The Ultimate Black Friday Traffic Campaign Checklist

Introduction

Welcome to the Black Friday Growth Guide Series, your ultimate roadmap to e-commerce success during the year's busiest shopping season. Over the next two months, we will dive deep into the strategies, tactics, and tools that can significantly impact your Black Friday campaigns.

Today, Black Friday is not merely a one-day shopping event; it has expanded into a season in its own right. To thrive amidst this highly competitive environment, you must have a comprehensive strategy covering every aspect, from pinpointing your target audience to fine-tuning your campaign for maximum impact. This is where our Black Friday Growth Guide series comes into play.

This series will guide you through each step of your Black Friday journey. We'll emphasize the critical importance of early preparations, exploring how securing inventory and refining your marketing strategy can set the stage for success. We'll also provide insights into essential e-commerce strategies to boost your sales during the Black Friday season, from optimizing your website for a seamless shopping experience to creating irresistible promotions.

This blog will provide essential insights and strategies for e-commerce success during the highly competitive Black Friday shopping season. This blog covers various topics and critical components to help businesses prepare for and optimize their Black Friday campaigns.

What you will read:

• Introduction
• Before Campaign Launch
• After One Week of the Campaign Period
• Disadvantages of Lookalike and Interest-Based Targeting
• Is There Any Better Audience Section?
• Why Manual Optimization and Monitoring is Complicated
• Why Do AI Ads Make Everything Better
• Conclusion

Before campaign launch

Campaign setup:

For optimal outcomes during this Black Friday season, we suggest the following settings and options for your Facebook traffic campaigns.

Adset attribution:

7 Day Click or 7 Day Click 1 Day View

When choosing between attribution models for Facebook ad campaigns, it's essential to understand the differences and consider your campaign goals. These attribution models impact how Facebook assigns conversion credit to different touchpoints along the customer journey. Here's what each our recommended attribution models means and why you might choose one over the other for Black Friday traffic campaigns:

• 7-Day Click Attribution - Simplified: In the "7-Day Click" model on Facebook, they give all the credit to the last ad that someone clicked before they took an action, like making a purchase. It only looks back 7 days. So, if someone clicked on your ad and then bought something within a week, that ad gets all the credit. This model is good if you want to see how quickly your ads lead to results.
• 7-Day Click 1-Day View Attribution - Simplified: In the "7-Day Click 1-Day View" model, Facebook still focuses on the last ad click within a week, just like before. But, it also gives some credit to ads that people saw but didn't click within a day. So, if someone saw your ad, didn't click, but still bought something the next day, both the last click and the ad view get some credit. This model is for when people might need more than one look at your ads before they decide to buy, and you want to acknowledge the role of ad views in conversions.

When deciding on a model for your Black Friday traffic campaigns, you have two options:

• 7-Day Click Attribution: Choose this if your Black Friday campaign is all about getting quick results. It helps you see how your ads directly lead to sales. This works well when people don't take long to make a purchase after clicking your ad. However, it doesn't give much credit to ads they just looked at but didn't click.
• 7-Day Click 1-Day View Attribution: If your Black Friday campaign is more complex, where people might need to see your ads a few times before buying, this model is better. It looks at both ad clicks and views. So, even if someone didn't click but saw your ad and bought something within a day, it considers both actions. This is useful for understanding how your ads influence people over a slightly longer period.

We say it's a good idea to test both attribution models to see which aligns better with your campaign objectives and provides more valuable insights into your ad performance during Black Friday or other promotional periods.

Ad types: Determine which types of ads perform best. Evaluate the differences between text ads, image ads, video ads, and other ad formats.

Campaign objectives: When planning your campaign, it's essential to clarify your objectives. If your primary goal is to attract more visitors and drive traffic to your website, we recommend setting "Link Click" as your campaign objective. This choice focuses on increasing the number of users clicking through to your site, making it the ideal option for campaigns that aim to boost website traffic and broaden your online reach.

