Black Friday Suggestions For Next Year (And Now This Year)

Ok people, deals that go well into Dec are NOT Black Friday or Cyber Monday Deals. They are your December deals. Either give us some real deals for those days or skip it.
And some are just taking their standard offer and giving it a more holiday themed code. Sorry we arent stupid.

__________________
FlamingoWorld.com Online Shopping Coupons

Split thread, don't hire anybody Connie to take me out.

Figured we might have a thread for suggestions for next year. Anything that can be improved upon.

Agree with Connie. I know some merchants are taking a regular deal and repackaging it as a Black Friday deal. As an example, from going thru my Link Subscriptions (formerly Orange Links) from GAN. I see an Orvis Black Friday deal for $10 off $100 which expires on December 1. They have a $10 off $100+ that expires on 12/15. Think they just took that and repackaged it. Make those Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals stick out from what you've usually done thru the year. If a 10% coupon is the best you had for the year, make it 15% or 20% for those days.

Coupon codes. Most merchants do this with the codes for those days. Have the code as CYBERMONDAY, BLACKFRIDAY, BFRI20 etc.

If the coupon or deal is a link, take a little time and make a nice Black Friday or Cyber Monday landing page. Make the shopper feel it's a special day, so they'll whip out the CC.

Hook up some special banners for those days.

Put the links in the email. Put the links in the email. And be very specific on the dates the deals are valid. It makes things easier and sometimes networks have issues, like being able to login to get links.

Personally, I like to get these deals as soon as possible so I have them ready to go.

But overall pretty good this year. I was swamped with email, kept me busy.

__________________
Yahoo Pro Football Pickem' 2009 - Details

Oh and don't forget to put the links in email. Did I mention putting links in emails?
I had to email hundreds of affiliate managers asking for expiration dates. I shouldn't have to. I can't read your mind. You have like 1 link to send out, I have thousands to deal with. Do your part.
And I don't want to wait up Thanksgiving night waiting for you to send me your deals that you set up to automatically send at that time while you are home in bed. I like to sleep too. Send the deals early.

__________________
FlamingoWorld.com Online Shopping Coupons

I think the issue was also timing (per connie). I have to admit that we came out with our deal a bit too late, like a 2 days before BF. I saw somebody posted on FBook that Tuesday is considered late.

We did 30% off + free shipping (no min).

__________________
Eric Ewe
www.ericewe.com
Twitter @EricEwe

Agree w/ all of the above. Also, when promoting items, have enough in stock to promote. Example: BareNecessities promoted Friday only deals that were sold out before Friday.

__________________
leeann

Affiliates - you have a long list of GAN merchants at your disposal that are listed with other networks.

Don't be pushed around. You have options.

GAN Merchants - Are you willing to send sales to your competitors? GAN is!

Remember: "...any publisher can be terminated at any time for any reason." Google (GAN) 2009

This is also not the time to send out surveys, not time to send tons of ecards or happy holidays emails. I get tons of emails and only want necessary ones. Don't contact me the week before asking how you can get placement. The only contact I want is the deals.

__________________
FlamingoWorld.com Online Shopping Coupons

Oh and the biggie, if you are an AM and sending email from a gmail address please include the merchant name. I can't read minds and don't have time for detective work.

__________________
FlamingoWorld.com Online Shopping Coupons

I agree with everything above especially the lame deals that are not truly Black Friday deals.

Also, don't send emails saying "we can't mention the cyber Monday deal until Monday but we'll let you know then".

__________________
The Truth About Affiliate Marketing|Affiliate Marketing How To

Affiliate Marketing: Trust No One, Not Even Your Momma

Want a good "Black Friday" suggestion for next year?

Just find or create another one worthy cause, and create your own toolbar around it!

Look at this one from West Marine - Black Friday Deals Continue!‏

"Even with the Holidays over and done with, we are proudly serving up Holiday style promotions! We are actually reverting back to Black Friday/Cyber Monday status with the promotions below. "


Gotta keep the day special. Valentine's Day is coming, call it Valentine's Days deals or something.

__________________
Yahoo Pro Football Pickem' 2009 - Details

I got the email and thought the same thing. Black Friday works because people have placed a value on the sales that day. If you 'devalue' the day it becomes like any other sale day. Worse, people think they should get those deals everyday, anyday. Perceived value is what makes people act now.

__________________
Someday starts today

I'm bumping this thread because it's getting that time again. It's really an annoyance to see merchants devaluing these days, like Office Depot saying stuff like every Monday is Cyber Monday. No it's not. I have a lot of this type of traffic, I'm sure Connie does, read. Any other suggestions welcomed.

__________________
Yahoo Pro Football Pickem' 2009 - Details

Bumping Trust's bump, so true.

I'm working closely with our merchants to be sure the Black Friday/Cyber Monday stuff is special. Posting in our OPM forum, but should we have a thread here for deals to be posted also? Even Viator is going to come up with something this year, and we have a new merchant that is going to rock.

