Five content marketing steals from Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Forget cut-price foreign holidays and emoji merchandise, borrowing some of these content marketing techniques could be the best deal you get out of the longest weekend in the retailing calendar

With billions of dollars spent and postal systems across the world struggling under the weight of everything from mobile phones to hair removal wands, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over for another year.

The fact that Black Friday isn’t necessarily the cheapest day to find deals over the holiday season did little to deter consumers, who are projected to have shopped more enthusiastically than ever before in an unparalleled festive frenzy.

Every year the bargains get worse, while consumers get more excited. Just how do businesses manage to generate such a commotion year in, year out? The answer lies in their judicious content output before and during this annual extravaganza.

Content mobility

Of the vast quantity of money that has changed hands over the past week, a greater proportion than ever before did so via mobile devices. Retailers have led the way in ensuring their content can be accessed across a wide range of available formats. Content marketers who aren’t already doing the same should take note.

Innovative advertising

Retailers’ growing focus on the potential of social media in their marketing strategies will be of particular interest to content marketers, who love a bit of content innovation.

Notable examples in recent years include Zappos and Virgin. In addition to the traditional television and banner ads, they have enhanced their Black Friday and Cyber Monday content by creating custom Snapchat filters. Eager people spreading some Snapchatted joy to friends and colleagues can take content engagement to a new dimension.

Lustrous landing pages

Some huge retailers have worked out that making the most of landing pages can be the difference between working consumers into a lather and missing the Black Friday boat completely.

John Lewis, Debenhams, Argos and Amazon are just some of the companies who have tailored their landing pages to harness oncoming surges in sales, sometimes months in advance of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Content marketers have much to gain from anticipating consumer trends like this.

Engage relentlessly

The Cyber Monday and Black Friday furore proves that engagement is a two-way street. For retailers, having consumers visiting your website and buying a product is just the first step.

Savvy vendors know this is the perfect opportunity to bombard buyers with follow up content – email offers, reminders of outstanding products in baskets, similar offers that might be of interest and so on. Content marketers must be similarly perseverant to maximise content visibility.

Social advocacy

Consumers aren’t interested in what brands have to say about themselves – they want to hear from other consumers and influencers.

Increasingly, as the festive season gets under way, retailers are pumping money into social media strategies as well as influencers on Instagram and YouTube to give them the best chance of making the most of this trend. It’s one content marketers can’t afford to miss out on, given the opportunities on offer for short-term brand awareness and long-term engagement.

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