cart email sequence:

• Create a multi-step sequence: Send multiple follow-ups at strategic intervals, like 1 hour, 12 hours, and 24 hours after the cart is abandoned, keeping your brand fresh in shoppers’ minds.
• Incentivize with exclusive discounts: Offer a unique discount within the sequence to encourage shoppers to complete their purchases.
• Create urgency: Use scarcity tactics like “only a few items left” or “limited-time discount” to prompt action.

17. Optimize your home page, product pages, and category pages for SEO

While you should do this throughout the year, there's no better time to reap the rewards of optimized pages than during the holiday shopping period.

A few things to consider when optimizing your pages include:

• Add structured data: Implement product schema to help search engines identify vital details like prices, discounts, and availability on your pages. This is especially helpful for Product Listing Ads on Google and Bing.
• Deploy internal linking strategically: Ensure other pages across your website support high-priority pages. Internal links from recent blog posts, relevant product pages, or FAQs can direct users and crawlers to your holiday shopping pages.
• Improve your website’s UX: To engage users, prioritize accessibility, intuitive design, and fast loading times. Slow or difficult-to-navigate pages will likely lead to a high bounce rate during this high-traffic period.
• Optimize for mobile devices: On Black Friday 2023, 54% of online orders were completed on mobile devices and 59% on Thanksgiving Day. Ensure your home page, product pages, and checkout process are responsive for mobile users.

18. Optimize your checkout process

Losing sales due to a convoluted checkout process is the worst thing to happen to your store (hyperbole for effect). 

Here are some insightful tips to improve your checkout process:

• Simplify the checkout process by reducing users' steps before completing an order
• Introduce cross-sell, upsell, and post-purchase upsell offers
• Enable guest checkout mode to facilitate fast purchases for users who don't want to create another login
• Offer multiple payment methods, including one-click solutions such as Shop Pay (Shopify), Google Pay, and Apple Pay.
• Offer real-time support via chat widgets to address issues on the fly
• Provide clear and easy-to-read instructions throughout the checkout process
• To remove user friction, offer Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) options such as Klarna and PayPal Pay in 3 for larger ticket items

For example, ASOS offers installment payments through PayPal and displays them on the product page to encourage customers to check out.

19. Use referral marketing and loyalty programs

The holiday season is the perfect time to activate referral and loyalty programs, making it easier to acquire new customers and deepen engagement with existing ones

Here’s how:

• Implement a referral program: Turn new and existing customers into brand ambassadors. Offer incentives like exclusive discounts or rewards, encouraging customers to bring traffic to your site without additional ad spend.
• Improve your loyalty program: Give loyal customers extra reasons to engage. For example, allow members to redeem points for exclusive Black Friday/Cyber Monday discounts to make them feel valued. Every little incentive helps.

20. Extend your Black Friday deals and offers

If your promotions convert and demand stays strong, you can extend them for a few more days or weeks. You'll see many brands employ this tactic with both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so there's no harm in jumping into the fray and allowing your audience to take advantage of a deal they may have otherwise missed.

For example, in 2023, Therapie Clinic extended its Black Friday sale to encourage potential customers to take advantage of the promos.

21. Analyze your Black Friday results and plan for next year

Were you profitable? Did your AOV change? Will Santa Claus give you presents? While the last question may not be applicable in this case, there's an opportunity for you to review your overall performance and build a better plan for next year.

Key areas to evaluate include:

• Impact of discounts: How much uptick in sales did you see from discounting your products? Compare the effectiveness of different discount types (e.g., dollar vs. percentage discounts) to see what resonates most.
• Customer retention: How many new customers converted into repeat buyers? Track LTV to understand if Black Friday customers have LTV trends similar to your regular buyers.
• Media spend efficiency: Was your cost per acquisition (CPA) higher or lower during this period? Ideally, your CPA should drop with high demand. If not, analyze your ad creative, landing pages, checkout flow, and bidding strategies.
• Channel performance: Identify your highest ROI channels, from influencers to affiliates, paid ads, and email. Track which channels drove the most sales to guide budget allocations for next year and strengthen your overall marketing approach.

Every tactic in this guide is grounded in approaches I’ve tested, but data remains the ultimate decision-maker. Before finalizing your Black Friday/Cyber Monday strategies, use data to guide your choices and fine-tune your campaign. Analyze past performance, monitor your competitors, and don’t hesitate to experiment with creative ideas. 

Now, go forth and embrace the madness that comes with Black Friday and Cyber Monday!