Are you searching for Black Friday marketing ideas that will truly connect with your audience and boost sales? According to McKinsey, businesses that get personalisation right can generate 40% more revenue from those efforts—but failing to do so can lead to frustrated customers and lost opportunities. In the high-stakes, fast-paced environment of Black Friday, personalised communication can make all the difference.
With SMS and USSD campaigns, you can deliver targeted, real-time offers that speak directly to your customers’ needs and preferences, ensuring you capture their attention and drive action when it matters most.
What Makes SMS and USSD Campaigns So Effective for Black Friday?
SMS and USSD campaigns are highly effective because they provide instant, direct communication to a wide audience, ensuring high open rates and immediate action.
During Black Friday, timing is everything. With customers bombarded by countless emails and social media ads, SMS and USSD campaigns allow you to cut through the clutter. SMS offers an excellent open rate, making it one of the most reliable channels for immediate engagement. On the other hand, USSD, an interactive mobile technology, enables customers to complete transactions without needing internet access. This is particularly useful in regions where mobile internet connectivity may be limited. By using these platforms, you can deliver time-sensitive deals and engage customers in real-time, offering an unbeatable edge over competitors.
For more information on how SMS works for your business, explore Bulk SMS from Cellfind.
1. Drive Urgency with Flash Sales Via SMS and USSD
Flash sales delivered through SMS and USSD can create a sense of urgency, leading to immediate purchases.
Flash sales are a tried-and-tested Black Friday strategy, and using SMS and USSD adds the urgency that email or social media campaigns may lack. With SMS, you can send exclusive, time-limited offers directly to customers’ phones, creating a sense of immediacy. USSD can be used in a similar way, enabling customers to claim deals and make purchases in a matter of minutes without needing to open an app or webpage. Consider sending out a flash sale message an hour before the main event, giving your SMS subscribers exclusive early access to deals. The ease and speed of these channels make them ideal for flash sales which can help you boost conversions.
Looking for USSD tools? Check out USSD services from Cellfind.
2. Personalise Offers with Customer Data
Use customer data to send personalised offers that resonate more with each recipient, increasing engagement and conversions.
Personalisation is no longer a luxury—it’s an expectation. Businesses can leverage SMS and USSD on Black Friday to send tailored offers based on customers’ past purchases, locations, or preferences. For instance, a clothing retailer might send a 20% discount on winter jackets to customers in colder climates while offering a deal on swimwear to customers in warmer regions. Personalised messages not only feel more relevant but also foster a sense of connection, increasing the likelihood of a purchase. This type of marketing capitalises on the real-time nature of SMS and the transactional capabilities of USSD, offering a seamless experience.
3. Gamify Your Black Friday Campaign
Gamification, integrated with SMS and USSD campaigns, boosts engagement by making the shopping experience more interactive and fun.
Gamification is a highly engaging Black Friday marketing idea that turns the shopping experience into an interactive adventure. With SMS and USSD, you can create games that reward customers for their participation. For example, you might run a Black Friday quiz via SMS where customers answer trivia questions about your brand for a chance to unlock exclusive discounts. Or use USSD to create a “spin-the-wheel” style game, where customers dial in and interact with a menu to win random prizes or discounts. These techniques encourage repeat engagement, especially in a competitive shopping landscape like Black Friday, where customer attention is scarce.
Not only does gamification make your campaign stand out, but it also builds a sense of excitement that keeps your brand top of mind.
4. Automate Reminders and Abandoned Cart Alerts
Send automated reminders and abandoned cart alerts through SMS to recapture missed sales opportunities.
As the Black Friday shopping season gets underway, customers may add items to their cart and then get distracted before completing the purchase. Automated abandoned cart alerts sent via SMS can remind customers about the items they’ve left behind and encourage them to finalise their purchases with a timely offer or discount. Additionally, you can automate reminders about upcoming sales, ongoing offers, or ending promotions, ensuring customers don’t miss out. SMS is a great way to keep your brand and offers fresh in customers’ minds without overwhelming them, thanks to its direct and concise nature.
5. Build Loyalty with VIP and Early Access SMS Campaigns
Offering VIP or early access to Black Friday deals via SMS fosters customer loyalty and boosts sales.
Everyone loves to feel special, and offering your loyal customers early access to your Black Friday deals can be a simple yet effective way to build long-term relationships. An SMS campaign targeting your top spenders with exclusive access to sales a few hours before the general public will not only encourage them to purchase but also make them feel valued. These customers are more likely to make repeat purchases, driving higher lifetime value. You can also create exclusive VIP promotions, offering deeper discounts or bonuses to select customers who have been loyal throughout the year.
6. Maximise Engagement with Multi-Channel Integration
Integrate SMS and USSD with your other marketing channels to maximise engagement and create a seamless shopping experience.
While SMS and USSD are powerful on their own, they become even more effective when integrated with other marketing channels like email, social media, and in-app notifications. Use SMS to remind customers of flash sales they saw on social media, or combine a USSD prompt with an email newsletter featuring a unique discount code. Multi-channel campaigns allow for consistent brand messaging and ensure customers are engaged across different touchpoints. By synchronising these efforts, you’ll improve the customer experience and increase the likelihood of conversion.
Black Friday Marketing Ideas from Cellfind
This Black Friday, setting your business apart from the competition is no easy feat, but it’s far from impossible. By implementing these Black Friday marketing ideas—from personalised SMS offers to gamified USSD campaigns—you can capture your audience’s attention and convert it into real sales. With SMS and USSD’s immediacy, personalisation, and wide reach, you’ll have the tools you need to make this Black Friday your most successful yet.
Explore more about Bulk SMS from Cellfind and USSD services from Cellfind to start building your campaign today!
