7 thingsB2B MarketersCan learn from

BLACK FRIDAY

Black Friday is upon us, which means deep discounts and millions of shoppers on tough missions.

While most B2B marketers will stay clear of the hustle and bustle of Black Friday, here are 7 lessons you can learn from the B2C-centric holiday.

1. Build the Hype Early On

In 2015, retailers started spending heavily on keywords that contained “Black Friday” during the week of Sept. 27, a full two months before Black Friday, Nov. 27.

They were getting in the minds of consumers early on and sticking there!

For B2B…Give your audience time to get excited for your next big promotion and avoid sending emails or social promotions at the last minute.

Just make sure to keep up a good cadence of communications leading up to your ultimate event.

2. Work With Your Partners

At Best Buy, consumers may see offers like:

Buy a Sony TV and receive a 50% off coupon for Grey’s Anatomy Season 12 on DVD!”

By partnering together, both Sony and ABC Studios benefit.

“

For B2B…Think about what partners you could tap in to for an even more useful offering.

If you’re a content platform, maybe you could join forces with a marketing agency and offer a package with your technology and some content production or writing from the agency, for example.

3. Increase Value with

Add-Ons, Not Discounts

Deep discounts are oh-so-popular inB2C-centric Black Friday sales.

But a quality brand, like GoPro, tends to avoid deep discounts on their core product and adds value through add-ons or bundling, instead.

As a B2B brand, chances are that you won’t want to deeply discount your product either.

Consider repositioning the discount to keep your base package the same and offer add-on features for no additional cost.

All the financial benefits without discounting your brand!

For B2B…

4. Play into Urgency…

But Leave the Door Open

Black Friday is a time sensitive holiday of deals.

But, like Boxing Day, it has extended way beyond just one day.

Retailers want to give consumers more opportunities to get to their store and spend!

Creating a sense of urgency has long been a tactic for marketers, but many B2B marketers shy away from it.

Having a timely promotion creates reason to take action, so it’s worth experimenting with.

Just make sure to leave the door open (and build hype!) so B2B decision makers have enough time!

For B2B…

5. Tailor Promotions to

Timely Needs

95% of black Friday shoppers aren’t shopping willy nilly, they’re on the hunt specifically for holiday gifts.

Consider timing your own promotions against similar requirements for your B2B audience like conference season or budgetary cycles.

For B2B…

6. Stand Out witha Short Video

When consumers were being bombarded with the most messages about Black Friday deals, West Jet stepped in and stood out with a 16 second video to highlight their best deals.

The combination of audio and visual in video naturally grabs attention better than text alone, but keeping it short is key!

For B2B…Try adding a short teaser video into your next content campaign or product promo.

7. Pack CommunicationsOutside of the Holidays

Consumers are focused on their own holiday and personal shopping.

It’s a smart idea to steer clear of these holidays so your communications don’t fall on deaf ears.

Get creative on how to make up for lost time and pack your marketing activities elsewhere in November and December!

For more helpful tips on making the most of your B2B marketing, check out the Vidyard blog!