let's talk about the elephant (aka Black Friday)

I've started this email over like 6 times because I can't quite decide how to start the email.

This happens to me sometimes - I get stuck in a writing funk and the words don't flow easy. Right now it's tempting to just set my laptop aside and come back to this later, but I'm committing to myself (and to you) that I'm going to write this email and get it in your inbox before I wrap up my work session for today.

November is just around the corner, which means Black Friday is just around the corner, and I want you to have all the details about how to throw a Black Friday promotion for your own offers that is successful and exciting and also super easy and not at all time consuming.

Black Friday is the perfect time for a targeted promotion because customers are expecting special deals and they're already ready to make a purchase. But your Black Friday promotion doesn't have to be over the top or overwhelming and that's exactly what I want to talk about in this email.

I've got more to say about that, but first, a reminder about the format of my emails. Ready, Set, Connect is a (somewhat irregular) newsletter all about using your marketing to connect with your audience.

Each email includes three sections:

• Ready...this section has tips/resources/strategies for shifting your mindset about business

• Set...this section has tips/resources/strategies for effective relationship-focused marketing

• Connect...this section has something you can do right now to connect with your audience

Ready...(a mindset shift)

When I think of Black Friday, I usually think of things like countdowns, and deadlines, and early bird offers, and door busters, and steep discounts, and urgency...everywhere. 

As I've been planning my own Black Friday promotions for this year, I can feel my shoulders tense up just thinking about the idea of throwing together a fast-paced and energetic sale.

Maybe you've been feeling the same. 

That's probably because for small business owners (especially those of us running a business on the side of a full-time job), the traditional Black Friday model was not built for our lives.

The big-bold-flashy approach to Black Friday assumes that you have a team, and a warehouse, and unlimited time to record videos and create new graphics.

But you don't. You might have a vision for some kind of Black Friday sale, but you definitely don't have time to plan anything intense and your calendar is pretty full with all your other responsibilities.

So this year, I'm inviting you to think about Black Friday differently.

Instead of a sprint, what if Black Friday was more of a reset (paired with some extra income for your business)?

Black Friday (or any promotion really) can be the chance to bring clarity to your messaging, your offers, and your audience.

Set...(a sustainable strategy for your marketing)

Your Black Friday sale this year doesn't need to be complicated.

Here's how to start:

Pick 1-3 things to promote. Don't create something new, just use the products or offers you already have. 

Make it feel special. You don't have to set your whole store to 75% off in order for your Black Friday promo to be a success. You could also consider:

• Adding a limited time bonus (like an additional resource for no extra cost only available during the sale)
• Making a limited time bundle (like grouping popular offers in a new way and selling them as a set that's only available during the sale)
• Offer a limited quantity (like limiting how many spots to sell in a workshop or have a lower price for only the first 5 purchases)
• Offer something that expires (like a service you're planning to retire or a resource you're planning to refresh. Promote the current version as a "last time this is available" offer)

Schedule and automate. Write the emails and social media posts in advance, make a landing page to promote your offers, and schedule everything to send and post at the right time. Make a checklist for yourself for anything that isn't scheduled so you know exactly what still needs to be done.

That's it. Simple, focused, and clear. Your audience doesn't need twenty options.

As you're mapping out your own Black Friday promo, I've put together a guide to make it easy for you: The Black Friday Toolkit is a one-stop-shop for planning your promotion (include fill-in-the-blank templates for emails).

Connect! (a quick challenge you can complete today)

Here’s something you can do today to connect with your audience:

 Open your Instagram stories, take a picture of something nearby you, and type this prompt:

“One thing about me is that I'm always_____ (choose something about yourself, like: overthinking, overwhelmed, running late, drinking coffee, thinking about....., etc). What about you?”

You can add a yes/no poll or tell people to reply to your stories to chat more about it.

If you try out this challenge, send me a message on Instagram @basicallyjamiejune and let me know how it goes!

Now of course, I have to tell you...

...if planning a simple Black Friday promo is on your to-do list...

...if you definitely don't have enough time, but you want to do something for Black Friday...

...or if you've never done a Black Friday promotion and you don't know where to start...

That's exactly what the Black Friday Toolkit is for.

The Black Friday Toolkit is a done-for-you planning system that will help you create a simple, confident, and effective Black Friday promotion using the products you already have.

It includes step-by-step guidance to take you through planning your sale from start to finish and gives you fill-in-the-blank swipes for emails and to make it as easy as possible to bring your sale to life.

P.S. If you skipped to the end of the email, let me recap:

• Your Black Friday plans don't have to be flashy or complicated - you can throw a promotion that is simple, focused, and successful
• If you want help making that happen, grab my Black Friday Toolkit

Keep an eye out over the next few weeks! You can snoop on the exact process I'm using for my own Black Friday promotion.

You’ve got this — and I’m cheering for you!

Jamie