Even though summer isn’t *officially* over, and you might just now be ushering your kiddos back to school, as a business owner you always have to be 2, 3, and sometimes even 4 steps ahead of your customers. 

They just did all of their back to school shopping and guess what’s on their minds now? Christmas shopping… 🎄

And it’s no secret that a mass majority of people start most of their Christmas shopping far before December, with Black Friday being a huge week that people complete a large portion of their shopping.

It’s traditionally a week of great deals and awesome promotions from brands and businesses all across the world, and I want you to know that there’s a place for YOU and your business, too!

But here’s the thing: if you want to make the most of the Black Friday and Cyber Shopping season and really capitalize on this time for your business, it requires proper planning.

In this blog post, I discussed the very first step of planning for your Black Friday promotions, and that is deciding your offer.

Though that may seem simple, a lot of people struggle to actually decide their offer, and that’s usually because you have SO many options. There are no rules to Black Friday or Cyber Week, and you truly can make it what you want. 

Even though that freedom can be nice, sometimes it overwhelms people even more because they simply want to do what’s right and will produce amazing results.

As a business owner myself, I totally understand this, which is why I’ve created something to help you limit your decision fatigue and get clarity on your overall Black Friday vibe!

My Black Friday Launch Checklist will help you see where you’re currently at in business and gain clarity on where you ultimately want to be. 💸

Once you decide what your offer will be, you can then move onto the rest of the planning – and no, you don’t have to do it alone! 

In this blog post, we’ll be covering the 7 steps you need to take to plan a successful Black Friday launch…WITHOUT the overwhelm. 

A Step by Step Guide to Planning Your Black Friday Launch 

1) Set realistic goals for your Black Friday promotion.

Did you know that a surefire way to feel defeated or frustrated in your business is by setting unrealistic expectations for yourself?

It’s so easy to say, “I want to make 6 figures!” or “I want to sign X amount of clients,” but setting arbitrary goals like that with no real data to back it up can be a straight path to defeat. 

The first step in planning your Black Friday launch, after deciding what your actual offer is going to be, is to set realistic goals and pre-decide what you want from your launch or promotion.

If you’re discounting an existing offer, there’s a chance you already have data that you can look back on to determine a realistic sales goal based on past purchases.

If you’re launching something new, however, you may not have that information, so it’s likely that you’ll need to really consider what can be expected for something new that your audience has never seen before.

Aside from sales goals or revenue results, consider what else you might hope to achieve from this launch.

Do you want to grow your email subscribers? Do you want to focus on brand awareness? Do you simply want to test what a Black Friday offer could look like for you? 

YES, I want you to make sales and experience a boost of revenue during this time, but I also want you to consider other metrics that also can be considered a success. 

2) Specifically define your offer.

It’s time to really define your offer and get specific. 

And remember: there’s no right or wrong way to go about Black Friday. Even though the season is traditionally known for discounting and deals, you don’t HAVE to do that. 

(Read this blog post for 2 other common Black Friday myths!)

If you want to discount an existing offer, go for it! If you want to launch something new, I’m all for it. You can sell a digital product, a physical product, or even simply add a special bonus or booking incentive to an existing service that you have.

The limit does not exist, and it truly is up to you!

If you’re reading this and are really struggling with what route to take for Black Friday, this is something that I’ll specifically be helping my members of The Content Huddle with in September. Join us for what I’m calling Black Friday Prep School inside The Content Huddle, where we’ll spend all of September prepping YOUR Black Friday offer for launch!

Enrollment for The Content Huddle is open August 24th-31st, and you can get access to Black Friday Prep School for just $37! 🤯 After that, your monthly investment will be $77/month, and you can cancel anytime (on average, most Content Huddlers stick around for a year).

CLICK HERE for all enrollment information!

3) Create or refine your lead magnet for the offer.

When it comes to launching, one of the key ways to get your audience interested is to create a lead magnet that goes along with your offer. 

If you don’t currently have a lead magnet for your Black Friday offer, don’t freak out – you can easily create one and it doesn’t have to be complicated. 

Some options include an entertaining quiz, a how-to guide, checklist, video series, etc.

(Psst: this is another thing, I’ll be helping members brainstorm and create during Black Friday Prep School inside The Content Huddle 👀)

If you DO already have a lead magnet that aligns with your offer, it’s wise to refine or upgrade the lead magnet so that it feels new in the eyes of your audience.

4) Create your sales page.

I know that someone is going to read the words “sales page” and have a mini panic attack! If that’s you, let me stop you right there and tell you…

I’ve seen people have 6+ figure launches with a sales page that’s built on a Google Doc. So when I say it doesn’t have to be crazy complicated, I really do mean it.

