The Ultimate 2023 Black Friday Marketing Strategy + 20 Proven Black Friday Marketing Ideas for Your Coaching or Service Business

How to Plan a Successful Black Friday Promotion for Your Coaching Business

This post is for coaches, consultants, and service providers who want to increase their revenue to reach their goals before the end of the year.

It’s also for people who want to create a cash infusion to build a new website, hire that coach, or give themselves a year-end bonus.

Black Friday is not just for e-commerce stores As a coach, you can use this holiday sales period to attract new clients and boost your sales.

With a well-planned Black Friday promo, you can offer enticing deals that capture the attention of potential clients and drive them to take action.

This article will explore practical strategies for your coaching business to plan and execute a successful Black Friday season.

Plus, at the end of the post, I’m including 25 black Friday marketing ideas for 2023 and a Special Offer for a Black Friday Marketing Action Plan Training for $27! Table of Contents

Weigh the Pros and Cons of Black Friday Discounts

To discount or not to discount. That is the question.

Discounts hold immense power during Black Friday, as consumers actively seek deals and discounts to make the most of their holiday shopping. According to a recent study, 88% of consumers in the United States used coupons when making purchases last year. This indicates a strong demand for discounts and promotions.

However, as a service provider or coach, discounts can devalue your services. Here are some pros and cons to consider.

Pros:

1. Attract New Clients: Discounts can entice potential clients who have been considering your services.
2. Increased Sales: I offered a 75% Black Friday discount on some digital workshops in 2022, which boosted my sales!
3. Re-Engage Past Clients: A tempting discount may help you reconnect with former clients.
4. Show Appreciation: It’s a way to thank your existing clients for their loyalty by giving them access to exclusive savings.
5. Generate Buzz: Black Friday discounts can create buzz and social media engagement, increasing your visibility.

Cons:

1. Lower Profit Margins: Offering discounts means reduced profit per sale, which might impact your bottom line.
2. Perceived Value: Some clients may question the value of your services if they are heavily discounted.
3. Risk of Becoming a Commodity: Frequent discounts may lead clients to view your services as a commodity.
4. Discount Fatigue: Black Friday is competitive; some clients may be overwhelmed with deals, making it challenging to stand out.
5. Cannibalizing Future Sales: You might attract clients at a lower rate who would have paid full price later on.

How to Craft an Irresistible Offer for Black Friday 2023

When designing your Black Friday offer, focus on solving a specific problem your high-ticket coaching program addresses. Consider the key challenges your clients face and how you can provide resources that help them start solving one of those problems. This could include pre-recorded videos or workshops, templates, worksheets, or even a live masterclass or workshop.

For example, if you are a health coach helping clients lose weight, one marketing tactic would be to create a Black Friday package on cooking healthy meals. This could include a meal-prepping shopping checklist, recipes, and a live group training session/Q&A call with you.

The goal is to provide a valuable solution to a specific problem while giving potential clients a glimpse of the transformation they can achieve through your coaching services.

Ensure that your offer aligns with the core benefits of your high-ticket coaching program and that it creates credibility and trust so they’re more likely to invest in your main offer.

Set the Right Price Point to Maximize Your Sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Just about any price can be right if you have an irresistible offer!

Let’s take a tip from the brilliant marketer, Alex Hormozi, and create an offer that’s 10X in value than you’re charging, but it costs you 1/10 to deliver.

• Tie your offer to your ideal client’s dream outcome.
• Brainstorm every single problem or obstacle your client has or believes they have. Then solve all of those problems in your offer in a leveraged way that maximizes your ROI and minimizes your time/effort to deliver it.
  • For example, imagine you are a health coach, and your clients don’t have time to cook. Show them how to order catering from a restaurant to meal prep for a week.
• Show them how they will get better results faster, with less perceived effort
• Create an unbeatable guarantee that takes away 100% of your client’s risk.
  • For example, the old Domino’s guarantee, “Delivered in 30 minutes or it’s free.”

