Last Minute Black Friday Tips
You’re not too late! We promise. You can still grab a little extra business over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. And with 7 in 10 consumers predicted to shop over Black Friday weekend and a forecasted 47% increase in spending from 2016, you have a lot of reasons to get involved.
Our last-minute Black Friday tips are so simple, you can get them in motion before the day’s end. And if you’re already a FareHarbor client, we’re here to help make it happen.
1. Attract customers with promo codes. 
Unlike major retail brands, tours and activities enjoy far less competition when it comes to promoting their Black Friday deals. While many in retail have taken to advertising their promotions as soon as the day after Halloween, you still have time to get your promotions up and running.
The most simple and common of which is the promo code. As the king of holiday promotions, promo codes are both simple and useful in driving customers to a specific purchase.
- Use promo codes to pinpoint certain areas of your business. For example, if you just started offering a new tour that hasn’t gained traction, create a promo code that offers a discount for that specific tour. A special deal might be the incentive your customer needs to try something new.
- Get customers to opt for a slightly higher price point by bundling two items together. Create a promo code for bundled items, like a kayak tour and a bike rental. You get the upsell, they get the deal. It’s a win-win.
- Use valid or blackout dates to customize how your promo codes are used. You can even put this strategy to use to create a promotion that lasts from Black Friday to Cyber Monday by creating a separate offer for each day of the weekend, each with its own promo code. If you’re a FareHarbor client, we’d be happy to help you set this up.
As a FareHarbor client, you can create and manage promo codes directly through your Dashboard. Watch our detailed tutorial video to set up promo codes on your own, or reach out to our Technical Product Specialists and they’ll walk you through it.
2. Boost sales with digital gift cards. 
The use of digital gift cards (and all things digital!) is on the rise. In fact, it’s predicted that digital gift cards will see a $14 billion dollar market in 2017. Adding digital gift cards to your website gives both you and your customers an advantage. Customers are able to purchase and send gift cards from any device at any time, and you’re able to secure future bookings.
Plus, if you run a seasonal operation or cut back on your availabilities during the winter months, it’s a simple way to guarantee future bookings as things slow down.
- Customers tend to spend more than the card value. Especially if the card was received as a gift, it makes sense to the recipient to add a little of their own money on top of the gift card value (for, say, a photo package) since the experience costs them nothing otherwise.
- Combine your gift card sales with a promotion. Instead of dealing with both promo codes and gift cards, try discounting your gift cards so customers purchase, say, a gift card with the value of $100 for $80.
- Appeal to holiday shoppers by marketing digital gift cards as a package deal. Advertise a free hat or t-shirt with the purchase of a gift card—say one with more than a $50 or $100 value—so customers have a physical gift to pair with the digital purchase. Everyone loves unwrapping presents, after all.
If you’re a FareHarbor client wanting to try out digital gift cards for the first time, just get in touch and we’ll help you add them to your site. If you want to change or manage your gift cards, visit our help center for more info.
3. Now promote those promotions!
Once your promotions are in place, it’s time to get the word out. This is a great time to pull email lists of customers that have booked with you in the past, and of course, to put your social media sites to work. If you’re a FareHarbor client, you can use the Contacts report to view and download customers’ information as a CSV that can be uploaded to your favorite email marketing platform.
If you’re looking for more marketing tips to carry you all the way through the season, check out this blog post! There’s still plenty of time to ramp up your holiday marketing efforts.