If you’re running a Black Friday promotion for an existing offer, there’s a good chance you already have this step completed. If so, similar to your lead magnet, I’d suggest refining and updating so that it feels fresh and includes recent testimonials when applicable!

If you don’t already have a sales page for your offer, that’s okay. For this step, you’ll simply need to decide which option is best for you:

• Long-form sales page with multiple sections, lots of copy, FAQ, and testimonials
• Shorter sales page with only need to know details, testimonials, and a button to buy
• A simple landing page or checkout page

Choose what works for you right now and remember, you can always refine later!

P.S. Content Huddle members get FREE access to my exclusive Sales Page Swipe File template, which will walk you through creating a long-form sales page that’s ready to convert.

5) Write your sales emails.

If you’re going to choose between step 4 or step 5 to spend more time on, I’d recommend step 5 – your sales emails! 

Time and time again, it’s been proven that people BUY from email, and it’s something you definitely want to leverage in any sales season, but especially during your Black Friday promotion.

If you’re not sure how many sales emails you need, here’s a general guideline to follow:

• Open Cart Day – email one should always introduce your offer and tell people the info they need while including a call-to-action to buy
• Sales Emails (how many you need will vary based on your open cart dates) – continue sending emails with story-based content, testimonials/case studies, and FAQ, all with a call-to-action to buy or to book a discovery call 
• Close Cart Emails – send 2-3 emails warning your audience that the offer is about to expire, give them one last chance to buy or book a call 
• Buyer Follow-Up / Nurture Emails – have a sequence ready for all buyers so that they actually consume/use the product or service they purchased. The goal for these emails is to tell them what to do next!

6) Plan other promotional content.

Aside from email, you also want to consider what other platforms you will be promoting your offer on. Most people opt for social media, but remember that Black Friday and Cyber Week tend to be very noisy!

That’s not to say you can’t leverage the platforms, but you may want to get creative and leverage your blog content, podcast episodes, ads, affiliate marketing, or other platforms that you are comfortable with.

7) Set up all of your tech.

Lastly, you want to make sure you can actually get PAID!

If you already sell products and services online, this step should be easy peasy for you. 

But if you’re new to selling online, this is something you want to make sure is fully set up and functioning so that people can actually buy what you’re selling. 

You can do this through a CRM, such as Dubsado or Honeybook, use your learning platform of choice, like Kartra or Thrivecart, use a traditional payment processor, such as Stripe, or opt for manual invoices, if that’s easier for you.

Plan Your Black Friday Promotion With Ease

And there ya have it! Your step by step guide to properly planning for a successful Black Friday launch.

I know that so many people tend to have mixed feelings about this sales season, but I truly believe that when you design an offer with the right heart and intention – meaning it genuinely SERVES your people – then you have the obligation to sell it. 

Use this guide to make the planning extra easy and if you want a downloadable checklist to keep yourself on track, take the review your Black Friday Launch Checklist. ✅

After that, if you still feel like you want additional, hands-on support for this promotional period, Black Friday Prep School inside The Content Huddle is where you want to be. 

This September, we’ll be focusing on all things Black Friday so you can confidently launch your offer and experience massive results.

In addition to Black Friday Prep School, your membership inside The Content Huddle includes:

• Swipe File Templates for Your Biz! | Each month, access proven copy that you can “swipe” – meaning you can customize my content formulas and quickly publish on your website, blog, email list, or social media!

• Group Office Hours + Mini Trainings | Have a business or marketing question? Need to brainstorm a new service offering? You can do it all during monthly Group Office Hours on Zoom. Plus, Sara will share a Mini-Training each month on topics crucial to growing your business.

• 1:1 Voxer Hours (Offered Monthly) | Chat 1:1 in real time with Sara about what’s going on in your business during monthly Voxer hours. During this scheduled time each month, we can work together to refine your offers, strategize an email sequence, polish a page on your website, and more.

• Guest Experts | Each quarter, Sara will bring in a guest expert to share their wisdom with members of The Content Huddle!

• Copywriter on Call: Day of Voxer Coaching (One Session Per Year) | You’ve got the swipe files you need to be successful, but sometimes, you just need more personalized support. Let’s focus on YOUR business together on Voxer! One time per year, each member of The Content Huddle gets a 6-hour day of 1:1 Voxer coaching with me. Let’s make YOUR marketing to-do list disappear…without being chained to Zoom.

• Access to Sara’s Resource Vault | From guides to uncovering your why in business to tips and writing prompts to help you hone your brand voice type, The Content Huddle gives you exclusive access to Sara’s growing resource vault.

CLICK HERE TO ENROLL – enrollment closes on August 31st!

Here’s to making your Black Friday promotions (and beyond) the best they can be. 💛