Tag: black friday

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Creators

Spring’s Holiday Contest Q&A

Since November is about giving thanks, we’re giving away cash prizes with our first annual HOLIDAY CONTEST to reward our hard-working creators! 

You read that right. We’re offering cash prizes to the Spring creators who make the most sales off of promo codes during Black Friday & Cyber Monday. 

We’ve crafted a quick Q&A primer about the contest below, but be sure to check out our official Contest Rules HERE for all the specifics.

Spring’s Holiday Contest Q&A

Can I Enter?

Yes. In fact, you’re already entered because all current Spring creators are automatically eligible to participate! That’s right, you don’t have to enroll, opt in, or attend any Zooms. If you are a current Spring creator, you’re in.*

*Must be a legal resident of the United States, the District of Columbia, Canada (excluding residents of Quebec), the United Kingdom, or Australia, and are at least 18 years old at the beginning of the contest period.

Who Do I Compete Against?

You’ll compete against other similarly ranged creators. We decided to even the field and split participants into groups as follows: 

  1. Those who sold over 85 units in Q3 (GROUP 1) 
  2. Those who sold under 85 units in Q3 (GROUP 2) 

When Does the Contest Take Place?

The contest is happening in 2 Rounds! That’s 2 chances to win! Please note that all times are Eastern Standard Time so you can take advantage of every minute.

  • ROUND 1 BLACK FRIDAY: Starts Midnight (EST) November 24, 2022 and ends 11:59 PM (EST) November 27, 2022 
  • ROUND 2 CYBER MONDAY: Starts Midnight (EST) and ends 11:59 PM (EST) November 28, 2022

Whats the Prize Again?

Cash, baby! Here’s the breakdown:

  • ROUND 1/Group 1 winner gets $10,000! 
  • ROUND 2/Group 1 winner gets $3,000!
  • ROUND 1/Group 2 winner gets $1,500!
  • ROUND 2/Group 2 winner gets $500!

How Does Spring Determine the Winner?

The creator who accumulates the most points within the Round will be the winner. So how do you get points? Each sale in your Spring store by a buyer off of a promo code = 1 POINT. The creator with the most points at the end wins.** 

**Winners will be notified by email and may be required to confirm their Eligibility within 3 business days of the date on the notification or an alternate winner may be selected.

So What’s the Fine Print?

Here’s a bunch of other stuff you should know:

  • You must currently be a Spring Creator to be eligible.
  • Only product purchases made (and paid for) using an authorized promo code during the contest window, from listings within your Spring account, will count as promoted sales under this Contest. 
  • Orders from buyers that are returned or canceled will not be counted for the purposes of this Contest.
  • You don’t need to buy anything yourself in order to enter or win. Your purchases will not increase your chances of winning. Winners are determined entirely by promoted sales to buyers, subject to the rules and conditions listed in the rules.
  • There is no limit to how many different promo codes you may implement. Keep in mind sales made under separate or multiple storefronts or user accounts will not be combined. 
  • Be sure to sell products at or above any applicable minimum sale price requirement (including the promo code discount). Units sold below the minimum sale price  (including discount) will not be counted for the purposes of this Contest.

For more specific rules and all the nitty-gritty click HERE.

GET THOSE PROMO CODES READY

Need a refresher on how to prepare promo codes and redeem them? You can instantly create different types of promo codes and offer discounts all within your Spring dashboard. Check out our How-To Video. 

And if you’d like some guidance on a solid Black Friday Weekend strategy, promotional imagery, top holiday promo hacks, creating a calendar, and preparing promo codes, read our Black Friday Road Map blog.

Best of luck! And as always, hit us up anytime with questions at creator.success@spri.ng 

Categories
Creators Insights

STEPS TO PREP FOR BLACK FRIDAY

The unofficial start to holiday shopping is the day after Thanksgiving, popularly known as Black Friday. But we like to think of it as Green Friday because some creators sell more during the holiday season than the entire year combined! Make this holiday season your most successful yet by planning your Black Friday promotions in advance so you can increase traffic and sales during this pivotal time.

From designing holiday products, to ordering samples and then setting up promo codes, the weeks leading up to Black Friday are vital. Don’t worry if it seems overwhelming—we’ve boiled it down to 3 Simple Steps to Prep for Black Friday!

Your first thought might be, “What is a content & sales calendar?” Seeing your different promotions outlined on a calendar will help you keep track of what you are offering and when. Especially as you might (and should) run multiple sales leading up to Black Friday. For example, you might do a huge sales push the week before, or offer several pre-sales in the weeks leading up—or both!

Here is a suggested timeline:

  • 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. 
  • Mid November – Build excitement & anticipation with pre-sale benefits (like giveaways). 
  • The week before – run mini sales leading up to Black Friday to catch the early bird shoppers.
    • TIP – Run different promo types leading up to Black Friday, such as free shipping in the days leading up and then switch to percentage discounts for your day-of sales.
  • Black Friday – Announce your sale on socials! Offer a percentage discount promo (i.e. 15% off) through Cyber Monday to maximize sales. See how other creators do it here. 
  • December 1st onwards – Start offering digital products as there are no logistics or  shipping deadlines to worry about.

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

DID YOU KNOW THAT FANS WHO VISIT A STORE OFF A PROMO CODE LINK 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. As we said earlier, 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 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.

