Black Friday and Cyber Monday SEM Strategies

Ready or not, the holidays are here — and so is holiday shopping. This time of year, more and more people are searching for the perfect gift and the perfect deal.

If you’re an e-commerce business, now is the time to focus your marketing efforts on capturing the attention of potential customers. Since the 2020 holiday season, e-commerce sales have increased by 32.5%, according to eMarketer. People are making more purchases as we approach the end of the year, so the pool of opportunity is larger than ever.

Here are a few tips on how to optimize your SEM (Search Engine Marketing)  approach for Black Friday and Cyber Monday:

Focus on key terms

Cyber Monday 2020 was the biggest online shopping day in history, and Black Friday follows closely behind, so tailor your SEM campaigns accordingly. Show up for search terms related to Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2021 by adding keywords for your product that include “Black Friday” or “Cyber Monday,” such as “black friday {product} sale.” These types of terms can be valuable, saving you money over generic terms like “black friday sale.”  Since so many brands will be bidding on terms like that, their cost-per-click prices will be astronomical. Adding your product name or product type will weed out the nonspecific searches and bring in the buyers who are more likely to convert.

If your brand has enough brand awareness, customers may be searching for specific deals, such as “nike black friday sale.” If so, try this tactic: bid on [brand black friday] or [brand black friday sale] and drive the user to a unique Black Friday landing page on your website. Then, make sure the page houses your brand’s most popular offers, allowing the user to browse the options and find one that catches their eye.

Increase SEM funds short-term

If you aren’t using one of Google’s automated bidding strategies, you’ll want to increase your bids to account for the increase in competition that happens around this time of year. For example, if you are normally willing to pay $2.50 for a click, consider increasing it to $5. You could also switch to using an automated bid strategy, but you’d want to make that change at least two weeks before the sale. That buffer period gives Google’s algorithm time to learn and adjust, and by the time those two weeks are up, the ads will be performing optimally.

Along with increasing your cost-per-click, think about increasing your daily budget. This time of year brings a lot of extra searches and you don’t want to miss out on potential sales. It’s all about taking advantage of the extra traffic before it levels out again in the new year.

Ensure relevant ad copy

Review your ad copy to make sure it aligns with current e-commerce trends. With Black Friday approaching, be sure to include some rendition of ‘Black Friday Sale’ in your headlines, followed by a clear statement of your discount offer. These two elements capture the users’ attention and can increase the number of people clicking through to your website. After all, a sale is exactly what the user is looking for! Avoid any false promises and only utilize Black Friday marketing tactics on products actively on sale.

Keep an eye on inventory

If inventory is low for a certain product, pause the keywords associated with that product. While you do want to move inventory, you also want to avoid customer disappointment and a negative association with your brand. When a customer clicks on your ad with the intention of buying the product displayed, only to find out it’s not available, their brand experience is tarnished. Avoid that by keeping an eye on your inventory and adjusting your SEM campaigns accordingly.

Now is the time to consider making these changes, as most consumers are already in full holiday shopping mode. If you have further questions or would like to discuss how Anthologic can help your brand capitalize on popular shopping holidays, reach out.

‍Frequently asked questions

Is Black Friday a marketing strategy?

Black Friday itself is a major shopping holiday, but any business can use it as a marketing strategy by implementing a marketing campaign around the holiday.

What are the best Black Friday marketing strategies?

Most brands offer discounts on Black Friday — and that’s what consumers have come to expect. Advertise your discount in a simple, straightforward way, and you, too, can reap the benefits.