How to Prepare Your Small Business for Black Friday: 16 Proven Strategies to Boost Sales
CONSIDER THIS YOUR 2024 BLACK FRIDAY CHECKLIST
The holiday sales season is just around the corner, and it’s no time to sit back and watch the action from the sidelines. With 30.7 million small businesses in the United States (SBA) driving our economy forward, the stakes have never been higher. This year, online sales are projected to soar by 9.5%, reaching a staggering $271.58 billion (eMarketer). That’s a massive pie, and your business deserves a big slice. So, are you ready to jump in and claim your share? Let’s dive into how you can turn this holiday season into your most profitable one yet!
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What is Black Friday & Cyber Monday?
You’d probably have to be living under a rock to not know what Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are, but just in case… these two days are the Super Bowl of shopping, where people go wild for deals.
For small business owners, it’s a unique opportunity to ramp up sales and bring in new customers. Whether you’re offering services, coaching, consulting, digital products, or courses, getting a jump on your marketing prep is key to making the most of the holiday frenzy.
How did it originate?
You might think, like I did, that the 'black' in Black Friday refers to the old-school ledgers where black ink meant businesses were turning a profit. But the holiday as it is often referred to as now, has a much darker past.
Back in the 1950s, the term “Black Friday” was coined by Philadelphia police to describe the absolute mayhem that hit the city when hordes of suburban shoppers and football fans flooded the city in advance of the Army-Navy game that was always played on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. As the story goes, shoplifters took advantage and made off with merchandise, giving law enforcement a major headache.
Fast forward to 2005, and the National Retail Federation (NRF) decided e-commerce needed its own big day—enter “Cyber Monday.” With Amazon launching in 1994, eBay in 1995, and Walmart’s website in 2000, online shopping was already on the rise, but e-sellers felt left out of the Black Friday revenue boost that was basically guaranteed for brick-and-mortar stores.
These days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have gone global, kicking off the holiday shopping season with a bang. But here’s the kicker: shoppers aren’t waiting until the day after Thanksgiving anymore. A recent survey found that over half of consumers start their holiday shopping or at least start hunting for Black Friday deals as early as October (RetailMeNot).
So yeah, the stakes are high, and the competition is fierce, but don’t worry—I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve to help your small business stand out against the big dogs!
This post is sponsored by Teachable, the platform we trust to host and sell our digital products and courses. We do earn an affiliate payment at no extra cost to you. Read our affiliate disclaimer.
How to Prepare for Holiday Promotions
The holiday shopping season is a marathon, not a sprint, and the businesses that start strong are the ones that finish strong. With consumers beginning their shopping as early as October, your strategy should be to get ahead of the game. From crafting irresistible offers to fine-tuning your marketing channels, there’s a lot you can do to ensure your small business doesn’t just compete—but thrives. Let’s break down the key steps to preparing for the holiday rush.
Start Early - Holiday Shopping Starts in October
Timing is everything. By October, shoppers are already on the lookout for deals, and your business should be ready to meet them. Get your holiday promotions in front of potential customers early, so you’re top of mind when they’re ready to buy. Whether it’s a teaser campaign or early-bird discounts, starting your marketing efforts now can help you capture a larger share of the holiday pie.
For us it starts with the actual offer prep. Making sure we have a no-brainer offer that people absolutely cannot pass up. Logistically, we get the product, sales page and even pricing set up months in advance inside Teachable.
Curious why I’m loyal to this platform even after 8 years? Checkout my honest Teachable Review here.
Plan a Longer Sales Period
Instead of limiting your promotions to just Black Friday and Cyber Monday, consider extending your sales period. This strategy not only allows you to capture more sales over a longer timeframe but also provides flexibility for customers who might miss out on the initial rush.
Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a growing trend among savvy online businesses—they’re getting a head start by kicking off their promotions in early October. Some start building the hype with teaser campaigns, while others launch their first wave of sales on Halloween (Oct. 31). I’ve even seen businesses that wrap up their deals before Thanksgiving, while others keep the momentum going into the first week of December. This extended approach not only helps in standing out from the crowd but also keeps the revenue rolling in well beyond the typical shopping days.
