BFCM is the most profitable, and busiest, time of the year for e-commerce businesses, with transactions on mobiles alone increasing by a massive 40% when compared to the rest of the year.
Although lockdown restrictions have been lifted, a recent YouGov poll found that more than half (61%) of respondents are still shopping online more than they did before the coronavirus pandemic. Consequently, having a solid PPC strategy for BFCM is just as important in 2021 as it was in 2020 in order for your business to fully reap the benefits of the biggest shopping weekend of the year.
Black Friday falls on 26th November this year, so is only a month away. With that in mind, here are our top tips on how to create an unbeatable PPC strategy for BFCM 2021.
1. Increase your budget
It might seem obvious, but increasing your PPC budget is essential to ensure your BFCM ad campaigns are effective. The additional money you spend here will prevent your budget from running out early in the day, meaning ads can continue to be served throughout the whole period and appear to potential customers as often as possible.
If you’re working towards a target ROAS, it could be a good idea to uncap your budgets to allow for the increased volume of sales and revenue. Don’t allow daily budgets to limit your best performing campaigns!
2. Keyword research
Optimise your PPC campaigns for BFCM by delving deep into your keyword research. Figuring out which keywords are likely to have a higher search volume is essential for bringing more traffic to your site from the most relevant audience.
Use non-brand terms to build up awareness, but don’t overspend on them. According to Google research, users tend to search with generic terms in early November, then narrow down their query with branded terms just before Black Friday. You shouldn’t bid on generic terms like ‘Black Friday’ or ‘Cyber Monday’, as these terms can be very competitive and too broad. Instead, add these as negatives to your campaigns.
Make sure to use branded promo terms, e.g. branded + Black Friday, branded + sale, branded + deals, because people will be searching for those Black Friday bargains. Use Google Ads’ search query report to build a keyword portfolio of terms searched in the weeks leading up to BFCM.
3. Build awareness before the big day
Preparation is key! Make sure your audience knows what you’re offering before BFCM actually rolls around, while potential customers are still in the research phase. You’ll struggle to cut through the noise on the day, so it’s important to start building audience lists by driving website traffic via the Google Display Network.
4. Create specific BFCM campaigns
Don’t just raise your bids and budget on your existing PPC campaigns – spend some time planning which products in particular you want to push, and create dedicated campaigns to reflect this. Apply an increased standalone budget for those specific items that you think will be most profitable to make sure they get maximum visibility during this key period.
5. Use ad extensions
Ad extensions are an excellent way to highlight your Black Friday offers and deals. Create specific site link extensions for key products you want to push, or use extensions to advertise specific promotions.
6. Create FOMO
Create a sense of urgency with your PPC ad copy, making it clear that your BFCM offers are only valid for a limited time. Some businesses will extend offers into December, so make sure users know when your offers end and prompt them to purchase. This plays on people’s natural fear of missing out!
7. Supercharge your audience strategy
Users will be browsing multiple retailers throughout BFCM week, so don’t let your business get lost in the crowd. Use audience data to target cart abandoners with dynamic product remarketing on both Google and Facebook. Personalised product ads, in combination with sale-specific ad copy, will ensure users come back to your website over your competitors.
You should also make the most of remarketing lists for recent website visitors. Early-mid November is when potential customers are researching where to make their BFCM purchases. Make sure you can be found when past visitors are ready to buy by applying high RLSA bid adjustments for these audiences.
8. Optimise your landing pages
Your landing pages need to be consistent with your PPC in order to provide the best user experience on-site. Landing page optimisation is crucial when you’re running special BFCM offers and deals, making it obvious to customers that they are in the right place and that you’re actually offering what you advertise.
Minimise the customer’s journey to product pages (this should involve as few clicks as possible) and optimise your site’s checkout process. This will lead to an increase in sales.
Most importantly, remember that online visitors are impatient and competition will be high, so make sure the increase in traffic won’t slow down or crash your site. Any interruption can result in unhappy customers and a loss of revenue.
9. Be adventurous and take risks!
BFCM provides the perfect opportunity to try out advertising tactics that you haven’t used before – don’t be afraid to take risks and make your business stand out from competitors!
Finally, it’s crucial to start planning and building your BFCM PPC campaigns as soon as possible in order to keep up with your competitors and deliver a campaign that is successful. Get in touch to find out more about what dmt’s expert PPC team can do for your brand. Plus, check out what other digital marketing services we offer, including paid social, email marketing, and more.
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