Month: November 2023

In the ever-evolving landscape of commerce, two days stand out as monumental opportunities for creators to boost their sales and connect with their fans: Black Friday and Cyber Monday (plus the Saturday & Sunday in-between). These shopping extravaganzas have become global phenomena, with consumers eagerly awaiting the chance to snag exclusive deals and discounts from their favorite brands and creators.

But don’t just take our word for it! Here are some staggering stats:

• According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), Black Friday and Cyber Monday consistently rank among the top shopping days of the year, with billions of dollars spent collectively.
• Statista reports that in 2022, global online sales on Black Friday amounted to over $8 billion!

So enough with the reasons. Let’s roll with the reality that you’re ready to prep your store with products you’d like to promote for these two shopping sprees. Want to know how to cut through the noise and let shoppers know you have deals they should snag? Don’t worry, we’ll cover how you can set up Black Friday & Cyber Monday promotions in your Spring store and some best practices for creating content to promote on your socials. Let’s go!

How to create a Promo code on Spring

How to Create Content for Black Friday & Cyber Monday

When we talk about creating content, what we’re asking is: What content will you create that announces you are participating in the sales frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday? The easiest way to do this is to announce that you are running a promotion (a discount) on products in your Spring store through the shopping weekend. Promotions are what your fans are expecting, so this will be the linchpin of your content. 

Here’s what you should consider when creating promotions on Spring: 

1. Pick a dollar amount or percentage discount to offer your fans. Note that this will apply to all items in your store, so do the math on what makes the most sense. For example, if you have a die cut sticker, instead of offering a discount dollar amount, choose a percentage because you may be taking a loss on the item. On the flip side, offering 15% off on a $50 item will cost you more money than giving a promo code for $5 off. Do the math. See which one favors you.
2. Consider free shipping. Be aware that Spring’s shipping is only free in the U.S. so make sure you’re within your profit margin if you’re shipping internationally. 
3. Set a time limit on your promo codes. Keep in mind that Spring’s platform is on UTC time. So if you set your sale to end on Friday at midnight, it will end at 3:59 p.m. Friday PST. 
4. Timing is everything. Set your promotion to go live at a specific date, and make sure you announce the promo either right before or on that date. More on announcing promos on your socials below.

Tips for Promoting on Your Socials

Promoting your discount on social media is the main avenue for getting word about your promotion to your fans. However, there are some key things to keep in mind when it comes to posting your sale on social media:

1. Tease your promo. Announce that you’ll have an upcoming Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday sale. Build excitement. Do count-down posts. Make sure you clearly state the date it starts AND the date it ends (Note: All Spring promo codes are in UTC time zone).
2. Use short videos & graphics. Canva has many free templates you can use to create stunning graphics, and they also have social media sales templates that can easily be customized to match your brand. You can also use CapCut for free to make short form videos announcing your sale (check out their sale templates that are easy to use). 
3. Use samples! Photos and/or videos of you or others wearing your merch can increase sales by 300%. But if you don’t have samples to use, you can always use platforms like Placeit to drop your designs on models and use them in your content.
4. Post A LOT once your promo is live. Social is all about timing. Keep posting teasers and reminders about your promo and include a countdown to when it ends. FOMO is strong and if fans know time is running out, they’ll be incentivized to buy now.
5. Thank your fans when the sale is over. This is important. Once your promotion is over, be sure to thank your fans for participating. You don’t have to give numbers. But gratitude will go a long way, especially as you are asking fans to spend money on you. Give the love back.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday represent more than just days of frenzied shopping. For creators, these events are an opportunity to boost sales, connect with your fans, and position you and your brand as a player in a highly competitive market.

You got this! Happy selling!

You only get one chance to prepare for the biggest SELLING weekend of the year—Black Friday and Cyber Monday! 

Here are some stats to get you motivated: 

• During the 2022 holiday season in the US, Cyber Monday was the day with the highest e-commerce conversion rate for online shopping.
• Black Friday came in second place, with a desktop conversion rate of approximately 5.6% and a mobile conversion rate of 3.3%.
• Busiest holiday sales days research by Statista shows that Black Friday was the most popular sales day in 2022, with over 50% of American shoppers planning to buy gifts!

That’s A LOT of shoppers! Let’s review the checklist so you can have the best-selling season you’ve ever had!