I realize some of the brands we manage are small, but they still are giving people good value.

__________________
Debbie - Team Loxly Forum
Managing Shareasale Programs:
Viator Travel/Tours ~ Viator Affiliate Support Forum ~ SWAK Designs Plus Sized Apparel ~ American Tea Room Gourmet Tea
M-Rock Camera Bags ~ Personalized Gifts Affiliate Program ~ Loxly Gallery Affiliate Program ~ Shop7/Our Handmade Gifts (and Jewelry)
email: loxly at teamloxly.com The Magic Bullet - Start Here ~ Affiliate ABCs Podcasts and Education ~ Affiliate Advocacy OPM Member
“People have ideas all the time, ambition is just the stubbornness to follow through.” - Daniel Fogg , 2001

Merchants need to start treating AM like they do REAL ADVERTISING ... you need to get your 'shit together' at least a month in advance. And once you send it in don't think you can just change it at will.

If you have a special deal - What day does it start? What day does it end? The time frame is more important to me than the actual deal. If I have enough lag time, I can build a traffic campaign around this deal. Post it on my what's new online site.

If I get the deal the day before, I more than likely DO NOT have time to give it a good go as they say in Britain.

As a merchant you need to realize, that ONE good focused campaign for your ONE special deal, can explode your sales for a day or week. Sure I could post multiple deals, but the most effective are the single special offers targetted to a large amount of traffic. You get both branding and sales. I usually make a profit.

And if I make a profit from your offers, I more than likely will continue to promote them.

So take a ride on the clue train ... get in the game early.

Thanks for the great info,yes we have already sent our deals with the start and the end date specified. Hope our offers works well for our affiliates and us.

Cheers

I see that Sears is doing a "Black Friday sale" every Saturday from now through Christmas. Guess they didn't get the memo.

__________________

Michael Coley ABestWeb.com Admin and Amazing-Bargains.com Founder

Merchant Training 101:NEW! NY Tax Solution | Get The Most Out of ABW | Merchant Best Practices Forum | Affiliate Friendly Policies | A Practical Guide to Affiliate Marketing book | Couponing Tips | How Adware Works | My Opinion of CPA Networks

If we're late in the game it's because I was hired 2 weeks ago... that being said, we're posting BF and CM deals this week... not a month out, but a couple weeks, at least.

I couldn't agree more w/ Net4Biz... this is real advertising, it needs to mesh w/ other campaigns, and then it can really work... Vanns.com hired on me, a "communities manager" to work w/ our online and real communities (read twitter, FB, and people around our retail stores), as well as a graphic designer lead that bridges our .com and legacy media work... I would guess the cynergy we'll feel from these addition will take a few months to start to set it... but boy will it be exciting for us and our affiliates when it does...

Thanks for the tips, Net4Biz... although your tone seems a little angry, your message is right on.

Molly
Vanns.com Affiliate Program Manager
total newbie

There is a reason for this. As I said in January once the public gets used to seeing 'black friday' deals anytime. They demand it or they won't buy. Sears and several other retailers are painting themselves into a corner and they won't be able to get out.

Retail is still struggling and I'm guessing there will be some ( at least one) big names fall in 2010.

__________________
Someday starts today

test your code or link. does the offer activate in the cart? can the shopper see it? there are so many time i test the link or code and it does not work. i don't have time to email every merchant if the offer does not work, i'll just skip it.

I have to second this, it is one of my biggest pet peeves. Imbedded coupon links must work and must be visible in the shopping cart or early in the checkout process, or they do not get posted. Unfortunately a fairly high percentage of the ones I test don't function as they should. If a merchant makes a bad habit of releasing non functioning coupon links, I make a habit of completely avoiding them.

Oh jeez, now couponers are screwing this up as well and I know this one reads this forum.

"Cyber Monday is not just one day. There are actually three different Cyber Mondays as well as a "Shipping Monday"

No, there's one Cyber Monday. Actually one of those Monday's, the one that really gets the sales has been coined as Green Monday

http://www.3tailer.com/ecommerce/gr...y-2008-showdown

http://www.marketingvox.com/green-m...e-sales-035302/

This business needs more actual marketers.

__________________
Yahoo Pro Football Pickem' 2009 - Details

Everyone needs to read those, thanks for posting them Trust!

__________________
Debbie - Team Loxly Forum
Managing Shareasale Programs:
Viator Travel/Tours ~ Viator Affiliate Support Forum ~ SWAK Designs Plus Sized Apparel ~ American Tea Room Gourmet Tea
M-Rock Camera Bags ~ Personalized Gifts Affiliate Program ~ Loxly Gallery Affiliate Program ~ Shop7/Our Handmade Gifts (and Jewelry)
email: loxly at teamloxly.com The Magic Bullet - Start Here ~ Affiliate ABCs Podcasts and Education ~ Affiliate Advocacy OPM Member
“People have ideas all the time, ambition is just the stubbornness to follow through.” - Daniel Fogg , 2001