Stager Sales and Discounts
Using a tool like Teachable, you have the option to stagger sales and discounts. Whether you gradually increase the sales price or take advantage of expiring coupons. The limits are really only as big as your imagination. Consider starting with your biggest discount to reward your most loyal customers and create a bit of FOMO as the discount shrinks the closer we get to the holiday.
Craft an Irresistible BFCM Offer
I think it can be easy to assume the only way to capture the most sales is by slashing prices, but this season is a prime opportunity to stand out by adding value in creative and unexpected ways. Think beyond discounts and consider offering limited-time bonuses, exclusive add-ons, or even bundling products and services can make your offer feel more premium, while still delivering immense value to your customers.
For example, you could create an additional masterclass, offer a limited number of one-on-one coaching sessions, or include exclusive digital downloads that are only available during the BFCM period. With Teachable, adding these extras is a breeze. One of my favorite features to utilize is their "bundle" option. I can pull together a variety of existing products into a brand-new, never-before-seen package, creating a can't-miss opportunity without having to create something entirely from scratch.
Remember, it’s all about making your customers feel like they’re getting something they can’t refuse— whether that’s through added value or an exclusive deal they won’t find at any other time of the year.
Make Your Copy Sell
You could offer the best deal of the year, but if your copy isn’t pulling its weight, you could still hear crickets. Great copy isn’t a “nice-to-have”— it’s a necessity. Your copy is what convinces potential buyers that your offer is the one they’ve been waiting for, and it’s your biggest tool for turning curious browsers into paying customers
Here’s the truth: your job isn’t to rattle off a list of product features. Sure, it’s nice to know…
How many pages
How many hours of video
How many downloads
But none of that will make your offer irresistible on its own. Instead, your copy should zero in on the outcome—the real, tangible transformation your product will create in your customers’ lives. What problem are you solving? How will your product or service make their life easier, better, or more successful?
Think about your copy as a conversation with your ideal customer. You’re speaking directly to their pain points, their goals, and their dreams. Instead of listing features, paint a picture of what success looks like after they’ve invested in your offer. For example:
Instead of “10 hours of video,” say “easy-to-follow lessons that will help you master [skill] and start seeing results immediately.”
Instead of “20-page guide,” say “a step-by-step roadmap that will take you from confused to confident in just a few hours.”
You’re selling a transformation—so make sure your copy reflects that. Tap into your customer’s desires, address their objections before they even ask, and create a sense of urgency. Why do they need to act now? What will they miss out on if they don’t?
Don’t forget to lean on social proof too. Testimonials, reviews, and success stories from past customers can be powerful motivators, helping to build trust and demonstrate the value of what you’re offering. Combine that with clear, benefit-driven language, and you’ll have copy that does the heavy lifting for you.
At the end of the day, great copy convinces, compels, and converts. So take the time to make sure every word is working toward closing the sale!
Think About the Whole Customer Journey
To maximize your Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, you can’t just focus on the front end— you need to think about every touchpoint along your customer’s journey, from discovery to checkout. This is where tools like Teachable can truly shine, ensuring your customers have a seamless experience and boosting your sales potential.
Hosting/Checkout
First impressions count, and with Teachable your hosting and checkout processes will be smooth, professional, and easy to navigate. Whether you’re offering a digital product, course, or coaching package, your customers can check out quickly and securely—no more waiting for you to send a custom quote. They can make a purchase as soon as they’re ready, reducing friction and preventing abandoned carts.
With 70-75% of e-commerce traffic coming from mobile devices, it’s essential to have an optimized experience. Teachable ensures you have a seamless checkout process on any device, making it easy for customers to complete their purchase wherever they are. For more on how Teachable’s checkout system can benefit your business, check out my Teachable Review.
