Black Friday Social Media: Your Guide To Great Campaigns

As November kicks off, the anticipation for the holiday season begins to soar, bringing with it a prime opportunity for brands to capture the attention of eager shoppers. For marketers, this means one major event: Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, quickly followed by Cyber Monday. These days are crucial for driving sales, boosting brand visibility, and connecting with customers before the year ends.

Digital marketing teams must develop a targeted social media strategy and craft creative, engaging social media marketing campaigns that stand out in the crowded business space.

But if you’re struggling to come up with fresh Black friday post ideas, don’t worry—we’ve compiled a collection of successful Black Friday social media campaigns to inspire your strategy and help you make the most of this holiday shopping frenzy.

Table of contents

What is Black Friday
What is Cyber Monday
Why are Black Friday and Cyber Monday important to consider when creating a social media marketing plan?
Tips for effective Black Friday social media campaigns
Black Friday social media post ideas
Examples of brands excelling at Black Friday marketing

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is an American tradition and it’s usually the Friday after Thanksgiving, when everyone in the US starts buying presents for Christmas.

Along the years, big brands have decided for themselves when they start their Black Friday sales.

According to data, Black Friday online sales have an 8% YoY growth, driving more than $9.8 billion in revenue for retail brands in the US alone.

Some retailers even keep the discounts up for the whole month of November, depending on their products and stocks.

Black Friday sales can range from 5% off to 70% off. Even if at first only tech giants started these Black Friday sales, in time, many more industries have applied it.

A lot of retailers and brands start preparing their Black Friday marketing strategies months before the big day, creating teasers and planning content ahead.

What is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is the Monday after Black Friday when the discounts are still there, waiting for everyone to empty the stocks.

Cyber Monday only happens online and it lasts for 24 hours, with millions of retailers applying discounts to their services and products.

The brands’ purpose in this case is to get rid of all the products that were discounted on Black Friday. Some even apply more discounts to their products to convince customers to buy more.

Usually, retailers plan their Cyber Monday social media campaign months ahead, at about the same time they plan the Black Friday social media campaign.

Black Friday marks the beginning of the most wonderful part of the year—the holiday season—and sets the stage for Cyber Monday. Initially started just as a post-Thanksgiving shopping day in the United States, Black Friday has evolved into a global phenomenon where online and offline businesses offer substantial discounts and promotions.

For businesses, Black Friday is more than just a single day of sales; it’s a strategic opportunity to connect with customers, elevate brand visibility, and drive significant revenue growth. This is the best time to engage potential customers, attract new ones, and reward loyal ones with exclusive deals and promotions.

A well-planned social media marketing strategy for a Black Friday promotion can amplify your reach during this period, leveraging the increased consumer interest to boost engagement, drive traffic, and generate sales.

By creating compelling Black Friday social media promotions, leveraging engaging content, sharing limited-time offers, and building excitement through countdowns and giveaways, brands can make the most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, turning these events into long-term customer relationships.

To make the most of your Black Friday marketing efforts, using a social media campaign template can help ensure that your strategy is organized and covers all essential aspects.

By providing a clear structure, a template allows you to plan your posts, track performance, and ensure consistency across different platforms, helping your campaign run smoothly and effectively.

Here are some more tips to help you run an effective Black Friday strategy for social media.

Create a sense of urgency

We all know that Black Friday only lasts for a day. For some brands, it may start earlier and last for a few weeks or even the whole month of November.

No matter how long your Black Friday campaign takes, you have to build up suspense. Make sure you announce your customers beforehand. They would want to take advantage of your Black Friday sales and deals.

The sense of urgency you create through your announcement determines clients to rapidly make a buying decision.

When you capture your clients’ attention and encourage users to act now and order your products, you’ll see a boost in impressions, engagement and sales.

Extend your sales from Black Friday until Cyber Monday

One effective Black Friday marketing strategy that has become very popular recently is extending your sales.

In the past, Black Friday used to be a one-day-only kind of deal, but now, the offers keep rolling until the next Monday, which is known as Cyber Monday.

This basically gives retailers the advantage of having four days of sales. And extending your sales means gaining more customers and profit.

Partner with influencers

‌‌One of the marketing strategies for Black Friday that does wonders are influencer’s partnerships, proving to be very effective for all sorts of brands.

We recommend turning your attention to TikTok influencer marketing as the platforms offers such an incredible visibility potential.

Equally, if it has worked for you in the past, or you're thinking about starting with a rather safer approach, you can always turn your attention to the old-shcool way of leveraging influencer marketing - by collaborating with Instagram influencers.

