Do you know when most people do their Christmas shopping? A good guess would be over the last week until the Holidays, but it isn’t so. In fact, data shows that 49% of all winter holiday sales are driven during November, and that’s when all the magic of shopping happens.
And especially so during the most magical period for businesses – Cyber Week. Yup, the most lucrative combination of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which, just last year, saw combined revenues of up to $33.9 billion. So, despite businesses finding themselves amid an economic downturn, there’s still lots of money to be funneled your way this year. So, how can your brand stand out from the crowd in this revenue game? With influencer collaborations, of course.
You might’ve heard the myth (which is totally true, by the way) that up to 71% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase decision if they see positive reviews about it on their social media. And who is better at influencing consumer’s purchases if not social media influencers? So, if this wasn’t your strategy for Cyber Week events, it definitely should be!
Sure, the goals of a traditional marketing campaign and that driven by social media creators might differ. However, there’s a tiny cheat sheet of goals that could be the basis of your influencer campaign for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. So, are you aiming to:
Drive brand awareness;
Target a new market;
Change brand perception;
Drive traffic to an event;
Drive sales?
With clearly defined goals comes the best part of an influencer campaign – your creative strategy. Of course, you might need some inspiration for that, so here are some examples of brands achieving different goals through excellent influencer campaigns.
Driving Awareness
While there are many great examples of businesses driving brand awareness with the help of social media creators, Walmart’s #UnwrapTheDeals campaign stole the show last year. For it, Walmart created a TikTok filter that uncovered different Black Friday deals. And if this wasn’t fun enough already, they’ve asked a diverse group of influencers to share the filter and encourage the audiences to try it for themselves.
But that’s not all! Walmart then offered giveaways of the featured items to the participants who shared the filter on TikTok. And wouldn’t you know it – the challenge received more than 6 billion views.
Target A New Market
Mysa, a brand selling smart thermostats, did extremely well when they decided to test out new grounds by offering their product to women and busy moms. Now, a thermostat isn’t something that you’d think of when talking about busy moms, but Mysa saw great potential in the market, came in, and won.
Of course, the campaign wouldn’t have gone with flying colors if not for their choice of social media creators. The diverse cast and messaging variations in this Black Friday campaign revealed a 419% increase in ROAS and a 215% higher conversion rate than branded ads they’ve previously run. In addition, Mysa was able to increase sales to women by 50% with content from creators like @600sgftandababy. Allison, the creator behind the handle, talked to her followers (mostly made up of women and busy moms) about Mysa’s unbeatable time- and cost-saving features. Which, of course, resonated very well with her audiences!
Change Brand Perception
In 2021, Timberland took a new course of business by declaring how it will produce a positive net environment impact by 2030. Now, the apparel brand is committed to having 100% of its products based on circular design and 100% of its materials obtained from sustainable and regenerative agriculture.
Now, this message wouldn’t have come off just right with your regular branded advertising, and Timberland knew it full well. So, for their last year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns, the brand collaborated with eco-conscious creators like @blakemoynes to promote their new eye-wear line made with bio-based materials.
Collaborating with creators whose values align with the brand’s mission (even if said mission is newly-found) is a foolproof way to shift brand perception and create a human connection, which is all that social media users wish for these days, really!
Drive Traffic To An Event
Not so long ago, Amazon Fire TV created a five-day pop-up event at Century City Mall, designed especially for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping sprees. The pop-up was meant to spread awareness about Amazon Fire TV and promote its services and accessories as the perfect holiday gift.
Of course, for the pop-up to succeed, it needed attendees, and Amazon Fire TV collaborated with Los Angeles-local influencer @charlottemckinney to promote it. That’s how the event generated loads of foot traffic and involved people in their on-site challenges and giveaways.
So, if you prefer these contact-type campaigns over online ones, collaborating with an influencer might still be the answer to garnering attendees and driving sales.
Drive Sales
Openness and authenticity always sell. Knowing this, Microbe Formulas ran a Black Friday campaign partnering with creators who openly shared their health journey stories and experiences using Microbe Formulas supplements.
Building trust is the key to successful campaigns and sales drives for brands working in the pharmaceuticals, health, and supplement spheres. And who is better to be trusted with such a massive task if not influencers? They are perceived as opinion leaders by their followers, and their word, even if it is sponsored content, often makes it easier for their audiences to decide on purchases.
Connecting with audiences in authentic ways was exactly the thing that Microbe Formulas needed to increase its sales. And it absolutely worked!
Start Preparing Now
The combination of Cyber Week events – Black Friday and Cyber Monday – is as relevant this year as last year and will probably be in the years to come. And even if you’re an established brand, missing this opportunity to drive sales, raise awareness or reach any other goal you have in mind for your Black Friday influencer campaign would be a huge loss.
And you know how to do it – by launching your own social media creator campaign! And if you’re looking to do it the easy way, you might want to look into the services we provide here at Agenic. Then, think about the steps for a successful campaign:
Launch early – we know that hearing ‘Last Christmas’ in malls in November might seem a bit over-the-top, but remember that most holiday shopping is done exactly in November. So don’t skip this opportunity!
Promote your brand on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Thanksgiving – these are the three main events for consumer spending during the glorious Cyber Week.
Don’t forget about diversity – if you’re planning to collaborate with more than one influencer, be sure to work with a diverse crowd to reach all of your potential customers.
Get creative – the examples we’ve listed in this article are excellent, but be sure to make them your own!
And most importantly, find the right creator for you. One that wants to work with you and is a trusted voice among the audiences you are targeting. And since we know that it isn’t so easy to find such a person, Agenic can take care of sourcing for you. Just fill in a short questionnaire, and the platform will pair you with several influencers whose outlook matches your brand’s.
