BFCM Checklist: Separate Yourself From Your Competitors

Written by Carly Snider | 11/8/21 7:23 PM

Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) is an opportunity to separate yourself from other businesses to optimize your competitive advantage. BFCM allows businesses to not only capitalize on consumer demand but is also an opportunity to increase customer acquisition. Looking for a great way to provide value to your customers this season? Offer more than just discounts! Here are 3 ways to distinguish yourself from your competitors:

OFFER EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE
Consumers who are faced with poor customer service will more than likely take their business elsewhere. Implementing an effective customer service strategy will drive consumer purchasing to your business year-round. Customers who have a positive experience with your business will often share that experience by either word of mouth or online with others, driving more traffic to your business.

Get personal
A few ways you can improve your customer service strategies is by getting personal. Offer more than just automated email responses, and do not let telephone prompts drive your customers away, especially during the holiday season. Being consistent is important but there is a fine line between reminding consumers about up coming deals and flooding their inboxes. 

Make yourself available
Be active and ensure that you are readily available to connect with your customers, whether that be in person or online. This is crucial to building a trusting connection with your customers. To improve customer service through your business's online presence, offer an active, engaging live chat for customers to ask questions. COVID-19 has increased the use of E-commerce, which evidently increases the importance of offering valuable customer service online as well.

Be unique to your brand
Rather than trying to compete solely on factors like discounts and shipping try to provide an offer unique to your brand. Unless you are original you're asking to go head to head with big companies like amazon. Offer your customer base something they cannot get anywhere else. When you no longer have room to move with discounts make sure to tell your story. It is important to stand out as exclusivity attracts customers. People don't just want to know what they are buying but why they are buying it. Telling a story will help resonate with your customers and connect with them on a deeper level than just a transaction. 

BUILD A STRONG ONLINE PRESENCE
Since the start of the pandemic, shopping online has become an easy, convenient way to fulfill consumer shopping needs. Ensure that your campaigns this holiday season are mobile-friendly, and that the buying process through your website (or app) is easy to navigate. Keep ads simple and ensure that your offers are consistent across all social platforms. Offer incentives through email marketing to give customers the opportunity to be informed of Black Friday deals before anyone else. Take advantage of this increase in mobile purchasing, but ensure you make it easy to navigate.

refresh your offers
BFCM is no longer confined to a single day event, which is why you need to keep your customers engaged. Give your customers reason to keep coming back to your products and services by offering a variety of content to engage with on your website. Give inspiration to your customers who can’t decide what they’re looking for by creating easy gift ideas, segmenting them by product, price, and/or demographic. Get creative with how you interact with your audience because there is a much larger window of opportunity to do so!

In need of additional strategies for your business to make the most of this upcoming Black Friday/ Cyber Monday weekend? H&C Inc. is here to help. Contact us today!