Let’s continue on yesterday’s topic.
(before you continue… make sure you read yesterday’s email for context)
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Now, let’s assume you are starting your BFCM promotion today.
And, like many ecommerces, you want to run it all the way through November. A month-long “flash” sale.
Here are 5 things to expect:
ONE
Expanding your sales from 1 week to 4 weeks will NOT quadruple your revenue.
Because the majority of your sales will come from the first and last 4 days.
The middle?
Stagnant.
It might be higher than your regular campaigns…
…but you’re not looking at more profit due to the discount.
TWO
Expect a LOT more churns.
This means –
You will have a lot more unsubscribes and spam complaints.
(this is not a big deal… but you need the right expectation)
THREE
Most prospects will tune out after 4 days. This means you need to create “newsworthy” events to jump-start the engagement again.
The last time I ran a 15-day promo for a client in Aug…
We were “lucky.”
Trump disrupted the market with his new bullshit retaliation tariff.
It sparked the conversation and helped us “recharge” our promotion. So, we ended up doing even MORE sales, even though we were 5-7 days into the promo.
But…
I wouldn’t bet on a new “tariff” every time I run a promo.
So, it’s better to take things into your own hands.
~ Announce a new product
~ Promote a Deal of the Day
~ Do a limited-time giveaway
Whatever it is…
Give yourself a reason to send more email — especially during the middle of a long promotion. Because Email Marketing Rule #1:
The more you send, the more you make.
FOUR
But keep your final deadline a mystery. Because anything that’s not happening tomorrow is not URGENT in the Internet world.
Last but not least –
FIVE
The longer you run your promotions, the more it’ll hurt your “regular” sales.
This means…
When people experience a long promo, it takes a toll on your branding.
People start expecting more sales.
Bigger sales.
And urgency loses its touch.
People stop buying at full price.
Long promotions are like drinking coffee.
The first time? Wide awake. Super effective.
So, you’re hooked.
You want to run another one tomorrow.
But the second time?
Still nice… but a little less effective.
Then, it goes downhill from there.
The more you run, the harder it is to make it work.
You need a bigger discount. Longer promos. Stronger urgency. More deadline extensions. Just to match a similar outcome.
Each promotion becomes a little less effective.
But you can’t escape.
Because your business is addicted to the immediate sales rush that comes with a big promotion. So, another one. And another. And another.
That’s why I always suggest minimizing “long promotion.”
A maximum of 2-3 per YEAR.
To be continued…
– WYH