Last month, we covered #GivingTuesday resources for nonprofits, so this month I thought we’d tackle Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing resources for social enterprises. Not only that, I wanted to also make sure we gave a proper and well-deserved shoutout to Small Business Saturday.
Even through it’s been trending that way for many years, 2020 will certainly shift in favor of online shopping due to the pandemic.
As a social enterprise leader, you are already aware that consumers are on the hunt for more social impact products, but I think this year’s spotlight on the election as well as racial injustice has really fueled the desire for people to understand how they can make a bigger difference each and every day. Your socially conscious products are certainly a part of that, and by supporting you, people can feel good about where they spend their money.
We just have to make sure they can find you online (or in person)! So, here are some marketing resources that can not only boost your presence, but help your social enterprise increase sales this holiday season.
Feel like you’re too late to get into the game this year?
Some of the resources below may help provide you with some quick and easy ideas, but even if they don’t, you can still plan to at least push gift cards as an alternative!
Gift cards are an easy marketing message to communicate, contribute to your bottom line, and allow people to support your mission.
GENERAL MARKETING AND AWARENESS RESOURCES FOR SOCIAL ENTERPRISES
Besides the holiday season, there are plenty of things you can do year-round to spread the word about all the good that you’re doing.
Apply to have your products listed on the DoneGood website, which features a large variety of social impact brands.
Hive’s goal is to “Reimagine retail. For good.” and may remind you a little of Thrive Market—without the membership fees. You can also apply to partner with them.
Interested in catering to the business crowd? Gifts for Good specifically targets corporates gifts, and is looking for partners.
Find online directories like my friend LeeAnne’s Change the World By How You Shop or The Honest Consumer to get your company listed on ethical purchasing sites. Every link helps build your reputation and increase your awareness. It may take some leg work to find websites like this, but the more people that know about you, the better, right? This could also be a strategy you implement during your slower months when you have more time on your hands.
Pitch yourself to podcasts like my friend Molly’s Business With Purpose podcast, which focuses on generous individuals and social impact companies. You can even catch yours truly on episode 96.
GoodCarts was launched specifically to help social enterprises in the e-commerce space. And it’s easy and fast to get started!
Though this post is technically talking about Black Friday/Cyber Monday, I’m including it here because what The Good suggests is terrific information for optimizing your website, but it’ll be really time-intensive. So, maybe put this on your 2021 to-do list.
I’ve learned most of what I know about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) from Meg at Love at First Search, and I highly suggest checking out these two posts: 6 Tips to Get Your E-commerce Product Page to Show Up on Google and Want to Boost Search Traffic? Set Up Google My Business. By the way, I’m also an affiliate for Meg’s Attract and Activate SEO course. I’ve taken it myself, and she is a terrific (and patient) teacher!
Your website is more important than ever, so to get it in the best shape possible, check out my Ultimate Guide to Social Impact Websites.
BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY MARKETING RESOURCES
Now merged into one days-long holiday, Black Friday/Cyber Monday (or BFCM as it’s becoming known), is the Super Bowl of retail. Here’s how you can get a piece of the action.
Contact BlackFriday.com and GottaDeal.com and get your deal listed.
Shopify has a ton of resources for your Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday extravaganza, including 27-point checklist to keep you on task.
It’s no surprise that Square has some advice for you, and I particularly like #2 that says to reward existing customers.
Wondering what mistakes to avoid in your marketing and communications? AppSumo wants to tell you about five things they learned in 2019.
Yotpo has outlined their trends for 2020’s Black Friday, and I particularly recommend reading their advice on advertising and making meaningful connections.
Paypal put together an entire webinar that you can re-watch for Black Friday and Cyber Monday info. You’ve probably seen options similar to their “Pay in 4” selection pop up on websites already, and I think that trend will continue to grow.
Mailchimp has their own list checklist for planning your promotions, and tells you how to use their services for maximum impact.
Planoly gives some great suggestions on not only what you need to do to prep for BFCM, but also conveniently put them into a timeline for you!
Check out #2 and #6 from eDesk on their social media specific recommendations for making the most of BFCM.
There is some great technical advice in this post from Ai Trillion, including making your return policy clear and creating a welcome email sequence.
Take a look at #6-8 on Sumo’s list of “Better Cyber Monday Emails” and see if one of these options could work for you. (It takes some list segmenting!)
Feeling overwhelmed yet? Take a look at #2-4 in this post by New Relic to help put you at ease and keep you focused for a tight timeframe.
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY MARKETING RESOURCES
Though it’s only been around since 2010, I love the support that Small Business Saturday has garnered, and applaud American Express for being one of its founders. This year, it’s more important than ever to support small businesses, and I hope people turn out in record number for you!
The American Express website gives you the ability to add your small business to their directory and also download promotional resources.
Vivial put together a list of 11 Small Business Saturday Promotions Made Easy, several of which take minimum time and effort. I especially like #2, the idea of partnering with others, and that can be as simple as sending an email to each other’s lists.
Though this article from Entrepreneur is from 2017, before COVID-19 was part of our daily vocabulary, it has some pretty timeless advice. I’d like to point out #6, “Don’t compete with the Big Boxes.” Stick with what makes you spectacular, and that doesn’t always come down to the price.
SmartBiz made a smart move by giving you guidance on how to follow-up with your customers after Small Business Saturday. “Thank you” goes a long way!
Square wants to remind you to showcase where your products are sourced from, since that is increasingly important to consumers.
Not that you forget we’re in the middle of a pandemic, but Marlin reminds you to offer contactless pickup and delivery to make your customers feel safe and remove any excuses of buying from you.
There is some great info in this post by When I Work, but I really like the second category about how to make decisions easier for shoppers.
Some of this advice from Local IQ is repeated above, but if you want more specific examples, take a look at these 40 Easy Small Business Saturday Marketing Ideas to Stand Out from the Crowd. I like the idea of bundling products for a discount.
By the way, did you notice that a lot of resources suggest partnering with a nonprofit to increase visibility and goodwill? High fives that you already have a built-in cause component!
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER BUSINESSES (AND TEMPLATES, TOO!)
Need some inspiration? Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
Keap put together five case studies for Small Business Saturday as well as ideas for how to track what promotional efforts worked.
I found numerous city, district, and Chamber of Commerce websites promoting their local brick-and-mortar businesses for Small Business Saturday, so if yours doesn’t have something like that, gather your fellow business and city leaders to create one for the future! This is a nice Detroit example.
What’s better than examples? Free visuals and templates. Printful has you covered.
Honeycomb Credit has a social media kit with templates that you can download for free.
Mailerlite now only has examples for you, but tells you exactly what emails you should be sending for Black Friday.
SendGrid has some additional email marketing examples for both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, including from favorites like Patagonia and REI.
Do you use text messaging in your campaigns? Postscript has both data and SMS examples for you to view.
Need to skip 2020 and focus on 2021? I hear ya. OptinMonster will give you a timeline and examples so that you can take it slow and prep for next year.
Here are 18 creative ideas from Oberlo with examples that companies of all kinds can try now or later.
Wondering about the best Black Friday email campaigns of all time? SmartrMail has put together their own list. Do you agree?
Anything to add? Include it in the comments so we can learn from each other!
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I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.