When you are charged

Differences Between Link Click and Impression Strategies in Facebook Advertising Campaigns

When creating your Facebook ad campaigns, you may choose between two essential optimization strategies: "Link Click" and "Impression". Here's a guide to the differences between these two approaches and when you should choose which one:

Link Click Optimization

• Objective: Link Click optimization focuses on maximizing clicks on your ad by your targeted audience. This is useful to increase your website traffic or drive visitors to a specific target page.
• Pricing: Link Click optimization charges per click (CPC - Cost Per Click). This means that you only pay when you get a click. No click, no charge.
• Challenges: This strategy requires more engagement and may need more work to get clicks in some industries or target audiences.

Impression Optimization

• Objective: Impression optimization focuses on increasing the number of views of your ad. This can be useful when you want to increase brand awareness and reach large audiences or when you want to show a unique message frequently.
• Pricing: Impression optimization charges on a CPM (Cost Per 1,000 Impressions) basis. This means you must pay every 1,000 times your ad is viewed.
• Challenges: This strategy is not click-focused, so users may view your ad without clicking. This may not be suitable for campaigns with a click-through goal.

Which Strategy Should You Choose?

Your choice should depend on the purpose and goals of your campaign. Link Click optimization may be suitable for campaigns aiming to drive traffic to your website and conversions. Impression optimization suits campaigns that aim to get more views and reach a large audience.

It is also essential to regularly monitor your campaign performance and adjust your advertising strategy as needed. This is how you can ensure the best use of your advertising budget.

In conclusion, Impression optimization is an attractive option when you want to optimize fast, reach a large audience, increase brand awareness, and reduce costs. But every campaign is different, so you should choose the best optimization strategy considering your goals and target audience.

Placements

Placements refer to the locations where your advertisements can be displayed. Your choice of campaign objective determines where your ads can potentially show up, including Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and the Meta Audience Network. The availability of these placements depends on your specific ad type and configuration, so not all placements are applicable to every ad.

Utilizing multiple placements broadens the reach of your ad, which can lead to enhanced advertising outcomes. Importantly, expanding your placements doesn't increase the cost of your advertisement. Suppose you're promoting a post from your Facebook Page or personal profile. In that case, your ad will automatically be included in multi-advertiser ad options, but you have the option to opt out using Ads Manager.

Creative Preparation (Creative Content)

Create creative content for your Black Friday campaigns. This content should be visually appealing. Product photos, promotional banners, and compelling headlines will help make your ads appealing. Product photos and other contents should be ready before the campaign period.

Budget and Resource Allocation

Determine the budget and resources you can allocate to your campaigns. You may also need additional staff, software, or other resources on which platforms and how much you plan to spend.

UTM Preparation

UTM tags play a vital role in the tracking and analysis of your campaigns. They enable you to distinguish between sources, campaigns, and conversions by creating unique tags for each campaign, ad, and link. Utilizing UTM links is a valuable practice as it provides crucial insights for post-campaign evaluation, including metrics like sales and overall campaign performance.

To create a UTM link, you can follow this simple format:
https://example.com/your-page?utm_source=source&utm_medium=medium&utm_campaign=campaignname&utm_term=keyword&utm_content=advariant

Here's what each element signifies:

• Source (utm_source): This indicates the specific source of your traffic, such as Facebook, a newsletter, or Google Ads.
• Medium (utm_medium): It represents the type of traffic, like CPC, email, or social media.
• Campaign (utm_campaign): This field is for naming your campaign.
• Term (utm_term): If you're running paid search campaigns, you can use this to track the keywords.
• Content (utm_content): This part is helpful for distinguishing different ads or links within the same campaign.

Conversion Tracking and Evaluation

Use conversion tracking codes to track the success of your ad campaigns. Evaluate this data regularly to see which campaigns are bringing in how many conversions and which are performing better.

Identify Audience: Clearly define your target audience. Decide which audiences to focus on, such as your existing customers, potential customers, or people with specific demographics.

