Black Friday marketing: Top 10 strategies to drive massive sales

Black Friday marketing is a strategy to drive sales with time-sensitive bargains during the holiday rush. Unlike regular marketing, it condenses a year’s worth of effort into a few intense days, forcing you to focus solely on the highest-impact strategies, such as building early awareness, creating urgency, and offering exclusive deals.

Here’s a look at how to make it work:

1. Start promotions ahead of time. Get your message out before the noise hits its peak to build anticipation.
2. Grant special access to deals. Reward loyal customers with early access to make them feel valued and drive new sign-ups.
3. Package products together. Create bundles to increase the perceived value of your offer and help you sell more with each transaction.
4. Build a sense of urgency. Use limited-time offers and scarcity to encourage customers to make a purchase decision quickly.
5. Create excitement on social media. Use social platforms to generate buzz and a fear of missing out, driving traffic both online and in-store.
6. Unify your promotional message. Ensure your discounts and branding are the same everywhere to create a seamless and trustworthy customer experience.
7. Offer gift vouchers. Promote gift cards as a way to secure sales from undecided shoppers and encourage future business.
8. Team up with other companies. Partner with complementary businesses to expand your marketing reach and introduce your brand to a new audience.
9. Improve the shopping journey. Focus on a smooth and enjoyable experience, from website navigation to in-store atmosphere.
10. Think about what comes next. Plan for campaigns after the main event to help retain new customers and maximize the entire holiday shopping season.

1. Build early awareness

Start your Black Friday promotions early to build anticipation and get your brand on shoppers’ radars before they’re overwhelmed with offers.

First, identify the best channels to reach your audience. For most businesses, a combination of digital and offline advertising is the most effective approach.

• Email marketing. Send teaser emails to your subscriber list, hinting at upcoming deals.
• Social media. Use countdown posts or behind-the-scenes content to build excitement on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
• Local advertising. If you have a physical location, consider running ads in local newspapers or on community radio stations.
• In-store posters. Place flyers and posters in your shop to inform existing customers about what’s coming.

For example, a local bookstore could start building buzz a month in advance by posting a social media graphic that teases its biggest sale of the year. A week later, it could heighten the anticipation by sending an email that offers subscribers an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming deals.

This approach keeps your audience engaged and curious. Understanding what Black Friday is and how it evolved can give you even more ideas for your campaigns.

2. Offer early access to your Black Friday deals

Give a select group of customers early access to your deals to drive email sign-ups and build a loyal community.

Here are a few ways to implement this:

• Newsletter subscribers. This is the most common approach. Send your subscribers a special link before the sale goes public.
• VIP clubs. If you have a loyalty program, make early access a core perk for your most dedicated customers.
• Social media followers. Create a close friends list on Instagram and share the early deals there, encouraging others to follow you for a chance to be included next time.

For instance, a clothing brand could send exclusive Black Friday emails to its subscribers, granting them early access to all Black Friday deals. This approach makes loyal customers feel like VIPs and creates anticipation that encourages new sign-ups.

3. Bundle products or services

Bundling is the practice of selling multiple products or services together at a single price. It can increase your average order value while making customers feel like they’re getting a great deal.

The key is to group complementary items together. Think about what products are frequently bought together or what services naturally lead into one another. The “buy more, save more” approach is a classic Black Friday tactic that uses this same psychology.

Here are some examples across different industries:

• Retail. A skincare brand could bundle a cleanser, serum, and moisturizer into a Complete Morning Routine kit.
• Hospitality. A spa could offer a Relaxation Package that includes a massage, a facial, and a manicure at a discounted price.
• Restaurants. A local café could offer a Winter Warmer deal that includes a coffee, a pastry, and a reusable cup.

Present a bundle to simplify the decision-making process for the customer and guide them toward a higher-value purchase.

4. Create urgency with limited-time offers

Urgency encourages people to act quickly to avoid missing out, and Black Friday is built on this principle. Limited-time offers, scarcity signals, and flash sales all push customers to stop thinking about it and start buying.

But here’s the problem: if overused, it can feel gimmicky. The key is to be genuine.

For online campaigns:

• Add a countdown timer to your website showing when a deal expires.
• Run flash sales that last for only a few hours.
• Show low stock levels to signal scarcity.

For physical stores:

• Offer exclusive deals for the first 50 customers.
• Announce hourly specials over the in-store sound system.
• Create limited-time promotions on specific product categories.

For example, an online store can run a flash sale on headphones, while a physical store can offer an in-store-only deal on smart TVs for the first hour of opening.