Cross-Selling
Cross-selling is all about offering your customers complementary products or services that enhance their experience. Using Teachable, you can recommend related products during checkout, in follow-up emails, or even as upgrades once they are inside. For example, if someone is buying a course, you could cross-sell additional resources, like templates or coaching sessions, that help them implement what they’ve learned. This strategy not only increases your sales but also provides extra value to your customers.
Order Bumps
Order bumps are one of my favorite strategies to increase revenue, and Teachable makes it incredibly easy to implement. Think of them as mini-upsells: during the checkout process, you offer a low-cost, high-value add-on (like a workbook or bonus module) that complements the main purchase. Since it’s a one-click option, many customers will jump at the chance to add extra value to their cart—boosting your bottom line without requiring a hard sell.
Upselling
Upselling is about encouraging customers to upgrade their purchase to something even more valuable. With Teachable, you can easily present upsell offers after the initial purchase—whether it’s an advanced course, exclusive access to content, or a bundled package. By offering these premium upgrades, you’re not only increasing your revenue but also providing customers with an enhanced experience tailored to their needs.
When thinking about the entire customer journey, tools like Teachable allow you to create seamless touchpoints that drive higher sales and provide more value. You don’t have to create everything from scratch— just use the tools at your disposal to build a thoughtful journey that helps both you and your customers win.
Reward Loyal Customers
Your existing customers are your biggest advocates and, during the BFCM period, rewarding their loyalty can pay off in spades. Consider offering them early access to your deals, exclusive discounts, or a special "VIP-only" offer that they can’t find elsewhere. Showing them you value their business can turn them into repeat buyers during the holiday season and beyond.
You could even offer referral incentives, encouraging loyal customers to spread the word about your BFCM offers. With tools like Teachable, it’s easy to offer affiliate opportunities and even automatically pay people out by taking advantage of their Back Office features.
Double Down on Your Top Sales Channels
Instead of trying to be everywhere, focus on the sales channels that have performed best for your business in the past. Whether it’s email marketing, social media, or webinars, doubling down on these channels will help you get the most out of your BFCM campaigns.
If email is your strong suit, make sure to craft a series of engaging messages leading up to and during the event. If social media is where your audience thrives, plan strategic posts or consider a paid ad campaign to build excitement and drive traffic to your site.
Leverage Chatbots to Drive Conversion
Chatbots can act as your personal sales assistant during BFCM, answering customer questions, providing product recommendations, and guiding visitors toward making a purchase. With real-time engagement, chatbots can clear up confusion quickly, helping to reduce cart abandonment. For businesses that don’t have a dedicated customer support team, a chatbot can help scale your customer service efforts during the holiday rush.
Maybe you aren’t ready to roll out that level of tech. I get it. You can still keep things simple by implementing something like my 2-click funnel. When someone engages with a post on social, commenting a keyword on an Instagram Reel, you can automatically send them a message with the direct link to your offer using a tool like ManyChat. This not only saves you time, but boosts your engagement, which organically will increase your reach.
Integrate Social Proof and Testimonials
Adding social proof in the form of testimonials, reviews, or case studies can give hesitant buyers the nudge they need to purchase. Showcase stories from past customers who loved your product or service, especially if they achieved notable results.
Retarget Past Visitors and Customers
Retargeting ads are a powerful way to bring back customers who visited your site but didn’t make a purchase. During BFCM, these ads can be even more effective, especially when paired with time-sensitive deals or discounts. You can also retarget past customers who haven’t bought from you in a while by sending them personalized emails with special offers just for them.
Plan and Launch Your Email Marketing Campaigns Early
Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to drive sales. According to Custora, more than 25% of Black Friday sales start with an email. Plan your email campaigns well in advance, starting with teaser emails in early October to build excitement. By the time Black Friday and Cyber Monday roll around, your audience will be primed to buy. Use segmentation to target different groups of your list, and be sure to include clear calls to action that guide them to your offers.