Lookalike Audiences: Create lookalike audiences based on your existing customer base. This can help you reach new potential customers who resemble the characteristics of your current customers.

Interest-Based Targeting: Using interest-based targeting, adjust your ads based on the interests of your target audience. For example, you can use keywords related to electronic products to target those interested in electronic products.

AI-Powered Lookalike Audiences: Consider the remarkable capabilities of AI-driven Lookalike Audiences. These audiences leverage advanced algorithms to predict and target individuals who exhibit behaviors and preferences similar to your existing customers. It's like having an intelligent assistant that continually refines your audience segments, helping you discover and engage with potential customers more effectively.

With these steps in mind, you can build your strategy to successfully manage your Black Friday campaigns and make data-driven decisions to improve your campaign results. It is important to use tracking and reporting tools to measure and analyze the success of your campaign.

In conclusion, effective Black Friday campaigns require a strategic approach encompassing ad placements, creative content, budget allocation, UTM tracking, conversion monitoring, audience identification, lookalike targeting, and interest-based ad customization. These steps enable businesses to reach their target audience, maximize conversions, and make data-driven decisions to enhance campaign performance. Regular monitoring and analyzing campaign data are pivotal in achieving success in Black Friday marketing.

Audience List

Facebook offers a range of audience targeting options, two of which are particularly powerful: Interest Audiences and AI (Artificial Intelligence) Audiences. We will explore these two audience types and how to use them effectively in your Facebook ad campaigns.

Interest Audiences

Interest Audiences are a fundamental targeting option on Facebook. This option allows you to reach users based on their interests, behaviors, and preferences. It relies on the data users share with Facebook, including pages they like, posts they engage with, and demographic information. Here's how to create and utilize Interest Audiences effectively:

• Demographics: Start by narrowing down your audience based on age, gender, location, and language. This helps you reach people more interested in your products or services.
• Interests and Behaviors: Define your audience by selecting specific interests, hobbies, behaviors, and preferences. For instance, if you're selling fitness products, you might target individuals interested in "fitness," "weightlifting," or "healthy living."
• Lookalike Audiences: Consider creating Lookalike Audiences based on your existing customers' characteristics. Facebook will find users who resemble your current audience.

Comparing Interest and AI Audiences

Now that we've explored both Interest and AI Audiences let's compare their strengths and use cases:

Interest Audiences:

• Great for targeting based on known interests and demographics.
• Effective for reaching a broad audience with specific interests.
• Ideal for businesses with established products or services.

AI Audiences:

• Powerful for identifying potential customers based on predictive analytics.
• Excellent for companies with complex customer profiles.
• It is ideal for optimizing ad spend by reaching users likely to convert.

Conclusion

Interest Audiences and AI Audiences are valuable tools in your Facebook ad campaign strategy. The choice between them depends on your specific goals and the nature of your business. Interest Audiences are well-suited for targeting users based on known preferences, while AI Audiences leverage predictive analytics to identify potential customers based on their behaviors and preferences.

After one week of the campaign period

One week into your Black Friday campaign, it's essential to regularly monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the campaign's progress and make necessary adjustments. Here are some critical KPIs to focus on:

Brand Lift: Brand lift signifies a noticeable improvement in how your audience perceives and recognizes your company. It takes into account various factors, such as user sentiments about your brand, their ability to recall it, and their willingness to endorse or make purchases from it. It's important to note that Facebook ads don't directly provide data on these metrics. Obtaining insights into brand lift often requires methods like surveys, research studies, and focus groups to gather data.

Impressions: In the realm of Facebook Ads, impressions represent the total number of times an ad is displayed to users. Two crucial points should be highlighted regarding impressions. Firstly, impressions are counted every time the ad appears on the screen, regardless of whether the user actively engages with it. Secondly, multiple instances of the same user viewing the ad can contribute to the impression count, meaning that impressions don't equate to the number of distinct individuals your ad reaches.

