From Black Friday to Santa’s Wishlist: A Technical Guide to Post Black Friday Sales

Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Done. Dusted. Slayed. But what now? Boosting post Black Friday sales can feel like an uphill battle. But it’s a necessary one, because there are still so many opportunities to take advantage of. 

With Christmas, New Year, and everything in between, your email strategy needs to go from turbo deals to festive feels. That’s easier said than done, and it calls for careful strategy.

Here are 7 tips we’re using to keep our clients ahead of the competition all the way through December.

1. Know Thy Audience (And Their Festivities)

Before you start jingling bells in every subject line, pause. Not everyone on your list celebrates Christmas or even the holidays in the same way. So, keep it inclusive. General holiday campaigns often hit the right note, so think along the lines of:

• Boxing Day Blowouts
• Countdown to New Year’s
• 12 Days of Gifts
• The Broke Santa Sale (Relatable, right?)

If you are running Christmas-specific campaigns, segment smartly to avoid alienating your audience. Inclusivity equals sales AND good vibes – the recipe for success when it comes to post Black Friday sales.

2. Audit Engagement Post-BFCM

Black Friday/Cyber Monday can be brutal on email lists – and by extension, bad for post Black Friday sales. Some people clicked, some ghosted, and others may have marked you as spam (ouch). Now’s the time to clean house. Focus on metrics that matter:

• Open Rates: Did they even see your email?
• Click Rates: Are your CTAs irresistible?
• Bounce Rates: Clean up those bad email addresses.
• Spam Rates: If this is climbing, reassess your content and cadence ASAP.

By reevaluating your engagement data, you’ll keep your segmentation strategies sharp and your email deliverability thriving.

3. Post Black Friday Sales: a Chance to Personalize

Remember all that juicy customer data you harvested during BFCM? Time to put it to work. Use shopping behavior, preferences, and demographics to craft ultra-personalized content. Think:

• Curated product recommendations based on past purchases.
• Exclusive deals for repeat customers.
• Special offers for segments like “last-minute shoppers” or “early gifters.”

Laser-focused segmentation isn’t just cool; it’s necessary. Don’t miss the chance to turn that data goldmine into a festive conversion spree that boosts your post Black Friday sales. 

4. Focus on Gifting (And Giving Back)

Holidays are the season of giving, whether it’s to loved ones or the community. Let’s hit both:

• Gifting: Promote stocking stuffers, smaller collections, or shiny new launches as perfect holiday gifts. This is also prime time to launch (or hype up) a gift card system. Easy, no-stress gifting? Sold.
• Giving Back: Highlight philanthropic initiatives. Donating a portion of sales or supporting a local cause resonates deeply this time of year. Feel-good purchases = feel-good sales.

5. Fix Your Deliverability Game

If BFCM threw your deliverability into the red zone, don’t panic. Here’s how to bounce back:

• Template Balance: Mix image-based emails with plain-text ones. This reduces spam flags while keeping things visually appealing.
• Avoid Spammy Triggers: No more capitalizing every word (SERIOUSLY STOP) or using excessive links in your templates. Simple, clean, and focused wins the inbox.
• Test Religiously: Use tools like G-Lock to run spam tests and diagnose sending reputation issues before hitting “send.”

Deliverability matters more than ever when every email is competing for attention during the holidays.

6. Get Creative With Content

Nobody’s here for the same old holiday recipes or generic gift guides. Think outside the (gift) box:

• Unleash “crazy holiday cocktail recipes” that promise to save family gatherings (and sanity).
• Craft unhinged gift ideas for “that one cousin.”
• Lean into playful, cheeky, or nostalgic vibes to stand out from the cookie-cutter campaigns flooding inboxes.

Your audience will appreciate the humor and originality, especially if they’re drowning in a sea of “10% off” emails.

Your subject lines need to sparkle, not scream. Avoid spam triggers like excessive punctuation (!!!), clickbait phrases (“Buy Now!!!”), or anything too gimmicky. Keep it genuine and engaging. Free online tools can help you fine-tune subject lines for deliverability without sacrificing flair.

7. UGC: The Holiday Content Goldmine

User-Generated Content (UGC) is the ultimate cheat code for creating authentic, relatable campaigns that convert. Here’s how to make UGC work its holiday magic:

• Turn Shoppers Into Storytellers: Highlight real customer experiences with your products. Feature UGC in emails, social media, and even paid ads to build trust and hype.
• Gifting Inspiration: Showcase UGC as gift ideas! A customer rocking your product = “Oh, that would be perfect for Aunt Karen.”
• Repurpose Everywhere: The beauty of UGC? One piece of content can go far – ads, emails, website banners, you name it.

Placing high-performing UGC ads is a powerful way to beat that post Black Friday sales slump.

…But Don’t Forget the Fine Print

Before you share UGC, secure usage rights. A quick DM or email request ensures you’re in the clear while maintaining customer goodwill. When done right, UGC becomes a cost-effective, high-impact strategy for your holiday campaigns.

This season, let your customers do the selling for you.

Final Thoughts: Keep It Festive, Keep It Fun

Post-BFCM campaigns are all about pivoting from the frenzy to the feels. By focusing on gifting, community, and smart segmentation, you’ll keep the holiday magic alive while driving revenue. Just remember: authenticity beats gimmicks every time.

Now, go forth and sleigh those holiday campaigns.

Better yet: let’s do it together.