Want more tips on how to build your email list and structure effective sales funnels? Check out Email List Jumpstart.
Increase Conversion with Buy Now, Pay Later
Flexible payment options like Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) are becoming increasingly popular with consumers, and integrating them into your checkout process can significantly reduce friction. In fact, according to a report by PYMNTS, nearly 50% of Generation Z and millennial consumers have used BNPL in the past 12 months. The BNPL has grown to over $349.3 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2023 (GlobalData). US consumers who used BNPL spent 48% more on Black Friday than shoppers using other payment methods (PYMNTS). On Cyber Monday alone, consumers used BNPL to pay for $940 million worth of online purchases (Adobe).
Teachable offers integrations with popular BNPL providers like AfterPay and Klarna, allowing your customers to split their payments over time. Offering this flexibility not only makes your products more accessible but can also increase conversions, particularly for higher-ticket items like courses or coaching packages.
Prep for Customer Support
With the holiday rush, it’s important to have customer support systems in place. Pre-draft canned responses for FAQs that you can easily customize based on individual inquiries. Whether you’re personally providing email support, utilizing a chatbot, or leveraging a team of virtual assistants, make sure customers can get help quickly and efficiently. This is especially critical during time-sensitive promotions like BFCM.
Create Contingency Plans
Even with the best preparation, things can still go sideways— whether it’s a website crash, payment processor failure, or an unexpected curveball. Having contingency plans in place is crucial, especially during the high-stakes holiday season.
During BFCM, I take this a step further by pre-writing, pre-scheduling, and getting as far ahead as possible. It’s not just about having a backup plan; it’s about having a system running smoothly in the background, so I don’t have to hit every button or make every decision in the heat of the moment. The more you can automate and prepare in advance, the more you’ll be able to handle the inevitable bumps in the road with ease.
Test Your Checkout Experience
Before the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, test your entire checkout process. Make sure the experience is quick, intuitive, and error-free, especially on mobile devices. The more seamless the checkout, the less likely customers are to abandon their carts.
I can’t tell you how often going through this process, I’ve found spelling errors, missing links or confirmation sequences that weren’t toggled “on.” When possible I like to delegate the testing to someone who didn’t directly set it up. A person with an outside perspective is more likely to catch the little things my eyes may be glazing over.
Monitor Analytics in Real Time for Actionable Insights
Your analytics can provide real-time insights that help you make quick adjustments. Tools like Teachable allow you to track key sales data, but to get the full picture, you’ll also want to monitor your website traffic, social media engagement, email open rates, and click-throughs. By watching for patterns—like high cart abandonment rates, spikes in product sales, or even engagement dips—you can make quick adjustments to your offers, messaging, or promotions. Tracking these insights will help you react swiftly, optimize your strategy on the fly, and ultimately capture more sales throughout the holiday season.
Reflect on What Worked and What Didn’t
Once BFCM is over, take time to review the results. Analyze what strategies worked well and where there’s room for improvement. This post-event reflection will give you valuable insights that you can use to refine your strategy for next year— or even for upcoming sales events throughout the holiday season or New Year promotions.
This holiday season presents an incredible opportunity for small businesses to generate significant sales. But your success comes down to your preparation.
There is only so much strategy I can put in a blog post. I have a LOT more to share with you. I want to invite you to take my One Day Launch Challenge. Inside we are going to create your irresistible offer and get it ready for launch—this is your Digital Product Fast Track.
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Craft Your Specific Promo Offer
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Debrief Your Promo & Learn From What Worked
I’ve worked with over 37,613+ students from all over the world. I know the ins and outs of what makes or breaks a business. And having a way to attract ideal clients, get PAID to bring in leads and align them to your next (or future) offers. That’s the kind of thing that doesn’t just keep a business in business, but creates a sustainable future.
I’m here to help you make the most of this holiday season. I’m sharing all my secrets. We’re talking strategies that have gone on to sell more than $3.14M in just entry-point digital products alone.
Ready? Let’s do it, together!