Regardless of what you choose, what's most important to remember when deciding to hop in the Black Friday influencer marketing train is to pick the ones that complement your brand.

Reward your loyal social media followers with exclusive offers as part of your Black Friday social media strategy. This could include a discount code only available to those who follow your accounts, a flash sale announced via Instagram Stories, or a limited-time bundle deal promoted through targeted social media posts, such as Facebook ads.

Special offers not only drive sales but also encourage new users to follow your brand for more deals, expanding your reach and building a dedicated online community.

Brands hardly miss any chance to connect with their potential buyers and that’s why most brands have already started preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Now, if you haven’t, here are some Black Friday post ideas to help you launch your campaign.

Behind-the-scenes videos

Show your audience how your team is preparing for Black Friday. These behind-the-scenes glimpses can build anticipation and make your brand feel more relatable, making for a great idea for a Black Friday campaign teaser.

Whether it’s setting up displays, packaging products, or team members getting excited about the deals, these videos add a personal touch to your campaign.

Sephora often shares videos of their team setting up displays, packaging products, or employees getting excited about deals, adding a personal touch to their campaigns.

Countdown posts

Create a sense of urgency with countdown posts. Consider launching a video series that reveals different discounts each day, focusing on specific product categories. This strategy for Black Friday advertising can help build excitement as the big day approaches, keeping your audience engaged and eager to see what’s coming next.

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Gift Guides

Offer curated gift guides that make it easy for shoppers to find the perfect present. Think of themes like “Anniversary Essentials,” “Birthday Gifts for Your Partner,” or “Top Tech Picks.” These guides can simplify the shopping process, giving your audience tailored suggestions that align with their needs.

User-generated content

Share UGC that highlights top picks from specific categories, such as popular products from brands like Apple or Samsung in the smartphone industry. Featuring real customers' experiences can build trust and provide authentic recommendations, encouraging others to make a purchase.

Memes

Inject some fun into your Black Friday campaign on social media through the use of memes. They’re great for teasing upcoming deals or playfully highlighting the chaos of Black Friday shopping. A well-timed meme can increase engagement and make your brand’s content more shareable, spreading your message organically across social media platforms.

Examples of brands excelling at Black Friday marketing campaigns

Now that you’ve got enough Black Friday marketing ideas for your campaigns, here are some inspirations for your next campaign.

ASOS: Building anticipation with Black Friday teasers (2023)

About this Campaign:
ASOS took a proactive approach to Black Friday by creating early teasers to grow its email list and build excitement around upcoming promotions. Through Instagram posts with hints like “Something Big is Coming,” ASOS engaged followers by providing sneak peeks and prompting interest. They also invited their audience to share what items they most wanted on sale, adding an interactive element that made customers feel involved in the process.

Why it works:
This teaser campaign keeps ASOS top of mind well before Black Friday, driving both curiosity and early sign-ups for the email list. By hinting at possible discounts and encouraging customer input, ASOS creates a sense of exclusivity and builds engagement. The tactic of asking customers about their desired deals helps ASOS tailor promotions to what its audience actually wants, likely boosting campaign relevance and conversion. An early promotion like this sets the stage for a more impactful Black Friday event, with customers eagerly awaiting updates.

Macy's: Building wxcitement with pre-Black Friday buzz (2023)

About this Campaign:
Macy’s launched a Pre-Black Friday campaign to capture holiday shoppers early, promoting discounts on popular tech brands and best-selling items. Starting deals days ahead of the main Black Friday event allowed Macy’s customers to access exclusive offers without the usual holiday rush. The campaign was amplified through Black Friday social media posts, featuring countdowns, sneak peeks, and reminders across platforms to engage shoppers. This early push also included targeted emails and digital ads, reinforcing the message that shoppers could skip the crowds and still enjoy substantial savings.

Why this works:
By offering deals on in-demand products before Black Friday, Macy's tapped into the convenience shoppers increasingly seek. Early access to discounts creates a sense of urgency and excitement, allowing customers to take advantage of discounts without waiting. This strategy also prevents cart abandonment, as shoppers feel compelled to act quickly on limited-time offers. Macy's Black Friday ideas, like exclusive early discounts, limited-time offers, and social media teasers, helped build anticipation and capture customer interest long before Black Friday arrived, making the shopping experience more relaxed and enjoyable.

MyProtein: Influencer marketing campaign (2023)

About this campaign:
MyProtein, an online sports supplement and clothing brand, used a broad influencer marketing campaign to amplify its Black Friday offerings. By partnering with well-known fitness influencers with substantial followings, MyProtein shared its message effectively with a highly targeted audience. The influencers promoted MyProtein’s Black Friday deals across social media, aligning the brand’s products with their followers' fitness goals.

