Black Friday is fast approaching, and now is the perfect time to get your store in top shape for the biggest sales event of the year.
Whether you’re selling on Marketplace or from your Pro Page, we have a few tips for you to get ready to take advantage of this year’s rush.
Leverage Canva Integration for Eye-Catching Artwork
When uploading your tracks, it's important to ensure your cover art reflects a consistent and recognizable branding style. With our Canva integration in Studio, you can easily upload Black Friday-specific artwork that promotes the sale you're running. Canva offers a variety of templates that can help spark unique ideas that align with your brand identity.
Here are some ideas for using effective Black Friday templates to jumpstart your creativity this season:
Discounts and Coupon Codes
One of the best ways to show appreciation to your customers—whether you're serving a handful or hundreds—is by offering discounts and coupon codes, especially for Black Friday.
This year, BeatStars is offering an opportunity for you to join our Black Friday campaign by using the code BLACKFRIDAY2024 in any of your promotions between November 27 and December 2. By using this code, your beats will be featured in a dedicated Black Friday section on the Marketplace, giving your work extra visibility.
If you plan to use the Black Friday code, or any other discount codes, keep in mind that last year most Black Friday discounts on the platform ranged between 40-70% off.
When you're ready to incorporate these strategies, go here in Studio.
Maximize Your Email Campaigns
Now is the perfect time to start informing your audience about the exciting deals you’ll be offering. To streamline your email campaigns, you can easily use MailChimp to help you here.
But, before you dive into email marketing, here are some essentials to keep in mind:
Understand Your Email Expectations
MailChimp reports an average email open rate of around 34%. Use this as a benchmark to set realistic expectations for your campaigns. Below are a few key strategies to help you craft more effective emails and improve your open rates.
Craft Compelling Subject Lines
Your subject line is one of the most important elements for boosting open rates. Personalizing subject lines using merge tags (like the recipient’s name or location) can make your emails feel more tailored and increase engagement. Keep your subject lines concise—no more than nine words or 60 characters—and limit punctuation to three marks or fewer, as too much can make your email appear spammy. Emojis can be useful but use them sparingly and only when they enhance the message.
We’ve put together a few potential Black Friday subject lines to hopefully help your emails land in the “Primary” folder in Gmail instead of the “Promotions” folder:
- "Exclusive Black Friday Deals Just for You – Limited Time!"
- “Early Access: Black Friday Savings on Beats You’ll Love"
- “Upgrade Your Sound: Black Friday Deals Inside!"
PRO TIP: Use ChatGPT to brainstorm additional subject lines. Try a prompt like, “Generate 5-10 Black Friday subject lines that will help my emails avoid landing in Gmail’s promotions folder.”
Segment Your Audience for Better Results
Audience segmentation is key to effective email marketing. Instead of sending the same email to your entire list, divide your audience into smaller segments based on factors such as location, purchase history, or genre preferences. This allows you to craft messages that resonate more deeply with each group. For example, offer exclusive discounts to loyal customers who’ve purchased more than five beats, or send targeted promotions to those who only buy during sales events. Tailoring your messages builds stronger relationships and can lead to higher sales.
Focus on Clear Calls to Action (CTAs)
The goal of any email is to drive action, and your call to action (CTA) is how you guide your readers. Whether you want subscribers to visit your store, check out a specific sale, or explore an educational resource, your CTA should be clear and actionable.
A common best practice is to follow a 2:1 ratio for emails: for every two emails that provide value without pushing a sale, send one that promotes a product or service. You can also A/B test different CTAs and placements to determine which approach yields the highest click-through rates.
Amplify Your Reach with Strategic Advertising
To ensure a successful Black Friday, start utilizing digital advertising tools to get your beats in front of the right audience. The goal is to make sure your tracks are everywhere, targeting listeners who are most likely to purchase. Understanding your target demographic, or "customer avatar," is essential for crafting effective ads that speak directly to potential buyers.
Experiment with ads across various platforms, using insights from your top-performing tracks. By gathering feedback on what tracks are the most popular, you can focus on promoting those successful styles and create similar beats to meet demand. Here are a few key platforms to consider:
- Meta (Facebook/Instagram): With robust targeting options, Meta ads can help you reach specific demographics based on interests, behavior, and location.
- Google/YouTube Ads: Google’s expansive network, including YouTube, offers a great opportunity to target potential buyers searching for beats or music-related content.
- TikTok: With the platform’s growing influence in music discovery, running ads on TikTok could expose your beats to a new, younger audience.
- BeatStars Promote: Add more visibility to your tracks by advertising directly to the BeatStars audience.
By diversifying your ad strategy across these platforms, you can increase your visibility and drive more traffic to your store in the lead-up to Black Friday.
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