Ready, Set, BFCM 2023: Preparing Your Brand for the Big Event

[Trevor]

Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) 2023is on the horizon. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned seller, now is the time to revisit your branding basics. Your website is a crucial part of your customer's journey, so let's ensure it's set up for success. Here are some must-haves:

Define Your Mission

Every successful brand has a mission. Even smaller brands need an aspiration, no matter how modest. Before you decide what you're going to sell, think about what you're passionate about. What product matters to you, and why?

For inspiration, look atShopify’s list of popular products in 2023. Find your passion, determine why others should share it, and express your mission on your“About Us” page.This will be the beating heart of your brand, your North Star, your guide. Here are a few examples to help get the creative juices flowing:

• Flourist.comhas a simple aim: to “reclaim freshness” in milling organic flour.
• Beneath Your Maskthe purpose started from a personal place.
• bebemossthe goal is to provide sustainable jobs with fair pay to stay-at-home mothers and refugees.

Know Your Customers

有一个clear picture of your customers is crucial.If you try to appeal to everyone, you will appeal to no one.Shopify has a fantastic blog post onidentifying your target audience, along with a free tutorial on creatingCustomer Avatars,a representation of your ideal customer. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you get started:

• What social media do they use?
• Who/what influences their decisions?
• Are they confident about shopping online?
• Are they from a particular demographic?
• What music/art/books do they like?

Develop a Content & Marketing Plan

With your mission and target audience defined, it's time to think about content and marketing. You need to develop a marketing plan and decide how you're going to start a conversation with your customers. Shopify’s guide tocreating an effective marketing funnelis a great resource. Here are a few other ways you can market!

• Will youcreate a blog?
• Will youstart a YouTube channel?
• Maybe you’llstart your own podcast?
• Will youuse paid advertising?
• Will youuse Influencer Marketing?

Build a Top-notch Website

Creating a top-notch website is more than just choosing attractive colors and uploading product images. It's about building a digital space that embodies your brand, appeals to your target audience, and provides an enjoyable, seamless experience for your customers.

Understanding User Experience Design (UX Design) is crucial to this process. UX Design is all about considering the needs, wants, and behaviors of your users and crafting a website that caters to these elements. This can range from ensuring your site loads quickly, to having an intuitive navigation structure, to making sure your text is easy to read.

Feel free to sign up for one (or all) of ourUX coursesto help you get started!

Ensure Clear, Consistent Communication

Clear and consistent communication is crucial in building a strong relationship with your customers, and email marketing serves as a direct, personal line to them. It's not just about sending promotional content; it's about fostering a connection and providing valuable, relevant information that your customers will appreciate.

If you haven't yet, it's time to put an email marketing strategy in place. This strategy should consider the following:

1. Target Audience: Just as with your overall branding and marketing strategies, understanding your target audience is key. What kind of content do they value? When are they most likely to read emails?

2. Content: Your emails should offer value to the reader. This could be in the form of exclusive deals, insider information, helpful tips, or engaging stories about your brand.

3. Frequency: How often will you send emails? Too many and you risk annoying your customers; too few and they might forget about you. Find the right balance for your audience.

4. Consistency:一致性在你的语气,风格,甚至times you send your emails can help build familiarity and trust.

5. Measurement: Keep track of key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to understand what's working and what's not.

For more detailed guidance, be sure to check out ourEmail Marketing Guide. It provides valuable insights and ideas on how to effectively reach the right people with the right content, ultimately enhancing your brand-customer relationship.

In this article, we've covered the essential steps to prepare your brand for BFCM 2023:

1. Define Your Mission: Identify what you're passionate about and create a mission statement that reflects your brand's purpose and values.

2. Know Your Customers: Understand who your target audience is and create a Customer Avatar to guide your marketing efforts.

3. Develop a Content & Marketing Plan: Create a strategy to engage and communicate with your customers effectively, utilizing resources like Shopify’s marketing funnel guide.

4. Build a Top-notch Website: Design a website that not only looks good but also offers a great User Experience. Our free course on UX Design can help you with this.

5. Ensure Clear, Consistent Communication: Implement an effective email marketing strategy to maintain a direct line of communication with your customers.

Remember, each of these steps is a building block towards creating a successful brand. Take it one step at a time, and you'll be well-prepared for the BFCM 2023 rush. In the next article, we'll dive deeper into harnessing the power of email marketing for BFCM. Stay tuned!