How to do Black Friday strategy better.
Black Friday is no longer about one weekend of discounts. What used to be a two-day flurry of discounts has become a full-scale season, with brands battling for attention and customers expecting deals well before November even begins.
If you haven’t started planning your marketing for Black Friday 2025, you are already behind.
Don’t worry.
This Black Friday marketing guide brings together expert insights from our experienced specialists in Paid Media, Paid Social, email marketing, and beyond, demystifying the process so you don’t have to. It’s a simplified collection of practical, actionable Black Friday marketing ideas.
From Black Friday email marketing to content marketing, paid campaigns, and web dev tips, you’ll learn some Black Friday marketing strategies that help you stand out, build trust, and deliver the best for your business.
Speak to us now for tailored advice
TLDR; top tips for Black Friday marketing strategy.
- Start early: Launch teasers in October, keep a year-round Black Friday page, and plan phases through Cyber Monday.
- Personalise: Segment audiences, reward loyalty, and trigger abandoned cart/browse emails.
- Be mobile-first: Fast, simple checkout with flexible payments and clear returns.
- Set strong offers: Use bundles, tiered discounts, and genuine flash deals.
- Utilise SEO content & social: Push PR, gift guides, UGC, and Organic Social to warm audiences for Paid.
- Ensure real-time optimisation: Monitor daily, adjust budgets fast, and retarget cart abandoners.
- Do email marketing: Teasers, launches, last-chance sends – all mobile-optimised and segmented.
- Beyond Friday: Run Cyber Monday separately, then retarget into Christmas.
Black Friday marketing tips: in-depth insights from our experts.
Paid Media: making every click count.
“Don’t launch new campaigns on the day. Build ad groups into existing campaigns to carry performance history into Black Friday.”
— Thom Wilson, Paid Media Manager
Our PPC specialists stress the importance of getting ahead. Black Friday is one of the most competitive times for Paid Search and Shopping. Search interest spikes, CPCs climb, and visibility becomes expensive across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and Amazon.
To succeed, brands need clear offers, smart pacing, and landing pages that can convert. Profitability, not just volume, should guide every decision for Black Friday ads.
Key tips for PPC Black Friday marketing campaigns:
- Make offers worthwhile: secure supplier discounts, bundle products, and use psychological pricing.
- Budget smartly: model spend with tools like Performance Planner, adjust ROAS targets, and use seasonality adjustments.
- Use historical data carefully: benchmark CPCs and conversion rates, but adapt for new competitors.
- Optimise product feeds: use custom labels, segment by margin/stock, and focus budget on top performers.
- Maximise promo tools: pin proven ad copy, add promotion assets, activate Merchant Center sales prices, and configure shipping/returns.
- Build urgency: use countdown customisers, time-sensitive sitelinks, and highlight limited stock.
- Focus on owned audiences: segment remarketing lists, upload customer match data, and use lifecycle optimisation in Demand Gen.
- Ensure mobile-first landing pages: fast, consistent with ad copy, and with clear CTAs above the fold.
- Avoid common pitfalls: don’t overspend, ignore competitors, or “set and forget” campaigns. Instead, monitor and adapt in real time.
Paid Social: testing early and maximising spend.
“Even if you’re not running Black Friday ads, don’t switch campaigns off completely. Keep activity live to maintain performance and learnings.”
— Aisling Horrigan, Paid Social Manager
Black Friday pushes CPMs and CPAs higher across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, X, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Spotify, and Reddit. With costs rising, planning and audience preparation are critical. Strong offers, tailored messaging, and varied creative formats help brands cut through crowded feeds.
Key tips for Paid Social Black Friday marketing:
- Plan early: Test creatives and grow retargeting lists months in advance to reduce reliance on expensive cold audiences.
- Define offers clearly: Share details of discounted products early so catalogues and dynamic ads can be set up. Keep offers simple and compelling.
- Budget smartly: Expect higher costs. Reduce spend (but keep campaigns live) if Black Friday isn’t a priority; if it is, allocate more to peak days.
- Use varied assets: Mix video, static and carousel ads. Highlight USPs alongside Black Friday offers, using urgency drivers like limited stock or free delivery.
- Tailor messaging: Show loyal customers the offer directly; introduce new audiences to your brand before pushing the sale.
- Utilise platform features:
- Meta: Catalogue & Shopping ads, varied creative formats
- TikTok: UGC, TikTok Shop, LIVEs
- Pinterest: Inspiring Pins, countdowns
- X: Polls, trending topics
- Spotify: Audio storytelling, CTAs
- Reddit: Native gift guides
- Snapchat: AR lenses, UGC
- LinkedIn: B2B/corporate gifting
- Build anticipation: Use sneak peeks, countdowns, and early access to engage loyal audiences.
- Stay agile: Retarget cart abandoners, optimise ads daily, and ensure landing pages are mobile-friendly.
- Prep in advance: Schedule ads early to guarantee approval and avoid last-minute disruption.
Email Marketing: driving engagement and conversions.
“Email remains one of the highest-ROI channels for Black Friday. In fact, Klaviyo reports that 1 in 4 ecommerce dollars is made in November and December.”
— Serena Doherty, Social Media Strategist
Email marketing is a cornerstone of any Black Friday marketing strategy. It’s direct, measurable, and personal, making it one of the best ways to stand out during peak competition.
From teasers to countdowns, your emails should create urgency, highlight your offer clearly, and guide customers towards a seamless checkout. Done right, email supports both Paid and Organic campaigns by nurturing audiences and boosting conversion rates.
Key tips for Black Friday email marketing:
- Plan sequences early: Map out teaser, launch, and last-chance emails. Schedule in advance to avoid approval or delivery delays.
