What is Black Friday and How Does It Impact Your Small Business?

This year Black Friday falls on November 23. This is the day where retailers offer special deals and it happens after Thanksgiving. The p...

This year Black Friday falls on November 23. This is the day where retailers offer special deals and it happens after Thanksgiving.

The payoff for small businesses is big sales. The phrase was first coined by the Philadelphia Police Department to describe this crazy shopping experience. Next year, Black Friday will fall on November 29th.

Remember the Date

It’s an important date every year for small businesses and Black Friday is often paired with corresponding online Cyber Monday. If you don’t think you need to pay attention and prepare for those big two days, consider the fact that in 2016 combined sales for the both was $3.45 billion to set a historical e-commerce record.

Here’s how it impacts you small business and what you can do to get ready.

Make an Announcement

Email is considered to be one of the ways to get the word out ahead of Black Friday about the sales you’re having. This is still considered one of best ways to announce any sale that you might be having for Black Friday. There’s a few things that really help you get a good ROI back from this simple investment.

Don’t forget to have a direct call to action about the fact this sale is temporary. Make sure that the subject line of the email is clear about what kind of discount or incentive your offering. “Half Off But Only Today So Buy Now.” Keep in mind that images work wonders. If you can find a good animation to draw attention to your event , all the better.

Don’t Forget Social Media

When you’re asking what is Black Friday you’ll want to know the name of the game is to have good deals and sell volumes of your goods and services. This is a great place to use coupon codes to get the attention of the mobile user. Taking advantage of live streaming if you’re having a sale in your brick-and-mortar store is a cheap way to make big bucks on Black Friday.

If you’re one of the many businesses that has a Facebook business page, you can offer an early look at what’s going to be for sale on the big day to your fans.

Consider Print

If you’ve got a smaller target market you’re aiming for, consider using the local print media to advertise your special out in front of the big day. Remember that the National Retail Federation says somewhere in the neighborhood of 154 million people shopped on Black Friday in 2016. Attracting even your local holiday shopping crowd to your store can make a big bump in your bottom line.

Don’t Experiment

Black Friday is a great day to boost your sales but not always a good time to start experimenting. It’s best to promote what sells in your store so that you can make a big dent. This is especially true for retailers who might be tempted to try and bring slower selling products along.

Offer Free Shipping

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that free shipping is one of the big battlefields between small business and the bigger box stores. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two really good days to offer free shipping because it’s easier to build it into your price at a discounted rate.

The idea here is to introduce your goods and services to some new customers who might become loyal buyers down the road.

Focus on Customer Service

Discounted merchandise and other special offers are one thing. However, the small businesses that really make a big splash when they ask what is Black Friday know how important it is to ramp up customer service.

In the end, it’s pretty simple. Offering huge discounts will get people to come and buy from your brick-and-mortar or online store. Excellent customer service in both those venues can be a big factor in getting them to come back after the Black Friday sales are over.

Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "What is Black Friday and How Does It Impact Your Small Business?" was first published on Small Business Trends