WhatsApp Black Friday strategy: attract & retain customers

A new marketing channel needs knowledge to make it a success. Follow our WhatsApp marketing strategy to approach Black Friday in the right way.

As WhatsApp is a relatively new marketing channel for most businesses, we realise how important it is for marketers to understand how the channel works, how best to approach it, how to share work amongst their team and how to make the most of opportunities like Black Friday.

Our WhatsApp Black Friday strategy

To help you prepare efficiently and generate revenue, here's the 3-step WhatsApp Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) marketing strategy we've shared with our customers to help them maximize success.

1. Plan: set the right foundations for future WhatsApp success
2. Convert: make sales with your Black Friday campaigns
3. Retain: keep reengaging customers long after Black Friday is over

These three steps are tied to a typical customer journey, with actions businesses can take before, during and after Black Friday.

WhatsApp is a holistic channel, with use cases at every stage of the customer journey

The BFCM customer journey in WhatsApp

This is what the customer journey could look like in WhatsApp, before, during and after Black Friday:

There are WhatsApp use cases for every stage of the customer journey, from awareness, to re-engagement to long-term customer relationships

BFCM WhatsApp strategy tips

If you remember anything, remember these three points. Top tips from our success team for each part of the strategy:

Coming Soon: Our new Help Center

We notify all our customers on launch

BFCM WhatsApp checklist

To help you and your team prepare practically, here's a checklist of actions for before, during and after Black Friday:

> Plan: Pre-BFCM checklist

Traditional opt-in push

• Set goal for growing subscribers before BFCM
• Add additional ongoing opt-ins (click-to-chat ads, popups, thank you page, QR codes...)
• Plan one-time subscriber generation campaigns such as refer-a-friend incentives via website, email, social media and other channels

Promote BFCM teaser opt-ins

• Create event-specific designs and opt-in flows
• Put BFCM teasers live
• Observe subscriber collection performance and adjust if needed
  

Growing WhatsApp subscribers will improve your success during BFCM. Change WhatsApp popups and banners on your website to a Black Friday theme. See Jack Wolfskin case study.

> Convert: During BFCM checklist

Prepare campaign details

• Select products for promotion, like bestsellers and seasonal items
• Plan attractive deals like percentage off, buy 1 get 1 free, free shipping
• Outline key dates and deadlines for all campaign activities
• Prepare messaging, templates and optionally visuals

Campaign creation

• Send out teaser campaigns to announce the start of your BFCM deals
  
• Schedule the start of your BFCM campaigns
  
• Create segments for reminder campaigns, like opened but not clicked, clicked but not bought and so on
  
• Activate automated flows like post-purchase flows for order tracking and abandoned cart flows

Monitor and support

• Monitor Meta account quality rating before each sendout
  
• Track engagement, conversion and revenue numbers
  
• Ensure smooth customer service operations to handle incoming inquiries

The possibilities of WhatsApp for Black Week are endless. Talk to your success manager for advice on content, offer and creative.

> Retain: Post-BFCM checklist

Drive loyalty via automation

• Request feedback or a product review to engage customers and gather insights
  
• Promote loyalty programs by inviting customers to join the program, highlighting benefits and rewards
  
• Offer tiered benefits for multiple purchases that encourage repeat purchases
  
• Set up replenishment/post-purchase automation flows to remind customers to stock up if they have not done so in time
  
• Activate personalized upsell and cross-sell automations by offering complementary products or upgrades based on recent purchases

Maintain customer engagement

• Start planning holiday campaigns such as advent calendar surprises, last-day delivery offers, new year promotions
  
• Ensure win-back automations are set up and have gone live to reengage customers who haven’t made a recent purchase – offering them a special discount or incentive to return

Oatsome successfully uses WhatsApp to gather customer reviews. See the case study.

Read more

In this article, we've just touched upon each step of our 3-part strategy for BFCM in WhatsApp. Go to PLAN, CONVERT and RETAIN articles to explore each one in more depth, with examples, best practice advice and customers stories.:

Get the free playbook

And download the full WhatsApp BFCM playbook for a shareable, printable version:

Don't have a WhatsApp marketing platform yet? You'll need one to start using the WhatsApp Business API and start messaging your customers. Get in touch with us now.

Talk to charles

Black Friday 2024 is approaching fast (November 29). If you're thinking about using a WhatsApp marketing channel this year, we recommend you start as early as possible so you have more time to create a winning, long-term strategy and attract subscribers.

Talk to charles to find out how to get started and use cases for your business.