5. Use social media to generate hype

Use social media to build anticipation and engage your audience in the days leading up to Black Friday. By creating focused, engaging campaigns, you can generate a fear of missing out and engage directly with your audience in real time.

• Post teasers and countdowns. Build excitement weeks in advance with teaser posts that hint at your upcoming deals. In the final 24 hours, use an Instagram Stories countdown to create last-minute urgency and drive attention.
• Host giveaways and contests. Run a Black Friday-themed giveaway to generate buzz. Ask your followers to tag friends or share your post to enter a contest for a chance to win a prize, such as early sale access or a gift card. This is a simple way to boost engagement and expand your organic reach.
• Go live on the day. Create real-time urgency with live video on platforms like Instagram or TikTok. Showcase big discounts, demo products, or host a live Q&A to encourage viewers to act fast before offers expire.
• Use relevant hashtags. Increase post visibility by using trending hashtags. Combine broad tags, such as #BlackFridayDeals, with niche tags specific to your industry, like #IndieBookstoreSale, to attract new customers searching for bargains.
• Use paid ads. Paid ads can help you reach a targeted audience. Focus your budget on retargeting previous website visitors or people who abandoned their carts, as this is a highly effective way to convert warm leads.

6. Keep promotions consistent across channels

A consistent customer experience across all your marketing channels is always essential, but especially during Black Friday. The deal a customer sees in an email should be the same one they see on your website and on a sign in your physical store.

Think of it from the customer’s perspective. If they click an ad for a 40% off deal but land on a page showing 25% off, they’ll feel misled and will likely abandon their purchase. Consistency is a sign of professionalism and makes the entire shopping experience feel more reliable.

To achieve this, ensure your team is aligned:

• Your marketing team should use the same messaging and visuals in all ads, social media posts, and emails.
• Your web developers need to ensure the website banners and product pages reflect the correct promotions.
• Your in-store staff must be fully aware of all active deals so they can answer customer questions accurately.

7. Promote gift cards and vouchers

Gift cards are an excellent Black Friday offer because they encourage future sales and are a perfect solution for shoppers who can’t decide on a specific item. They are also high-margin products, as a percentage of them are never fully redeemed.

The most effective way to sell gift cards during Black Friday is to offer a bonus, such as buying a $100 gift card and receiving a $20 bonus voucher for free.

This approach is versatile and works for almost any industry.

• A restaurant can sell gift cards for holiday dinners.
• A bookstore can market them as the perfect gift for avid readers.
• A local gym can offer a gift card for a 10-class pass.

The customer who buys the gift card gets a great deal, and you get two potential customers: the gift giver and the recipient, who will visit your business later.

8. Collaborate with other businesses

Partner with local, non-competing businesses to expand your reach and reduce marketing costs. A collaboration introduces your brand to another company’s loyal customer base, adding a layer of trust and credibility.

The best partnerships are between businesses that share a similar target audience. This ensures the offer is relevant and appealing to both sets of customers.

Consider these examples:

• A local café and a nearby bookstore could offer a Book and a Brew bundle where customers buy a book and receive a voucher for a free coffee.
• A gym and a health food store could create a joint Wellness Starter Pack with a one-month gym pass and a basket of healthy snacks.
• A hair salon and a clothing boutique could run a cross-promotion where customers who spend over a certain amount at one store get a discount at the other.

These collaborations not only create unique value for customers but also foster a sense of community and local support.

9. Enhance the customer experience

Sometimes, the best Black Friday strategy has less to do with deep discounts and more to do with offering a memorable shopping experience. In a sea of deals, a positive experience can be the deciding factor that wins you a customer.

For online stores, you need to:

• Ensure your website is fast and mobile-friendly.
• Make your promotional banners clear and easy to navigate.
• Simplify the checkout process to the fewest steps possible.
• Offer exclusive products to make shoppers feel like they’ve found something special.

For brick-and-mortar stores, focus on the atmosphere:

• Play upbeat music and decorate the store for the holidays.
• Offer samples or small treats to shoppers waiting in line.
• Ensure your staff is well-trained, friendly, and available to help.

Brands that focus on the customer journey, not just the transaction, are the ones that build lasting relationships.

10. Plan beyond Black Friday

Black Friday is just the beginning of the shopping season. It’s critical to have a follow-up plan to engage the new customers you’ve acquired.

First, treat Black Friday as the official kickoff for the entire Christmas shopping season. Your campaign should immediately extend into the following days to keep the momentum going.

• Small Business Saturday. If you’re a small business, this is your day to shine. Promote your local roots and the unique value you offer.
• Cyber Monday. This is a massive online shopping day. Prepare a new set of digital-only deals to capture this traffic.

After this initial sales weekend, use the data and the new customers you’ve gained to fuel your marketing throughout the holiday season. Send them personalized gift guides, last-minute offers, and shipping deadline reminders to convert them from one-time deal seekers into repeat holiday shoppers.

Then, plan your retargeting campaigns.

• Email follow-ups. Send a thank you email to new customers with a special offer on their next purchase.
• Social media ads. Target people who visited your site but didn’t buy with ads reminding them what they left behind.

The goal is to stay top-of-mind and build a relationship that lasts long after the holiday discounts have expired.

Best Black Friday marketing campaigns for your inspiration

Ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work? Here are a few standout examples of successful Black Friday marketing campaigns to inspire you:

Hostinger – Up to 80% off discounts

For its 2025 Black Friday campaign, Hostinger offers a discount of up to 80% off all web hosting products.

This campaign taps into several Black Friday marketing strategies to attract new customers and reward loyal users:

• Deals for both new and returning customers. The discounts appeal to both first-time customers and existing users. New clients enjoy a hosting discount with free domain registration, while returning customers get special pricing on upgrades and renewals, making the campaign appealing to all.
• Seasonal landing page design. The landing page embraces the holiday spirit with Black Friday-themed colors and visuals while staying true to Hostinger’s branding. This mix of festive design and brand consistency creates a memorable, on-brand shopping experience.
• Create urgency with a countdown timer. Adding a countdown timer to the landing page builds urgency, encouraging shoppers to act quickly before the deals expire. This strategy helps drive conversions, as customers are less likely to hesitate with a visible timer ticking down.

Etsy – Holiday gift guides

Etsy’s gift guides are a fantastic example of how well-organized, year-round gift suggestions can make holiday shopping easier for customers while encouraging repeat visits to your store.

Here’s how you can create similar gift guides that are both helpful and effective for your Black Friday marketing efforts:

• Create a holiday-ready gift guide landing page. Design a Black Friday landing page that feels festive and welcoming. Add categories to help customers quickly find what they want. Updating the page’s visuals and descriptions to reflect seasonal vibes (like festive banners or holiday colors) will also help create a memorable shopping experience.
• Organize by occasion and recipient. Set up separate guides for specific occasions, such as Christmas or birthday gifts. Within each guide, you can create subcategories for recipients (for example: “for him,” “for her,” and “for kids”) or themes (such as “eco-friendly” or “luxury”).
• Promote your guides across all channels. Once your guides are live, feature them everywhere. Add them to your homepage, include landing page links in your email newsletters, and create social media posts highlighting different gift categories. Treat the guides as products that require marketing.

RSD Black Friday – Create an exclusive event

Record Store Day’s Black Friday event shows how independent businesses can collaborate to offer customers a unique experience. Instead of just deep discounts, hundreds of indie record shops offer exclusive, limited-edition releases that are only available in person.

This turns the day from a simple sale into an exciting, scarcity-driven event for music lovers. Here’s how you can apply the principles of an exclusive event to your own small business:

• Create a limited, in-store-only product. The core of this strategy is offering something special that customers can’t get anywhere else or at any other time. A bakery could create a unique Black Friday Batch pastry. A local artist could offer a small run of signed prints. A clothing brand could feature a collection from a local designer, available for a limited time only.
• Build anticipation. Promote your exclusive item as a limited release to build hype. Announce the special release date on a large poster in your shop window, and hand out postcards with purchases in the weeks leading up to the event. This simple offline approach is an ideal way to target local customers while giving them a reason to return.
• Make the day an experience. When customers show up for your special item, make it feel like an event. Play a fun playlist, offer a cup of cider, and have your team talk excitedly about the special product. If you’re featuring a local artist or designer, have them in the store to meet customers. This turns a simple transaction into a memorable interaction.

Ready for this holiday shopping season?

Black Friday marketing tactics are designed to create maximum impact in a short and extremely noisy sales window. However, many of their core principles apply to broader ecommerce strategies.

Building an email list, creating a sense of urgency, and prioritizing the customer experience are year-round goals. The holiday season just puts them under a microscope.

The key is to apply the lessons learned from this high-traffic period to your regular operations. Which products were your best sellers, and what does that tell you about what your customers truly want? Did your email list grow significantly? If so, how will you segment and nurture those new leads into loyal customers?

As you prepare for the sales event, it’s the perfect time to review your entire setup and prepare your online store for Black Friday and the growth that follows.

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