Why does your social content need to include your sales and promotions? It turns a fan into a shopper then into a customer. And there are a few proven tactics to maximize fans’ attention:

  • Create effective promotional content. Canva is a great tool for creating eye-catching images on social media. Choose from hundreds of templates—just don’t forget to include the promo code, the dates your sale will run, and the discount type. You can also sign up with 20% off using Spring’s partnership with Placeit to create sale announcements. 
  • Feature samples. Crazy Stat Time! Creators who show off samples in promotional content earn as much as 200% more profit from their products! That’s a no brainer. Tag @springforcreators and use the hashtag #CreateShareEarn for the chance to be featured on Spring’s socials. 
  • Use integrations. Make sure fans can easily find your store. Pair social content with a link straight to your listing. Use the YouTube Integration, which shows your products underneath the videos, or set up the Instagram Shopping Integration to tag your products in posts. For an easy start, Sprint’s Linktree Integration is available to all creators.

It’s time to stop reading and start promoting. Your Holiday Customers are waiting! As always, hit us up with any questions at creatorhelp@spri.ng. We’re here for you:-)

Categories
Insights

How to beat shipping cutoff dates this holiday season

We’ve got your back—here’s tips for getting the most out of peak season, while making sure fans receive their orders in time for Christmas.

This year, the holiday selling season is going to be huge. That’s why we’re working to make it run smoothly for you; we’ve sourced inventory to maintain stock levels throughout peak production and coordinated with delivery partners to confirm optimum shipping timelines—everything is in place to ensure your fans’ orders arrive on time for December 25th.  

But don’t let the cutoff dates hold you back, learn how to extend your selling period all the way through peak selling season. 

2021 Christmas delivery cutoff dates

Take note of the important dates below. Fans need to place orders for physical products (i.e. hoodies, t-shirts, water bottles, etc.) by the standard shipping date to receive their order in time for Christmas. After the standard cutoff date, they should select rush shipping at checkout to get their order in time for December 25th. Make sure to mention these dates as you’re promoting products to your fans—this can create a sense of urgency and help you drive more sales.

Don’t forget we’ll communicate estimated delivery dates to your fans at checkout, in order confirmation emails, and in order status updates—so they should be informed of their order status every step of the way. 

How to extend your peak selling period 

There’s lots of ways to max your profits from now through December 25th—and you get going now. There’s two ways: start running sales from now through to shipping cutoffs, then push your digital product promotion hard right up to Christmas.

Start running sales (like, now) 

It’s proven that offering a discount can increase sales by 60%. Don’t wait for Cyber Weekend—last year orders began to spike as early as November 1st. Start promoting those early bird discounts and extend your peak selling period ASAP. Learn how creators are running successful sales in our guide now. Also, don’t miss our Cyber Weekend Guide for more tips.

Create promo codes

Go digital for the holidays (what cutoff dates?)

Promoting digital products is the smartest way to keep profits coming in right up to 25th December. With instant delivery, there’s no shipping to worry about.

Already selling digital products? You can “holidize” them to put a new spin on a successful product. New to digital products? No worries, find digital inspo below, as well as free templates and tools. No design experience required.

What’s selling right now

Categories
Insights

The Black Friday weekend road map

The secret to a monumental Black Friday weekend: plan a solid strategy. It’s not as overwhelming as it sounds—here, we’ll break it down for you. 

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest selling days of the year, and Spring is no different. Creators who offer discounts during this weekend can double their sales. 

Make sure you’re prepared for the Cyber weekend. So what does that mean?

First things first, get your holiday products designed and sample orders in by October 10th, so you can start promoting ASAP. Take note of the shipping cutoff dates too, so you can make sure fans receive their orders by Christmas. There’s three key tasks to remember:

  1. Fill out a content and sales calendar 
  2. Prepare promo codes
  3. Create promotional imagery

Create a calendar 

Content and sales calendars can be super helpful, as 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 social, and so forth.

We recommend having yours ready by November 1st. Here’s a free template:

Free content schedule template

Important dates 

NOVEMBER 11 – 25TH: Discounts for early birds
  • Build anticipation early with pre-sale benefits (like giveaways). 
  • Include hints about what is coming up, as well as run mini sales leading up to the Cyber weekend.
  • Run different promo types to the ones you plan to run during the Cyber weekend. E.g.  offer free shipping in the days leading up, then percentage discounts for your Cyber weekend sale.

NOVEMBER 26TH – NOVEMBER 30TH: Cyber Weekend
  • Black Friday (11/26): 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 (11/29): Highlight your newest digital products. You might add a bonus gift as part of your listing. I.e. a free bonus wallpaper.
  • Giving Tuesday (11/30): Thank fans for their support. Think giveaways, an extra special discount until the rest of the week, and more.

DECEMBER 1ST – 18TH: Thank fans with more promotions
  • Use the beginning of December to continue running other mini sales leading up to the shipping cut-off dates. 
  • From December 1st 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. 

Preparing promo codes

Prepare your promo codes within the ‘Promotions’ section of your dashboard. Line up your promo codes in advance, and simply switch them on when you’re ready. Find out more about creating promotions here.

Promo codes can be applied to all of your products. You’ll need to ensure there’s enough profit margin to support the promo—no matter what product is being purchased. 

Create a promo code

Top holiday promo hacks

1) Create effective promotional content. Click the image below to see how creators are announcing their sales on socials. 

2) 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—find inspo here. Don’t forget to tag @springforcreators and use the hashtag #CreateShareEarn for the chance to be featured on Spring’s socials. 

3) Use free tools to create promos. Sign up with 20% off using Spring’s partnership with Placeit to create sale announcements. Canva is a great tool for creating eye-catching images to share on social media. There are hundreds of templates—just don’t forget to include the promo code, the dates your sale will run, and the discount type.

4) 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.