Black Friday is a fantastic opportunity for ecommerce advertisers to skyrocket product sales and attract hordes of new customers. In 2022, US shoppers spent a mind-boggling $9.2B on online shopping during the Black Friday weekend, searching frantically for hot sales and big discounts.

 

However, while Black Friday can be hugely profitable, it’s also extremely chaotic.

As a Facebook marketer, you’ll be dealing with insane levels of competition, as rival brands pour eye-watering budgets into their campaigns and scramble to reach the same audiences.

If you think you can approach Black Friday like any other Facebook ad campaign, you’ll need to think again.

But don’t be disheartened.

To help you prepare for Black Friday and capitalize on sales fever, I’ve pulled together a set of expert strategies that will enable you to reach quality audiences, drive cost efficiency, and generate high-value conversions:

 

Best practices for Black Friday Facebook ads for e-commerce businesses

Follow these best practices, and you’ll be able to transform Black Friday madness into highly lucrative sales.

Establish the foundation well before the commencement of Black Friday. A substantial portion of your crucial tasks as a Facebook advertiser occurs in the lead-up to the sales event itself.

For instance, initiating efforts to drive website traffic only when Black Friday unfolds puts you at a distinct disadvantage compared to competitors. Instead, your focus should be on cultivating responsive, high-quality retargeting audiences in the days leading to Black Friday weekend.

This preparatory phase begins with the implementation of the Facebook Pixel.

With the Facebook Pixel integrated, you can commence the creation of retargeting audiences based on individuals who have interacted with your ads, explored your website, or made purchases. These categorized segments, known as Custom Audiences, boast a familiarity with your brand and products, rendering them markedly more likely to convert.

(For those in possession of a substantial email list, leveraging customer email addresses provides an additional avenue to establish a new Custom Audience on Facebook.)

 

Custom Audiences remain active for a duration of up to 180 days.

 

By proactively directing traffic to your website ahead of time, you position yourself to make a swift impact on Black Friday. Rather than commencing with a blank slate, you can promptly target promising audiences who have previously interacted with your business, enabling you to optimize conversions swiftly.

Additionally, the utilization of Lookalike Audiences can broaden your Custom Audience targeting, expanding the reach of your campaign while maintaining a focus on pertinent consumers.

Given the intense competition during Black Friday, advertisers who can promptly target cost-effective audiences gain a significant advantage.

 

2. Be smart with audience segmentation

As emphasized earlier, the proactive cultivation of re-engagement and retargeting audiences before Black Friday is pivotal. However, the effectiveness of this approach hinges on the adept segmentation of these audiences.

Efficient segmentation involves prioritizing users who have completed multiple purchases on your website within the last 60 days. These existing customers signify a substantial revenue opportunity on Black Friday, given their clear interest in your products.

Conversely, users who have previously engaged with one of your videos may exhibit curiosity about your products but might not be ready for an immediate purchase commitment. Recognizing these distinctions is crucial, as it influences how you tailor your approach to each audience on Black Friday. High-value customers may respond well to a straightforward discount message, while ad engagers might require more persuasion to finalize a purchase.

Strategic Budget Allocation for Maximum Impact

In the realm of Black Friday marketing, inefficiency is a luxury no advertiser can afford. Identifying your ‘bullseye’ audiences, consisting of hot prospects and existing customers, is imperative. Allocating sufficient budget to target these audiences ensures that your marketing efforts drive the maximum possible conversions. As the competitive landscape intensifies during Black Friday, a judicious balance in budget allocation across retargeting audiences becomes a key determinant of success.

 

3. Launch eye-catching creative assets

High-quality creative assets serve as a formidable tool amid the chaos of Black Friday, where grabbing the audience’s attention is a crucial challenge.

 Clarity is Key:

Ensure that your ad visuals vividly portray both your products and Black Friday promotions. In the midst of a sea of enticing discounts, users should be able to comprehend your offering at a glance. The visual clarity enhances the chances of your ad standing out amidst the competition.

Learn from Competitors:

Explore past Black Friday campaigns of competitors in the Facebook Ad Library to glean valuable insights. Analyze how they position their products and structure price promotions. This knowledge can guide you in differentiating your brand effectively this year.

Dynamic Creativity Matters:

Whether it’s a static image or a video, prioritize the design of creative assets that can immediately seize attention. Incorporate motion and vibrant colors for enhanced effectiveness. Thinking outside the conventional marketing box allows you to distinguish yourself from other advertisers vying for attention during Black Friday.

 

Function Over Artistry:

crucial to recognize that the most successful Black Friday advertisers prioritize functionality over creating artistic masterpieces. Utilize high-quality product images and bold visuals as tools to clearly communicate promotions and, ultimately, drive sales. In the fast-paced Black Friday environment, direct and impactful visuals are often more effective than intricate artwork.