- Segment your audience: Treat loyal customers, lapsed customers, and new sign-ups differently with tailored offers.
- Use triggers effectively: Automate abandoned cart and browse-abandon emails with compelling CTAs to recover lost sales.
- Keep messaging clear: Highlight key offers in subject lines and headers. Avoid clutter and make the discount easy to find.
- Build anticipation: Offer early access to VIPs or loyalty members to drive engagement ahead of peak days.
- Optimise for mobile: Ensure fast load times, concise copy, and tappable CTAs. Most Black Friday emails are read on smartphones.
- Integrate with other channels: Align messaging with Paid campaigns, Organic Social posts, and your Black Friday landing page for a consistent customer journey.
Learn more about email marketing.
Website Design & Development: giving your site the best chance to convert.
“If your site can’t handle traffic or your checkout isn’t seamless, even the best Black Friday campaigns will underperform.”
— Lisa Seymore, Head of Design
A successful Black Friday campaign relies on more than strong ads and offers. Your website needs to be fast, mobile-friendly, and designed to guide users smoothly from landing page to purchase. Optimisation here ensures every click from Paid or Organic delivers the results you want.
Key tips for Black Friday website readiness:
- Speed & performance: Test load times under heavy traffic to avoid drop-offs.
- Mobile optimisation: Ensure responsive design, smooth checkout, and clear CTAs on smaller screens.
- Navigation & search: Highlight popular categories, update filters, and streamline site search.
- Checkout experience: Reduce steps, allow guest checkout, and show all payment options.
- Accessibility: Use readable text, strong colour contrast, and alt text for inclusivity.
- Design & content: Use bold hero banners, countdown timers, badges, and strike-through pricing to highlight deals.
- Consistency: Align fonts, colours, and messaging across ads, emails, and site.
- Conversion optimisation: Add personalisation, trust signals, bundles, and upsells.
- Data & tracking: Confirm GA4 setup, event tracking, UTMs, heatmaps, and dashboards.
- Data & Post-purchase: Optimise thank-you pages, email confirmations, and plan assets to extend into Cyber Monday.
Learn more about web development.
Organic Social: building trust and loyalty.
“By building credibility and engagement throughout the year in Organic Social, we make sure Paid Social campaigns land with an audience that already knows and trusts the brand.”
— Lilla Allahiary, Senior Organic Social Media Manager
While Organic Social won’t drive the bulk of Black Friday sales, it plays a vital role in supporting Paid Media and Paid Social Black Friday campaigns.
By warming up audiences year-round and building credibility, Organic Social ensures that when ad spend ramps up in November, customers already recognise and trust your brand. This makes paid campaigns more efficient and cost-effective.
Key tips for Organic Social Black Friday marketing:
- Build and engage audiences consistently throughout the year to reduce reliance on cold targeting.
- Spotlight sale categories or featured brands at least six weeks in advance to prime audiences for Paid activity.
- Share clear sale details early so Organic and Paid messaging stay consistent.
- Provide creative assets for posts at least two weeks before launch.
- Plan collaborative posts with partner brands well ahead of time for extra reach and credibility.
Find out more about Organic Social.
SEO: building the foundations for paid performance
“Ranking early is crucial. Searches for “Black Friday” terms surge from mid-October, so content and landing pages need to be live and indexed well in advance.”
— Ryan Hooker, Senior SEO Manager
While Black Friday marketing is often driven by Paid Media and Paid Social, SEO can lay important groundwork that makes those ads work harder. A strong site structure, fast-loading pages, and targeted content ensure paid traffic converts more efficiently.
Without these foundations, even the best Black Friday marketing campaigns can underperform.
Key tips for SEO Black Friday marketing:
- Create a permanent Black Friday hub page and update it each year to build authority.
- Target niche and long-tail keywords (e.g. “Black Friday sofa sale UK”) where competition is lower.
- Optimise landing pages with clear CTAs, sale messaging, and featured products to align with ad copy.
- Ensure site speed and mobile experience are strong to reduce bounce rates from paid campaigns.
- Use internal links and email campaigns to funnel traffic to optimised Black Friday pages, supporting both organic visibility and paid ROI.
You could benefit from expert insights this Black Friday.
At Bamboo Nine, we specialise in cross-channel digital marketing excellence. As a Google Premier Partner, we have a decade of experience building Black Friday marketing plans that deliver real results.
From email and content marketing to digital PR and paid media, our in-house teams can create integrated campaigns designed around your business goals.
Find out more about our Organic and Paid Media services, as well as our full digital marketing strategy work, or get in touch to speak to an expert.
FAQs about Black Friday marketing strategies
What is the best Black Friday marketing strategy in 2025?
A data-driven Black Friday marketing strategy combines early campaign launches, personalised email marketing, mobile optimisation, and clear post-sale retention plans.
What are the most effective Black Friday marketing ideas?
Create teaser campaigns, exclusive email offers, content-led gift guides, PR coverage, bundles, and flash deals tailored to different customer groups.
What makes the best Black Friday marketing campaigns successful?
They start early, build anticipation, keep messaging consistent across channels, optimise for mobile, and use real-time data to adapt offers.
How do you plan Black Friday email marketing?
Email marketing for Black Friday should include countdowns, abandoned cart triggers, segmented offers for loyal customers, and exclusive early access deals.
What is Black Friday content marketing?
It’s the use of blogs, gift guides, deal pages, PR placements, and social content to support your Black Friday marketing campaigns, driving visibility and conversions.
What are the top ecommerce Black Friday marketing tips?
Plan early, segment audiences, optimise mobile checkout, prepare strong offers, secure PR coverage, and monitor performance in real time.