Do this right, and you can name your BF price!

Create Urgency with Your Black Friday Marketing Campaign

Urgency is a psychological marketing tool that can prompt potential clients to take immediate action. When planning your Black Friday marketing strategy, incorporate elements that create a sense of urgency and scarcity. This can include setting a limited-time offer period, specifying a limited quantity available, or offering additional bonuses or incentives for early action.

For example,

• Use a countdown timer on your sales page
• Include phrases like “limited time offer” or “limited quantities available” in your promotional materials.
• Offer exclusive bonuses or incentives for early bird shoppers.

This helps create a fear of missing out (FOMO) and motivates potential clients to act quickly to secure the offer.

TIP: If you offer early-bird bonuses, ensure they won’t consume too much time. I did an early bird bonus in 2021 that included a free coaching session and ended up with a crowded calendar that exhausted me! My preference is to stick with digital or group offers. 🙂

Increase Your Conversion Rate with a Black Friday Sales Page:

A full-length sales page is unnecessary for a holiday sale, but launching a sales page to promote your BF-CM sale will usually increase conversions.

Use compelling headlines, persuasive copy, and engaging visuals to captivate potential clients and guide them toward purchasing. Include testimonials or case studies from satisfied clients to provide social proof and build trust. Emphasize the transformational outcomes and remember to highlight the limited-time nature of the offer.

Your sales page must be mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and include clear calls to action.

Promote Your Sales Event: Creative Black Friday Ideas for 2023

Promote your Black Friday sale through multiple channels to engage with your audience and increase awareness of your offer. Here are a few easy strategies to consider:

Email Marketing

Craft a well-planned email sequence to engage your subscribers and build anticipation leading up to the Black Friday weekend. Send teaser emails, announce the sale, share testimonials, and remind subscribers of the limited-time nature of the offer.

Psst…Scroll down for a list of what to include in a 3-day email sequence.

Social Media Marketing

Social media platforms are a fantastic way to spread the word about your BF offers. Create engaging posts, share compelling visuals, and use relevant hashtags to reach a wider audience. Vary the types of posts each platform allows you to see which works best for your audience. For example, reels, carousel posts, live streams, text posts, videos, and stories on Instagram.

Content Marketing

Create click-worthy content related to your coaching niche and incorporate mentions or call-to-actions for your Black Friday promo. I host a marketing planning party to help my clients plan their content marketing campaigns. You should join us! 🙂 Join Our Planning Parties!

SMS Marketing

Including SMS marketing in your Black Friday promotion plans is a great way to maximize your reach and increase sales. SMS typically has higher open rates than other channels and is a cost-effective and efficient way to engage with your customers.

Collaborations and Partnerships

Partner with complementary businesses or influencers in your industry to cross-promote your Black Friday package. For example, if you are a business coach, partner with a bookkeeper, website designer, virtual assistant, copywriter, social media manager, etc. This can help you reach new people. It’s an excellent way to form a reciprocal referral relationship!

Paid Advertising

Consider investing in a paid advertising Black Friday marketing campaign to target specific demographics or interests that align with your coaching services.  Paid ads are among the best ways to reach a highly targeted audience and drive traffic to your Black Friday-Cyber Monday sales pages.

Tip: Start planning your Black Friday ads early to beat the competition. 

Black Friday Email Marketing Campaigns to Promote Your Deals to Your Email List

Email is a powerful tool to nurture your existing leads and convert them into paying clients during your Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions. Focus on building your email list before the holiday shopping season.

Craft an email sequence that guides potential clients through the buyer’s journey and encourages them to take action.

