It’s That Time Of The Year: Black Friday Is Coming! Ready?

As the holiday season approaches, consumers around the world are gearing up for one of the most anticipated shopping events of the year – Black Friday. With its irresistible discounts, doorbuster deals, and frenzied shopping sprees, Black Friday has solidified its place as a shopping phenomenon that captures the attention of both consumers and businesses alike. However, in this era of digital dominance and social media influence, the landscape of Black Friday has evolved beyond mere sales and discounts. Enter influencer marketing – a dynamic force that has transformed the way brands connect with their audience, especially during high-stakes events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

In this article, we delve into the captivating world of Black Friday explaining how influencer marketing and ratings and reviews can level up your marketing campaigns during this time of year.

Why leverage Influencer marketing for Black Friday?

In recent years, influencer marketing has surged to the forefront of successful marketing strategies, particularly during peak shopping seasons. The importance of influencer marketing becomes clear when we observe that 61% of consumers rely on influencers’ recommendations, outstripping the 38% who have confidence in branded social media content.

Leveraging influencers during a Black Friday campaign can be a highly effective strategy for brands to maximize their reach, engagement, and sales. Influencers have established themselves as authoritative figures in specific niches and have a dedicated following that trusts their recommendations.

Here’s why using influencers can be beneficial for a Black Friday campaign:

• Expanded Reach: Influencers have a ready-made audience that is interested in their content and opinions. By partnering with influencers, brands can tap into this existing audience, extending their reach beyond their own followers and potentially gaining exposure to new and relevant customers.
• Targeted Audience: Different influencers cater to different niches and demographics. Brands can strategically choose influencers whose audience aligns with their target customer base. This ensures that their Black Friday offers are reaching the right people who are more likely to convert into customers. Have a look at our latest Cheat Sheet to discover which type (nano, micro, macro star) fits best to your brand objectives.
• Credibility and Trust: Influencers have built trust with their followers over time. Their recommendations and endorsements come across as genuine and authentic. When an influencer speaks positively about a brand’s Black Friday deals, it carries more weight than traditional advertising.
• Content Variety: Influencers are skilled content creators. They can develop diverse and engaging content formats, such as reviews, unboxing videos, tutorials, and more, showcasing the brand’s Black Friday products in creative ways. This variety keeps the campaign fresh and interesting.
• Social Proof: When influencers promote a brand’s Black Friday deals, it serves as a form of social proof. People are more likely to make purchases when they see others, especially influencers they admire, endorsing the products or services.
• Faster Engagement: Influencers have a more direct line to their followers. Their content can spark immediate engagement, such as likes, comments, and shares, which can amplify the reach of the Black Friday campaign.
• Increased Conversions: Influencers can create a sense of urgency and excitement around the brand’s Black Friday deals. Their followers might be more likely to act quickly and make a purchase if they see limited-time offers being endorsed by influencers they trust.

When planning a Black Friday campaign, brands should carefully select influencers whose values align with theirs, ensuring authenticity and a genuine connection between the influencer’s audience and the brand’s offerings. A well-executed influencer collaboration can amplify the impact of a Black Friday campaign and help the brand stand out in a crowded market.

Power your conversion ​with Ratings & Reviews!

Why focus on Ratings & Reviews during Black Friday?

Most consumers seek reliable information and advice before purchasing a product, especially during periods of sales. 90 % of consumers read online reviews before purchasing a product. (Ratings & Reviews Survey, TERRITORY Influence)​

They believe and trust the everyday consumers, who are just like them – people with the same needs or challenges, that should be addressed with the chosen solution.​

With our influencers, we’re able to generate ​thousands of online ratings and reviews to ​influence the purchase decision at the First ​Moment Of Truth!

Using ratings and reviews as a part of a Black Friday campaign can provide several significant benefits for a brand. Black Friday is a high-stakes shopping event where customers are bombarded with deals and offers from numerous brands. Implementing ratings and reviews strategically can set a brand apart and enhance its Black Friday campaign.