Why it works:
Leveraging fitness influencers’ credibility and reach allowed MyProtein to build trust and boost engagement. This strategy resonates with the audience’s health and wellness aspirations, creating relevance and driving interest. Focusing on influencers with mass appeal, MyProtein positioned itself as a trusted choice in sports nutrition and activewear, reinforcing brand alignment with fitness values during the Black Friday period.

Pro tip: You can use Socialinsider's competitive analysis tool to analyze your competitors' social media posts and get content ideas for Black Friday posts, in case you lack inspiration for this seasonal campaign. Moreover, by looking at performance data for each of their campaign's posts, you can quickly identify the best-performing posts and concepts, allowing you to choose the ones that have proven to generate the best results.

Spy on your competitor's Black Friday content ideas with Socialinsider!

Glossier: Bridging online and in-store shopping experiences (2023)

About this campaign:
Glossier’s Black Friday campaign connected its online presence with in-store promotions by leveraging real customer feedback and highlighting employee favorites. Through Instagram carousel posts, Glossier showcased products loved by their team, sharing relatable content that doubled as an authentic product recommendation. This approach blended Glossier’s community-driven online vibe with its Black Friday sales, making the brand experience consistent across platforms.

Why it works:

With over half of U.S. Black Friday shoppers researching online before heading to stores, Glossier’s strategy of integrating genuine customer feedback and employee picks is a powerful way to drive trust and interest. The campaign makes online shoppers feel involved and informed, while in-store customers can feel assured that they’re selecting popular, highly recommended items. By connecting digital campaigns with in-store experiences, Glossier maximizes its reach and boosts the customer’s confidence in purchasing, ultimately enhancing both online and offline sales.

Sugarbones: The magic of mystery boxes (2023)

About the campaign:
During last year's Black Friday, Sugarbones, a design brand founded by artist Cheyenne Federiconi, launched mystery boxes filled with surprise products. The boxes included a mix of the brand’s art-inspired items, such as enamel pins, stickers, and apparel, creating an element of excitement for customers. To add extra value, each order also came with bonus stickers and miniature art prints, enhancing the customer experience without resorting to steep discounts.

Why this works:
The mystery box concept turns shopping into a fun, engaging experience where customers are eager to see what surprises they’ll receive.

By offering bonus items instead of heavy discounts, Sugarbones maintained the perceived value of its products while still providing an attractive deal. This strategy not only drove sales but also helped clear older inventory. Customers shopped not just for the price cut but for the thrill of getting something unexpected, keeping excitement high and brand value intact.

Final thoughts

Black Friday and Cyber Monday present unparalleled opportunities for brands to engage with their audience, boost sales, and strengthen customer relationships.

A well-executed social media marketing campaign featuring innovative Black Friday campaign ideas can help businesses stand out during this busy shopping period.

From creating urgency with countdowns to partnering with influencers and offering exclusive Black Friday promotions, there are many ways to capture the attention of potential customers.

Drawing inspiration from successful Black Friday ideas allows brands to craft a strategy that resonates with their audience, drives traffic, and maximizes revenue during this highly anticipated shopping season.

What are the best platforms to run Black Friday marketing campaigns?

The best platforms for Black Friday marketing campaigns depend on your audience and marketing goals, but here are a few that consistently perform well:

Instagram
With its visual appeal, Instagram marketing is ideal for showcasing products, flash sales, and exclusive deals. Features like Stories, Reels, and Shopping tags can drive social media engagement and direct sales, making it a go-to platform for many brands.

Facebook
Facebook's extensive reach and powerful advertising tools make it a powerful platform for Black Friday campaigns. You can create targeted ads, host live shopping events, and engage with a broad audience.

TikTok
For brands aiming to reach younger audiences, TikTok marketing offers incredible potential. Short, engaging videos, influencer partnerships, and trending challenges can make your Black Friday promotions go viral. Learn more about TikTok influencer marketing.

Twitter
Great for real-time engagement, Twitter can be used to share flash deals, discount codes, and quick contests. Its ability to facilitate direct interaction with customers makes it effective for time-sensitive campaigns.

How long does Black Friday last?

Actually, Black Friday lasts only one day, i.e. 24 hours. However, many vendors now offer discounts for longer than just one day. For example, you can often find the savings deals even on the Monday after Black Friday. Some stores also run the discounts for the whole week or even the whole month of November.