Here is an example email campaign for a 3-day sales event:

• Day 0 (Teaser Email): Send a teaser email the day before your sale, building anticipation and letting your audience know something exciting is coming.
• Day 1 (Announcement Email): Send a straightforward email announcing the start of your Black Friday event. Clearly communicate the benefits of your offer, highlight the limited-time nature, and provide a call to action to learn more or make a purchase.
• Day 2 (Storytelling Email): Share a heartfelt story or personal experience related to the transformation your coaching services provide. Connect this story to the value of your offer and invite readers to take advantage of the opportunity
• Day 3 (Testimonial Email): Share one or two client testimonials that showcase the results and benefits of your coaching services. Invite readers to join the satisfied clients by purchasing your BF offer.
• Day 3 (Final Reminder Email): Send a final reminder email as the sale ends. Reiterate the value of your offer, emphasize the limited-time nature, and encourage readers to take action before it’s too late.
  

Craft each email with a subject line that creates curiosity, persuasive language, compelling storytelling, and clear calls to action. Personalize the emails as much as possible and make your audience feel valued and understood. Monitor the open rates, click-through rates, and conversions of each email to gauge the effectiveness of your email marketing.

Leverage Social Media Marketing to Drive Visitors to Your Online Store

Social media is a great tool to promote your Black Friday offer. To make the most of this opportunity, create social media posts, videos, or graphics that are interesting and engaging and focus on the benefits of your offer.

Here are some strategies to help you maximize the potential of social media during your BF-CM promotions:

Teasers and Sneak Peeks

Generate excitement by sharing teasers and sneak peeks of your offer. Create suspense and anticipation, enticing your audience to learn more.

Contests and Giveaways

Hosting contests and giveaways on your favorite social media platforms is a great way to engage with your audience. Ask followers to share your offer with their friends to get more website visitors.

Influencer Collaborations

Partner with relevant influencers in your industry to promote your Black Friday deal to their followers to reach a wider audience.

Live Q&A Sessions

Host live Q&A sessions on platforms like Instagram or Facebook to answer your audience’s questions in real-time. This will help develop trust and build relationships with your customers.

Hashtags

Remember to use relevant hashtags and tag your posts with your brand’s handle to increase visibility and engagement.

Gain Insights from Your Website on Black Friday You Can Use in Upcoming Black Friday Promos

Once your Black Friday promotion is over, analyzing your campaign results is crucial to make informed decisions to optimize your marketing funnel for future campaigns. Here are some steps to follow:

Track Your Conversions and Sales in Your Online Store for Black Friday

Use tools like Google Analytics or Fathom Analytics to track the sales and conversions generated from your promotion.

• How much revenue did you generate through your eCommerce platform?
• What were your best products on Black Friday?
• What was your average Black Friday order value?
• What were your earnings per lead over the sales season?
• How many new clients did you acquire?
• Which deals or discounts converted best?

This data will help you measure your campaign’s success and strategies that can help you improve next year’s sales promotion.

Interview Customers About their Black Friday Shopping Experience:

Send out a survey or interview clients about their Black Friday experience to gain insights into what worked well and what could have been better. Use this feedback to enhance future promotions and tailor your offers to meet your client’s needs.

Identify Areas for Improvement for Upcoming Black Friday Sales

Based on your gathered data and feedback, identify areas you can improve for future Black Friday promos.

Look for opportunities to enhance your offer, sales page, or promotional strategies.

For example, if you noticed that certain offers didn’t perform as well as expected, consider adjusting them or trying different approaches in future promotions.

Here’s a checklist of things to consider:

• What was the conversion rate; ads, sales pages, emails, etc?
• Which marketing messages generated the most engagement and highest conversions?
• What other creative Black Friday promos did you see other businesses doing this year?
• Track the metrics of each marketing channel to see which delivered the best results.
• What were your best marketing takeaways from the promotion?
• Do you want to create any new marketing materials for the next promo?