STEP 1: Go to the Holiday Resource Hub.

The amount of resources you’ll find in the Holiday Resource Hub are plentiful, not just for this topic but for maximizing your sales throughout the holiday season. The hub is also where you will find another crucial tool, the Countdown Calendar, but we will cover that in detail below. 

STEP 2: Prepare Promo Codes and Promote.

Did you know that fans who visit a store off a promo code like are 25% more likely to purchase?

It’s an opportunity you can’t afford to pass up. When you choose to promote your products on social media, it’s good to have a promo code. These can be planned in advance and switched on when you’re ready. Make sure to have different promo codes for different times – it helps with tracking, what is working, etc.

Don’t fret—making promo codes is super easy! You can create them within the Promotions section of your dashboard. Line up your promo codes in advance and follow your calendar as to when they will activate. Find out more about creating promotions and promo codes here.

Promo codes can be applied to all of your products.

Reminder: You’ll need to ensure there’s enough profit margin to support the promo—no matter what product is being purchased, so do that math ahead of time.

More promo hacks:

• Create effective promotional content. Canva is a great tool for creating eye-catching images on social media. You can also get 40% off Kittl using Spring’s partnership to create sale announcements when you use the code: SPRING23 at checkout. There are hundreds of templates—just don’t forget to include the promo code, the dates your sale will run, and the discount type.
• Feature samples. Creators who highlight samples in promotional content earn as much as 200% more profit from their products. Make sure you’re doing it too!
• Use integrations. Make sure fans can find your products easily. Pair social content with a link straight to your listing. Present products underneath your videos using the YouTube Integration, or set up the Instagram Shopping Integration to begin tagging your products in posts (and more). Don’t have access yet? Start using the Linktree Integration, available to all creators right now.

STEP 3: Go to the Countdown Calendar.

The Countdown Calendar will give you key dates through the Holiday Season, including cutoff dates, shipping deadlines, and some key dates we’ll mention below. 

First, create your own “content & sales” calendar.

Calendars are super helpful, especially since you might run multiple sales leading up to Black Friday (for example, you might do your sales in one burst the week before, or several pre-sales in the weeks leading up—or both!). Plus, it’s not only sales you’ll be planning, but also promo codes you’re offering, when you choose to promote them on socials, and so forth. We recommend having your promos ready by November 1st. 

Second, mark these key dates on your calendar:

OCTOBER 10: Get your holiday products designed and sample orders in by October 10th so you can start promoting. 

NOVEMBER 1: Have all your promotional materials and promo codes ready by November 1st – Create your promotions in your dashboard so that you can switch them on when the time comes.

EARLY NOVEMBER: Include hints in your social content about upcoming sales and promos. 

• Build anticipation early with pre-sale benefits (like giveaways). 
• Run mini sales.
• Run different promo types to the ones you plan to run during Black Friday/ Cyber weekend. Example: offer free shipping early in the month, then switch to percentage discounts as you get closer.

NOVEMBER 11 thru THANKSGIVING DAY: Offer discounts for early birds. Continue excitement & anticipation with pre-sale benefits.

BLACK FRIDAY thru CYBER MONDAY (CYBER WEEKEND):

• Black Friday: Make the biggest impact on socials. Share promo codes in your content and be sure to feature sample imagery. See how other creators do it here. 
• Offer a percentage discount promo (ex. 15% off). Run it through Cyber Monday to maximize orders.
• Cyber Monday: Highlight your newest digital products. You might add a bonus gift as part of your listing. Example: a free bonus wallpaper.
• Giving Tuesday (day after Cyber Monday): Thank fans for their support. Offer a giveaway, or an extra discount for the rest of the week.

DECEMBER 1 – 18: Thank fans with more promotions

• Use the beginning of December to continue running other mini sales leading up to the shipping cut-off dates for Christmas. 
• Mid-December onwards is the prime time to start offering digital products. With instant delivery and no shipping or logistics to worry about, there’s every reason to create a variety of digital content. In fact, you can sell digital products up to and through Christmas Day! 

Here’s a free content schedule template you can use for November through the holidays.

We’ve armed you with everything you need to blow your previous holiday sales records away. Stay on course in the Countdown Calendar and utilize the Holiday Resource Hub as your Creator Bible. Get your designs, samples, and promo codes out there, Happy Holidays, and Happy Prospering!