Reach: Reach, similar to impressions, quantifies the frequency of ad views. However, it distinguishes itself by measuring the total count of unique users who have come across your ad. It's important to emphasize that a view is registered each time the ad appears on the screen, regardless of whether the user interacts with it.

Click-Through Rate (CTR): CTR is a critical metric that calculates the percentage of users who click on your ad in relation to the total number of users who have viewed it. An ideal CTR can vary depending on your industry and campaign objectives, but typically, a higher CTR suggests that your ad is resonating well with your target audience. To monitor CTR effectively, regularly track it throughout your campaign and optimize your ad content and targeting to maintain or increase it. A well-optimized CTR signifies an ad that is both appealing and relevant to your audience.

Cost Per Click (CPC): CPC signifies the cost incurred for each click on your ad. An optimal CPC can depend on your budget and advertising goals, but generally, a lower CPC is more cost-effective. To manage CPC effectively, keep an eye on it and work on improving the quality and relevance of your ads. Reducing CPC while maintaining performance indicates efficient budget management and higher cost-efficiency in your campaign.

Cost Per Mille (CPM): CPM represents the cost associated with displaying your ad to 1,000 users. A lower CPM is generally more cost-effective. To monitor CPM effectively, compare it across different campaigns or ad sets to identify where you can reach a fixed number of users most efficiently. Reducing CPM while maintaining your reach indicates improved cost-efficiency in your advertising efforts.

Ad Frequency: Ad frequency measures how often users see your ad. An optimal ad frequency can vary based on your campaign, but generally, you want to maintain a balance to prevent ad fatigue. Too high of a frequency can lead to diminishing returns as users may become annoyed or desensitized to your ad. Monitor ad frequency to ensure it doesn't exceed an optimal level based on your campaign goals and audience size.

Cost Per 100 Reach: Cost per 100 reach evaluates the cost-effectiveness of reaching 100 unique users with your ad. An ideal cost per 100 reach can vary based on your budget and objectives, but generally, lower is better. To monitor this KPI effectively, analyze how efficiently your campaign reaches unique users within your budget constraints. A decreasing cost per 100 reach suggests improved cost-effectiveness in reaching your target audience.

Disadvantages of Lookalike and Interest-Based Targeting for Black Friday Campaigns

When planning Black Friday campaigns, lookalike and interest-based targeting can have disadvantages. Here are reasons not to use these options:

Disadvantages of Lookalike Targeting:

• Data Limitations: Lookalike targeting is usually based on your existing customer data. So, it's more difficult for new and small businesses to use this type of targeting because they may need more customer data.
• Risk of Making the Same Mistakes Again: If your existing customer base is making mistakes or targeting incorrectly, lookalike targeting can cause them to repeat those mistakes.
• A More General Audience: Lookalike targeting often focuses on a more general audience and can make more specific targeting difficult.

Disadvantages of Interest-Based Targeting:

• Ad Fatigue: With interest-based targeting, repeatedly showing the same ads to people with the same interests is risky. This can cause ad fatigue and lead to users losing interest.

Is there any better audience section?

Yes, absolutely. Meet Enhencer,
Enhencer is an online platform that automatically collects and analyzes your website visitor data. Using sophisticated AI algorithms, Enhencer segments the visitor based on their behavior and likelihood of purchasing something from the website. In other words, based on the website visitors' behavior, Enhencer provides the most relevant and optimized target audience for all your marketing campaigns.

Enhencer is a tool designed to boost the Conversion Rate and ROAS of paid marketing campaigns on online ad platforms like Facebook Ads, Google Adwords, Criteo, etc. With Enhencer, you can:

• Automatically collect and analyze visitor data from your e-commerce website.
• Segment your website visitors based on their behavior.
• Use these segmented audiences as target audiences for your marketing campaigns on various online ad platforms.