In the following ways:

• Build trust​ & credibility: Customer ratings and reviews provide social proof of a product’s quality and the brand’s reliability. Shoppers are more likely to trust the opinions of their peers over promotional content. Positive reviews showcase that others have had good experiences with the brand, fostering trust among potential customers. Moreover, Black Friday deals might seem too good to be true, leading to buyer skepticism. Reviews help address concerns by providing real-world experiences. This reduces the perceived risk of making a purchase and eases customer uncertainty.
• Influence Purchase Decisions: Reviews can greatly influence purchase decisions. When potential buyers see positive reviews, they feel more confident in their choices. They can see that other customers have benefited from the product or service and are more likely to make a purchase.
• Enhance SEO and Online Visibility: Reviews can boost search engine optimization (SEO). User-generated content, such as reviews, provides fresh and relevant content that search engines value. This can improve the brand’s online visibility and draw more organic traffic to its Black Friday deals.
• Differentiation from Competitors: In a competitive Black Friday market, showcasing reviews can set a brand apart. If a brand has positive reviews highlighting unique features or exceptional customer service, it can stand out in a sea of similar deals.
• Encourage User-Generated Content: Reviews are a form of user-generated content (UGC) that can be shared on social media, website, and other marketing materials. This UGC can amplify the reach of the Black Friday campaign beyond traditional marketing efforts. The tendency to seek out UGC before making a purchase decision (84%) and the preference for UGC in making a decision (62%) reinforce the impact of user-generated content on purchasing behavior. UGC’s influence spans from discovery to decision-making. (Consumer survey 2023: Territory Influence x Storystream) Reviews introduce a human element to the brand by showing the experiences and opinions of real customers. This human connection can resonate more deeply with shoppers.
• Feedback and Improvement: Black Friday campaigns often introduce new products or services. Reviews provide valuable feedback on these offerings, helping brands understand customer preferences and areas for improvement.
• Long-Term Impact: The benefits of positive reviews extend beyond Black Friday. A consistent history of positive reviews can continue to attract customers and drive sales long after the campaign ends.

Incorporating ratings and reviews into a Black Friday campaign can create a sense of authenticity, build trust, and positively influence potential customers’ decisions. Brands that effectively leverage these reviews as part of their marketing strategy can gain a competitive edge during the bustling Black Friday shopping season.

European Omnibus directive about consumer review

We are aware and compliant with the European Omnibus Directive about Consumer Reviews​.

Omnibus Directive is based on the “New Deal of Consumers” initiative adopted by the EU Commission to enhance the implementation of EU consumer laws. The new Directive is specifically concerned with protecting eCommerce consumers and updating existing digital content regulations.​

Article 3 (4c): “Where a trader provides access to consumer reviews of products, eComm companies must take reasonable and proportionate steps to ensure that these reviews are authentic. For example, checks should be in place to ensure that only consumers who have purchased or used the goods or services may submit a review. Traders that make consumer reviews available must also explain to their customers how they ensure that reviews come from genuine consumers.”

We make sure reviews are authentic.

• Sharing Ratings and Reviews: In our campaign, we ask participants to write reviews and give ratings about the product on platforms chosen by the company, like websites or social media. They also need to tell us their email address. We might also ask if we can share their name, email, and review with the company and the online store where the product is sold (with legal consent/check box).​
• Participant-Generated R&R: In this case, participants send us their ratings and reviews proactively. They can do this by filling out a special report or survey while the campaign is going on, or by doing it in a final survey. In this case, we are the ones who can share the review, along with their name, email, and an online nickname they used, with the company and their partner online store.​
• Unique Review URL: The online store can create a special web link that leads to a page for reviews about the product. We will only give this link to the people in our campaign. This way, the online store can prove that the reviews coming from this link are written by people who have actually used the product.​
• Cashback for Purchase: Participants in the campaign have the option to buy the product from the online store and then show us their receipts. As a reward, we will give them some money back. This streamlined process allows their reviews and ratings to be displayed without needing any additional steps.

Campaign Focus: Black Friday Discount and Ratings & Reviews

For the beauty industry

Last year, we helped a famous beauty brand to be fully present for Black Friday week. How? By generating reviews on the official Amazon product Page and by generating UGC on TikTok and Instagram. We have selected 100 influencers who have created qualitative content that has generated over 900k impressions on social media. Moreover, 60 of them were able to write authentic reviews on Amazon in order to increase awareness of the product message.

For the personal care industry

We worked with a feminine hygiene brand to expand their campaign during Black Friday. The special feature: In addition to an automatic 30% discount on the website, the 3 micro and macro influencers offered their followers an exclusive additional 10% discount. This way, the followers saved a total of 40% on their orders. The different content generated many interactions on social media and a significant number of orders via individual discount codes.

You would like to see more results from these campaigns and discuss your Black Friday & end-of-year operations with our experts?