 

4. Experiment with different ad formats to achieve superior performance

Black Friday poses a distinct challenge for Facebook advertisers. Strategies effective in regular campaigns may not produce the same results. To improve your chances of success amidst this unpredictability, try different ad formats.

Diversifying not only keeps your messaging fresh but also maximizes opportunities to engage your audience and highlight product promotions. Rapid testing and optimization in response to new ideas significantly increase your potential for driving sales.

For example, tap into the popularity of video assets on Black Friday, as Facebook data shows that 30% of mobile shoppers find video the optimal format for discovering new products

 

Advantage+ Carousel ads can also deliver outstanding results on Black Friday as they allow you to show off a range of tailored product recommendations to your audience.

Getting out of your comfort zone is very important during the Black Friday weekend, since many of the usual Facebook advertising rules change. If you typically only run one or two types of Facebook ads, push the boat out, and try something new–you might be surprised at the results.

5. Use action-driving, sales-led copywriting techniques

 

Crafting effective Facebook ads for Black Friday requires a focus on driving clicks and conversions amid intense competition. Emphasize clear discounts and product benefits in your ad copy, avoiding irrelevant details. While functional copy may lack wit, its success is measured by sales generated.

Utilize primary text for major selling points, incorporating additional copy for extra benefits like free shipping. Employ persuasive sales-led techniques such as scarcity, urgency, and bold percentages to enhance impact. The more value your ad copy communicates, the higher the likelihood of customer conversion.

 

6. Don’t hesitate to scale up successful strategies

 

The Black Friday sale moves fast, and if you want to drive optimal results through Facebook ads, you need to be decisive.

By scaling up successful tactics and audiences, you can make the most of the sales period to maximize conversions. However, you won’t have the luxury of time–if you’re going to scale up budgets, you’ll need to scale them quickly and efficiently.

So how can you prepare for speedy and effective budget scaling during Black Friday?

To give yourself the biggest number of opportunities to scale, it’s a good idea to start your campaign with a diverse mix of broad audiences. While you’ll always want to allocate a healthy budget for your red-hot retargeting segments, you’ll also need to balance this out with larger audiences that will ensure sufficient scale.

Once you’ve identified creatives or audiences that are generating high volumes of conversions, you can begin to scale. This could be vertical scaling (i.e. increasing ad set budgets) or horizontal scaling (i.e. replicating/tweaking successful tactics).

It’s worth remembering that the Facebook ads landscape is highly contested during Black Friday, so you’re likely to pay more for impressions and conversions than usual. However, if you can scale up your campaigns effectively, your sales figures will compensate for it!

 

7. Optimize your ad delivery to stay competitive

 

Launching Facebook ads on Black Friday can be chaotic, but to maximize returns, it’s vital to maintain focus on ad delivery.

Given the intense marketing competition during Black Friday, you might encounter common issues like restricted delivery and rising campaign costs. However, by staying attentive, you can make crucial adjustments to overcome these challenges and ensure steady ad delivery.

Begin by accelerating Facebook ad delivery at the ad set level. This allows the Facebook algorithm to allocate your budget swiftly, considering your bid cap. Essentially, this means your ads will be delivered as frequently as possible, ideal for the time-sensitive nature of Black Friday.

 

8. Avoid making last-minute changes to your Facebook Ads campaign

Although Black Friday can be a chaotic time for Facebook advertisers, you need to avoid making last-minute tweaks and adjustments to your campaigns.

Why?

Because whenever you launch new Facebook ads, the algorithm automatically enters a Learning Phase.

During this period, the platform will display your ads to various audience segments, gather performance insights, and make optimizations for better results. It’s normal for results to fluctuate initially, and while the temptation to intervene may arise, it’s crucial to trust the algorithm and practice patience.

The Learning Phase typically requires around 50 conversion events to stabilize performance. Interfering with your campaign before this point resets the learning process, setting you back to the beginning. Given the time sensitivity of the Black Friday weekend, any delays in optimization can be costly.

To avoid last-minute adjustments, triple-check everything from target audiences to creative headlines. While it’s acceptable to pause ineffective audiences and boost high-performing tactics with robust data, refrain from making minor tweaks during the Learning Phase.

 

Craft impactful Facebook ads for your e-commerce Black Friday promotions.

 

While the event may appear daunting for advertisers, there’s ample opportunity to reap significant profits from this e-commerce goldmine.

Despite the intense competition, employing effective Facebook ad strategies enables you to stand out and capture high-value audiences. Utilize high-impact ad creatives, data-driven optimizations, strategic budget scaling, and precise targeting to navigate the Black Friday chaos and achieve outstanding results for your business.