Black Friday and Small Business Saturday - tips for jewellers
Blog
Whatever your stance on Black Friday, many millions of people will be shopping online and it is a great opportunity to remind people about your jewellery and your business. Here are some tips for making the most of this time of year
to black friday or not?
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the USA. It marks the start of the Christmas shopping season and has traditionally been a holiday for US workers.
Over the last few years, Black Friday has become a worldwide phenomenon with big businesses using it as an opportunity to have special offers, discounts and to drive sales.
Whether you choose to have a Black Friday offer/launch or not, there will be lots of people shopping online so this is definitely a great time to remind people about your business.
Below is some general advice for everyone and then two plans to make the most of this time - one if you want to participate in Black Friday and one if you don’t.
key dates for 2021
Black Friday is Friday 26th November 2021
Small Business Saturday (USA) Saturday 27th November 2021
Cyber Monday is Monday 29th November 2021
Small Business Saturday (UK) is Saturday 4th December 2021.
Post on all of the key dates
Make sure you post about your jewellery on the morning of each of the dates listed above. Even if you are not in the country of the special day there will be worldwide online traffic spikes on those days so it’s a great time to share about what you have to offer.
Use the hashtags
Drive traffic and views to your social media from those not yet following you by using hashtags on your social media posts (usually pasted at the end of your text).
Here are some suggested hashtags to use (you don’t need to use them all)
Black Friday
#Blackfriday #Blackfriday2021 #Blackfridaysale #Blackfridayshopping #Blackfridaydeals #Blackfridaybonus #ShoppingDay #Shoppingtime
Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday
#smallbusinesssaturday21 #shopsmall #shoplocal #smallbusiness #handmade #supportsmallbusiness #shopsmallbusiness #supportlocal #smallbusinessowner #handmadewithlove #giftideas #handcrafted #jewelry #handmadejewelry #shoponline #instagood #makersgonnamake #supportsmallbusinesses #supportsmall #localbusiness #madewithlove #supportlocalbusiness #earrings #buylocal #smallbiz #justacard
#cybermonday21
And do tag us on Instagram @jewellersacademy as we will be commenting on and sharing as many of you as we can!
the ‘I’m not participating in black friday’ plan
Many handmade artists and small businesses prefer not to participate in Black Friday and this is an excellent opportunity for you to tell your customers and followers why that is.
Maybe you feel it is too commercial and all about the big brands. Or you feel that your handmade work is already well priced and you don’t do discounts. Or you feel that the message should be about supporting local businesses and handmade artists rather than big corporations. Or all of the above! Whatever you feel, let your customers know.
The week of Black Friday
Email - write an email to your mailing list (yes, even if it’s only a small list) introducing yourself and your business again and saying why you won’t be participating in Black Friday. Add a link to your shop and let people know how to buy from you
Social media - share a shortened version of the above on your social media. Make sure you share a link so that people can choose to shop from you
On Black Friday
Social media - share a carousel post of photos of some of the jewellery they can buy from you with a clear call to action to support your small business
On Saturday
Instagram stories - share a selection of your favourite local/small businesses in your stories. Make sure you tag the businesses that you share about
Social media - post about your small business. You can choose any angle you like e.g. when you support my small business you are supporting me and my family, every time you buy from me I do a happy dance, a behind the scenes look at your packaging and sending out jewellery etc
Cyber Monday
Email - send an email thanking your customers for supporting your small business, whether through buying from you, liking you on social media etc. Share any final order and posting dates for Christmas and share the link where they can buy from you.
Social media - share a shortened version of the above on your social media. Ensure there is a link to buy from you in the post or in your profile on Instagram.
the ‘I am participating in Black Friday’ plan
If you are ready to launch a new product or have a special offer this Black Friday, here is your plan:
The week of Black Friday
Tuesday or Wednesday - Social media - share that you will have a Black Friday offer and that your mailing list will be the first to hear about it. Encourage people to sign up to the mailing list and give the link in the post or in your bio for Instagram
Thursday - Email - write an email to your mailing list (yes, even if it’s only a small list) telling people about the offer you will be having this Black Friday and giving them a sneaky peek and a chance to use the offer early before you open up to all customers
On Black Friday
Social media - share a carousel post of photos of what is included in your offer. Be transparent. Ask for them to buy from you
You may want to share two or three social media posts on Black Friday itself - in the morning, afternoon and evening
On Saturday
Instagram stories - share a selection of your favourite local/small businesses in your stories. Make sure you tag the businesses that you share about
Social media - post about your small business. You can choose any angle you like e.g. when you support my small business you are supporting me and my family, every time you buy from me I do a happy dance, a behind the scenes look at your packaging and sending out jewellery etc
Cyber Monday
Email - send an email thanking your customers for supporting your small business, whether through buying from you, liking you on social media etc. Share any final order and posting dates for Christmas and share the link where they can buy from you.
Social media - share a shortened version of the above on your social media. Ensure there is a link to buy from you in the post or in your profile on Instagram.
Whether you’re a fan of Black Friday or not, it is a great opportunity to tell people about your business, what you offer and how supporting you will make a difference to you and your family. I hope you do follow one of the plans above and that it helps to bring more sales to your business. Even if you can’t follow the whole plan do what you can.
If you’re sharing on Instagram, please do tag @jewellersacademy so I can come and see what you’re doing and cheer you on!
If you’d like to learn more about launching your jewellery collections, check out this online course How to Launch a Jewellery Collection
The course includes all you need to know about your own launch plan, content and roadmap including editable spreadsheets and examples to get you started.
Click the link to find out more and to enrol >
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