BFCM prep... in April?
The year was 2018—I was new at eCom & 'twas my first ever BFCM, so I:
• Sprayed & prayed emails
• Barely slept
• Wished I stayed in SaaS
5 yrs later, I'm making my clients $$$ & telling people to start BFCM prep mid-April.
Here’s what I learned from years of BFCM prep: 🧵👇
Lesson #1: Focus on Deliverability
Engage like crazy with your email list NOW.
Ask them to:
• Reply to your emails.
• Move you to their Primary Inbox.
• "Star" you.
There are worse places than Promotions, but finding yourself in Primary means more 👀 and less competition.
Lesson #2: Boost SMS efforts
SMS is king for opens & clicks.
It's the BFF to your BFCM.
Acquire SMS numbers NOW (from new & existing people on your list).
Do NOT treat SMS like email: Use SMS to delight, respond, & engage.
Respect the inbox, respect Messages harder.
Lesson #3: Grow your list
The more quality people there are on your list, the better your results will be.
Capture as much of the traffic on your site as possible. NOW.
Popups for new.
Flyouts for existing.
Embedded for the nooks & crannies.
@klaviyo has teasers, too.
Lesson #4: Gather zero-party data
Data you own = Your edge over your competitors.
(Ethically) gather data NOW.
This is where flyout forms & quizzes come in.
Make your quizzes fun & useful. (I love @OctaneAIfor quizzes.)
You can also set flyout forms to get more info.
Lesson #5: Love your list
.@ecomchasedimond once said, "BFCM is the season of acquisition, not profit."
The list you acquired last BFCM? They're the ones buying from you now—keep nurturing.
Your goal is to keep them happy (& buying) while finding more folks to join your party.
TL;DR - 5 lessons I learned from years of BFCM prep:
• Focus on Deliverability
• Boost SMS efforts
• Grow your list
• Gather zero-party data
• Love your list
Thinking on it, if you do these all-year-round you're gold (only moreso for BFCM).
You treat your customers right, they keep buying from you. Everyone wins.
BUT all this takes time. Building relationships & forming a loyal following is playing the long game.
So start NOW.
If you found this thread valuable:
1. Toss me a follow for more threads on email & SMS marketing for eCom → @heykatgarcia
2. Here’s a thread about a site abandonment sequence you might enjoy:
