Black Friday is equally as demanding for Digital Marketing professionals as it is for the consumers. While shoppers navigate crowded shops in search of the best bargains or browse their favourite brand's websites for substantial savings, marketers are diligently managing an array of tasks during the year's most significant shopping event.
This array of tasks will likely include email marketing and managing pay-per-click, while the organic team sit back and watch their hard work three months prior bear fruit.
There are several key factors as to why it's harder to stand out with PPC during Black Friday and why competition seems rife.
With increased consumer demand, which draws new advertisers into the PPC space vying for the same audience as long-term players in the space, brands often significantly increase budgets in an attempt maximise visibility and capitalise on the demand - driving up the CPC and making it more expensive to drive traffic.
Alongside this, there's an increase in the number of promotion-heavy campaigns with seasonal entrants joining the fray - offering similar deals to the competition.
Consumers also face a shorter decision making timeframe, with less time to research their purchase and who they are purchasing from, which can cause added competition to try and be some of the most visible brands during Black Friday.
We've picked out five ways a specialist can stand out during Black Friday despite the increase in competition.
Instead of broad targeting, specialists can use detailed audience segmentation like in-market segments, custom intent audiences and remarketing lists.
By tailoring ads to niche groups such as repeat purchasers or those who have recently searched for Black Friday offers, you can deliver hyper-relevant ads to those who are more likely to convert.
Optimise your budget and bids in real time with Performance Max, allowing you to utilise machine learning to implement strategies like Target Cost Per Acquisition or Target Return on Ad Spend.
PMax offers automation that ensures your ads are shown at the most optimal times and costs, maximising your visibility during Black Friday while ensuring costs remain efficient.
Ad copy can make a huge difference to how well your ads perform. Adding urgency through phrases like "limited stock", or exclusive offers like "VIP early access" can make ad text all the more compelling.
Utilise members of your content team to help with ad copy - after all, they live and breathe the brand and write with the brand's tone of voice every day. A/B testing can also help to pinpoint which type of messaging is resonating the most.
Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) and Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) can help you to cover a broader range of keywords without needing manual adjustments.
Dynamic Search Ads match your ads to relevant search queries, while Responsive Search Ads allow you to input a number of headlines and description combinations to chose the most optimised combinations from.
Maximise the real estate of your ads by using things like sitelinks, callouts and structures snippets.
This ads additional layers of information to your ads, helping to improve CTR and making your ads more attractive to the consumer.
Our PPC Specialist Rachel Hazle believes that concentrating spend on your 'hero products' is the best way to dominate your spend, rather than spreading yourself too thin.
"Black Friday has evolved to become the Digital Marketing Olympics, and you're going to need every trick in the book to stand out. In the lead up to November, testing will be your best friend.
"Treat October as an opportunity to experiment with creative and messaging, and then amplify what performs best when peak arrives.
"Don't be afraid to pick a quality over quantity approach, particularly if your budgets are smaller than competitors. You're likely to find success concentrating spend on your very best offers and 'hero products', which will help you to dominate those spaces rather than spreading yourself too thin.
"Finally, remember it's a marathon and not a sprint. Black Friday is no longer just a day, or even a weekend, with many brands launching sales in mid-November and continuing into December.
"Review your competitor landscape to weigh up the pros and cons of pushing activity early to beat them to it, or end on a high when Cyber Monday rolls around. Plan your budget pacing carefully to ensure you don't run out of steam at the wrong time!"
Looking for more information on Black Friday? Review our blog to find more content on the shopping period. Alternatively, you can sign up for our upcoming webinar on the benefits of integration in your Black Friday strategy, 'Mastering Organic and Paid Integration Ahead of Black Friday'.
Fancy a chat about paid media or Black Friday? Get in touch today.