Enhencer is primarily designed for:

• Performance marketers and managers: Those responsible for optimizing and managing paid marketing campaigns.
• E-commerce companies: Businesses of all sizes that aim to increase their e-commerce sales through online advertising platforms like Facebook Ads, Google Adwords, and Criteo.

Enhencer is beneficial for professionals and businesses seeking to enhance the effectiveness of their online advertising efforts and drive better results.

Why manual optimization and monitoring is complicated?

Manual optimization and monitoring for Black Friday can be complicated due to several reasons specific to this high-stakes shopping event:

• Data Overload: Black Friday generates massive amounts of data, challenging manual tracking and analysis.
• Time Sensitivity: The limited time frame of Black Friday demands constant attention for timely adjustments.
• Complex Campaigns: Elaborate campaign structures, multiple ad sets, and diverse creatives require meticulous manual management.
• Multi-Channel Management: Coordinating campaigns across various marketing channels can be daunting.
• Competition: Fierce competition necessitates swift adjustments that manual management may need help to achieve.
• Scale: Reaching a broad audience is expected, making manual tasks labour-intensive.
• Real-Time Adaptation: Quick responses to customer behaviors are vital, which manual adjustments may not deliver
• Data Analysis: Accurate data analysis from multiple sources can be challenging for those without deep data expertise.
• Subjectivity: Manual decisions can be influenced by personal biases or data interpretations, impacting outcomes.

Given these complexities, businesses often opt for automated solutions and AI to efficiently manage their Black Friday campaigns and effectively respond to data insights. AI can process data in real time, predict changes, and handle the scale of Black Friday campaigns more efficiently than manual efforts.

Why do AI ads make everything better?

Artificial intelligence (AI) significantly makes Facebook ad campaigns more effective and efficient in several ways. Here are some reasons why AI-powered ads can make everything better in a Facebook ad campaign:

1. Audience Targeting: AI algorithms can better analyze vast amounts of user data to understand user preferences, behaviors, and demographics. This enables precise audience targeting, ensuring your ads reach the most relevant people and increasing the likelihood of conversions.
2. Ad Personalization: AI can help tailor ad content to individual users. This personalization increases engagement and conversion rates because users are more likely to respond to ads relevant to their interests and needs.
3. Budget Optimization: AI algorithms can adjust your ad budget in real time, allocating more resources to high-performing ads or audiences and reducing spend on underperforming ones. This ensures that you get the most out of your advertising budget.
4. Performance Analysis: AI can provide detailed insights and analytics about your ad campaign's performance. This helps advertisers understand what's working.
5. Dynamic Ads: AI can create dynamic ads that automatically display products or content tailored to the user's interests and browsing history. This can significantly improve ad relevance.

While AI can enhance the effectiveness of Facebook ad campaigns, using these tools responsibly and ethically is essential. Additionally, monitoring and optimizing your ad campaigns remains crucial for success, even when AI is involved.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, as we wrap up this Black Friday blog, it's clear that success in e-commerce during this bustling shopping season requires a well-thought-out strategy and a keen focus on the critical components we've discussed.

From choosing the right ad attribution model to optimizing your ad types and campaign objectives, early preparations are essential. Creative content, budget allocation, UTM tracking, conversion monitoring, audience identification, and advanced targeting techniques like Lookalike and Interest Audiences are critical elements to consider. Additionally, we introduced you to Enhencer, a tool that harnesses AI to simplify audience segmentation and optimization.

Furthermore, we explored the importance of monitoring KPIs and adjusting your strategy as the campaign progresses, with a focus on brand lift, impressions, and reach. We also highlighted the potential drawbacks of Lookalike and Interest-Based targeting.

Lastly, we discussed the complexities of manual optimization and why AI can be a game-changer, making Black Friday campaigns more efficient, data-driven, and responsive to the fast-paced nature of this event.

As you embark on your Black Friday journey, remember that each business is unique, and your strategy should be tailored to your specific goals and audience. Best of luck with your Black Friday campaigns, and may your sales fly to new heights!