Black Friday is on the 24th November 2023, but I’ve already seen some Black Friday offers popping up! With many people going online over that weekend specifically to grab sales and get their Christmas shopping sorted, it’s a very noisy weekend on social media. The big brands will be able to afford huge campaigns and unmissable deals, but as small business owners, it’s a lot more challenging. So how can we use it to our advantage?

Build up the excitement

Black Friday is all about discounts, and if you’re in a position to offer them, go for it! But remember to build up the excitement first. Share teasers, and sneak peeks and make sure people know how long they’ve got to grab the offer. It’s tempting to offer the discount all weekend, but imagine if you build up the excitement and give people a small window to grab the offer. Some people will miss out, but those who are really interested will make a point to be there at the right time!

Getting your offer seen will be a challenge, so you need people to make a point of going to your page. And relying on their memory isn’t the best strategy. You could get people to DM you if they’re interested and in exchange, you send them the offer at the right time. You could create an Instagram Story Countdown so people can get notified at the right time.

When you can’t afford to offer discounts

Our profit margins can be very small, so offering discounts means we end up losing money – so what can you do then? The important thing is: don’t feel pressured to! If you don’t feel like it aligns with your strategy at the moment, there’s nothing to say you can’t simply ignore the whole thing.

In fact, this year, that’s what I’m doing! It’s also National Listening Day on that day, and that’s what I’m choosing to focus on instead. Yes, many people will be online shopping at that time – but some won’t be and they will be scrolling past any mention of Black Friday.

In the past, I’ve seen many small businesses feel the need to justify why they aren’t taking part in Black Friday – you don’t have to! You don’t have to justify your prices, you just need to find the right clients.

Green Friday

Over the last couple of years, you may have seen Green Friday grow in popularity – but what is it about? Basically, it’s the exact opposite of Black Friday and on the same day. It’s a movement that creates awareness around society’s shopping habits. This gives you the opportunity to share how your product or services can save people money in the long run. What makes your business sustainable? What makes your products of a lasting quality?

Hashtags

If you’ve heard me speak about hashtags before, you’ll know I always say to avoid huge hashtags and that hashtags on Facebook will drive more people away from your content than to it. Black Friday, or Green Friday, is an exception to that rule. Obviously, you don’t want to use loads of overly popular hashtags, but people will be looking at #BlackFriday2023 or #GreenFriday2023 to find those offers or businesses they align with, so it’s worth using them as well as your usual hashtags.