Although Black Friday and Cyber Monday might just seem like two good excuses to go crazy treating yourself on Amazon or show up at your local superstore at the crack of dawn for holiday gifts, as a musician, they also present a huge opportunity.
Take Record Store Day (RSD) for example; over the past few years, the creators of this bonafide musical holiday, which typically happens every April, have expanded to include Black Friday Record Store Day. On this hallowed day, a slew of physical releases debut in independent record stores across the country, just like during a RSD day.
“Whether we like it or not, the day after Thanksgiving is the start of the biggest shopping season in the country,” say the organizers of RSD. “RSD’s version of Black Friday is an excuse to celebrate the specialness of music in our lives by putting out these unique releases. In other words, cheapness is not a main goal. Celebrating art is.”
To help you own the two biggest shopping days of the year, our friends at Music Glue, a leader in website optimization and e-commerce for musicians, have gathered these eight insights into making the most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday…. and beyond.
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{Editor’s Note: Below is a version of a post originally showcased on Music Glue. For the full article, please click here.}
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner: 24th & 27th November. Last year, Music Glue artists’ sales doubled during what has become the biggest shopping days of the year for retailers (you!).
Make sure your fans don’t miss out by following our eight promo ideas to increase your sales.
Create offers your fans will want to buy
Creating a special offer or discounting your stock does not mean you should de-value your products. Instead, think creatively how you can add value for your fans when creating offers; what will they want to buy? Here are some ideas you can action right away with your Music Glue account:
1. Offer discount vouchers – This is probably the most popular offer on Black Friday, and it works a treat! Create a discount code for your fans to use during a limited time only. Make sure to share the code with your fans!
Watch how to create a discount code on your store here.
2. Bundle up your products – Look at your best selling merch or music and mix them together to create a one-off super appealing Black Friday bundle, or offer a free product for every purchase… If you’ve never created bundles, this might be the time to test this feature out, it’s one of our favourite (year-round) to upsell.
Find out more on bundles here.
3. Print on demand limited edition merch – Here, it’s all about the scarcity of the product rather than the discount. Using the Print on Demand app on Music Glue, you can create a limited range without having to plan a lot in advance or stock additional products in your living room.
All you need to know to get started with Print on Demand.
Promote, promote, promote
Virtually everyone will jump on the Black Friday bandwagon so capturing your fans’ interest is key. Think of it like raising your voice to be heard in a crowded room. You’ve spent time preparing great offers for you fans; shout loud and clear about it!
4. Make the offer clear on your website and store.
5. Send a newsletter to your fans to announce it.
6. Publish it on social media and link to your store.
7. Advertise to reach more fans – if you’re willing to advertise your offer on Facebook or Twitter to increase reach and sales, make sure you track your return on advertising spend using the Facebook tracking pixel.
Make it last
8. Black Friday and Cyber Monday don’t actually last only two days. Announce your campaigns a few days in advance and make it last for a whole week from Cyber Monday (now actually called Cyber Week!).
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