21 Easy Black Friday Marketing Ideas and Proven Black Friday Marketing Strategies for Coaches

1. Offer free shipping on physical products like planners & swag.
2. Buy the physical product and get the digital one for free. (I did this in 2021 with my planners, which increased my average order value!)
3. Buy one _____ and get a second at _____% off.
4. Free gift (planner, course, workshop, etc.) with every coaching package purchase.
5. Flash sale (discount something for 24 hours).
6. Pay-what-you-want” to get _____. (I recommend doing this with a digital or group product.
7. Early bird access to 2024 coaching programs.
8. Spend $_____ and get _____% off your next purchase.
9. Double referral bonuses this month only!
10. Course of the Day Sale. (If you have a bunch of courses or workshops you’ve created, you can create a course of the day sale and promote a different one each day.)
11. “Everything’s on Sale” in the store for Black Friday. (Create a Black Friday promo code or coupon for $ or % off everything in the store. This is a super easy BF deal to implement.)
12. “Learn and Earn” (create an affiliate program for course participants.)
13. “Coaching for a Cause” charity event. (Donate a portion of your coaching fees to a cause your audience is passionate about.)
14. Share your transformation story for a chance to win [a free session, free course, Amazon gift card, iPad, etc.]! (Perfect for gathering testimonials you can use in your marketing all year!)
15. Black Friday + gift cards. (Buy _____ and get a gift card to share with a friend.)
16. Holiday-themed coaching challenges. (Challenges are a great marketing tool for list-building!)
17. “Bring a Friend to Coaching for Free.” (A great way to grow your memberships through word of mouth!)
18. “Master Your New Year’s Resolutions” course bundle.
19. Free ticket to an exclusive “client’s only” networking event with every _____ package purchase.
20. Subscribe for exclusive access to a Black Friday deal vault.
21. Include a surprise deal of the day in all your marketing emails.

Black Friday Promotion Dos & Don’ts

DO:

1. Plan ahead. Plan your promotions ahead of time to ensure they are effective and stand out.
2. Create irresistible offers on Black Friday. Make sure your promotions are compelling to attract customers.
3. Promote, promote, promote, promote, and then promote some more. Use various marketing channels like email, social media, and your website to promote your Black Friday deals and generate excitement among your target audience.
4. Leverage urgency to get customers to take action. Use limited-time offers or limited quantity phrases to develop a fear of missing out (FOMO), boosting your conversion rate and increasing sales.
5. Optimize your website for Black Friday traffic. Make sure the checkout process is quick and easy for customers.

DON’T:

1. Overpromise and underdeliver. When you make promises you cannot keep, such as guaranteeing delivery by a specific date, you risk disappointing customers and damaging your reputation.
2. Neglect customer service. Black Friday can be chaotic, but don’t let that be an excuse to neglect customer service. Make sure you can handle customer inquiries and provide assistance when needed.
3. Ignore your competitors. Pay attention to what your competitors are doing and offer promos that differentiate your brand.
4. Forget to follow up. After Black Friday, follow up with your customers to show appreciation for their business. Building customer loyalty is just as important as capturing new sales.
5. Rely solely on Black Friday for your annual sales. Continue to offer promotions and deals throughout the year to maintain customer interest and encourage repeat purchases.

Key Takeaways:  10 Marketing Ideas for Black Friday

• Get ready for Black Friday ahead of time. Last-minute scrambles will make your Black Friday stressful and could make your promo less successful.
• Build buzz ahead of time to get people interested in your Black Friday sale.
• Extend your promo from Black Friday until Cyber Monday to attract more shoppers.
• Create an irresistible offer that attracts your ideal clients because it’s so good it would make them feel stupid saying no.
• Create a Black Friday sales page highlighting your special offer to increase conversions.
• Use Black Friday banners across your site to promote your Sales Page.
• Add urgency to your promotions with countdown timers and urgent messaging in your online store.
• Engage your audience through referral programs, charitable initiatives, VIP discounts, and collaborations with other small businesses.
• Use email marketing, social media, and digital marketing advertising to promote your black Friday deals, reach online shoppers, and generate excitement.
• Create a strong follow-up campaign to turn Black Friday shoppers into loyal clients.

With these strategies, you can make the most of holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, expand your client base, and end the year strong.

Happy Holidays!
Heather