Black Friday and Cyber Monday are make-or-break moments for eCommerce brands. It’s where you rake in profits—or watch competitors do it instead.

The problem? Most brands drop a discount code, cross their fingers, and hope for the best. Hope doesn’t drive results. A strategy does.

After 14 BFCM seasons and managing campaigns for 100+ brands, here’s what I know:

The top-performing brands nail three things. When you do too, you’ll not only win Black Friday—you’ll dominate Q4. Let’s break it down.

Step 1: Prime Your Audience Before Black Friday Hits

Black Friday doesn’t start on Friday. It starts weeks before.

Shoppers are already searching, comparing, and building wishlists. If you’re not showing up in their feed now, you’re missing out later.

What to Do:

➜ Own the Pre-Sale Buzz: Use early-bird landing pages and ads to tease your deals. Add a countdown timer to keep them hooked.

➜ Run Demand Gen Ads: Push out content that plants your products in your audience’s heads. The goal? Get them wanting your deal before they see anyone else’s.

➜ Email Teasers: Drip-feed your offers. Build suspense with sneak peeks and exclusive previews.

Big Mistake: Waiting until the big day to show up. By then, your competitors have already claimed the shoppers you wanted. Start early, build hype, and lock in their interest.

Step 2: Go All Out on Black Friday & Cyber Monday

When the clock strikes midnight, shoppers are ready to buy. The only question is, will it be from you?

This isn’t the time to be cautious. Black Friday is about dominating the spotlight.

How to Win:

➜ Maximize Visibility: Use every trick in the book—ad extensions, GMC promotions, and BFCM-themed creatives.

➜ Update Ad Copy: Highlight urgency (“Today Only!”) and savings (“Biggest Sale of the Year”). Make it clear what’s in it for them.

➜ Optimize for the Holiday Surge:

• Pin critical offers in Google Ads to ensure your best deals stay front and center.
• Schedule promotions so your ads update automatically when deals change.

Common Misstep: Being too subtle or playing it safe. Black Friday isn’t about whispering—it’s about shouting louder than the competition.

Step 3: Bring Back the “Almost Buyers”

Here’s the truth: Black Friday is overwhelming for shoppers.

They see hundreds of deals, click on a few, and abandon their carts. Not because they didn’t want to buy—but because they were bombarded.

But the good news is that they’re not gone for good. You can bring them back.

Here’s How:

Create a “BFCM Extended” Offer: Retarget cart abandoners with a follow-up deal. Sweeten the pot with an exclusive discount code like “LATEBCFM.”

➜ Run Remarketing Ads: Focus on visitors who engaged but didn’t convert. Highlight what they left behind.

➜ Segment Smartly: Send personalized offers based on what they clicked or abandoned. Make the offer feel tailored just for them.

What to Avoid: Writing off abandoners as lost causes. They’re still in the game—you just need to re-engage them.

Step 4: Refine Your Strategy Using Data

Black Friday campaigns are only as strong as the insights behind them. Data isn’t just helpful—it’s your unfair advantage.

What to Analyze:

Past Performance: Dig into last year’s metrics—Shopify sales spikes, conversion rates, ad performance. Find what worked and double down.

➜ Seasonality Adjustments: Use Google Ads’ seasonality settings to optimize bids for the surge without blowing your budget.

➜ Real-Time Adjustments: Watch your campaigns closely during BFCM. Adjust bids, creatives, and offers based on what’s performing.

What Fails: Copy-pasting last year’s strategy without analyzing what really moved the needle. Treat every year as its own challenge—and opportunity.

Step 5: Leverage Google Ads to Stand Out

Google Ads has tools that can take your Black Friday campaign from good to unstoppable. Use them.

Pro Tips:

➜ GMC Promotions: Add eye-catching tags to your shopping ads. They grab attention and boost click-through rates.

➜ Price Extensions: Show pricing upfront so shoppers know exactly what they’re getting.

➜ Dynamic Formats: Experiment with carousel ads, video ads, and dynamic product ads to maximize engagement.

What Doesn’t Work: Ignoring advanced features. These tools exist to make your campaigns perform better—don’t leave them unused.

The Playbook for Black Friday Success

Black Friday isn’t about luck or last-minute discounts. It’s about preparation, execution, and follow-through.

Your Step-by-Step Plan:

1. Build hype well before Black Friday.
2. Show up loud and proud on the big days.
3. Retarget missed opportunities with smart follow-ups.
4. Use data to refine your approach in real time.
5. Max out Google Ads features for visibility and clicks.

With the right strategy, this isn’t just another sales event—it’s your chance to break records, win new customers, and crush Q4.

Now, the question is: How ready are you to own Black Friday this year?