It might surprise you, but not every Black Friday campaign leads to big profits. A lot of people assume that offering a steep discount is all it takes, but there’s so much more to it. That’s why in this episode, I brought in someone who knows exactly how to make Black Friday work for your business.
I sat down with Josip Belina, a funnel strategist who’s helped countless businesses turn data into dollars. He’s sharing his best tips on creating profitable Black Friday funnels—and trust me, you don’t want to miss this.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:03 The Power of Bundles
06:15 Maximizing Email Marketing
08:18 Analyzing KPIs for Success
10:58 The Benefits of Bundles
14:22 Comparing Buyer Value
19:57 Final Advice
Hey, this season of Master the Inbox is all about helping you get ready for a profitable Black Friday.
You’ll learn from experts what are the exact steps you should be taking to create a no-brainer offer, build a profitable funnel, keep your list healthy and even write emails that convert without damaging your reputation.
Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect from this episode
In this episode, Monica Badiu and Josip Belina discuss tips for creating profitable Black Friday funnels. They cover topics such as determining the right discount percentage, offering bundles, sending more emails, and analyzing KPIs. They emphasize the importance of starting early and promoting products that have already been successful. They also debunk the misconception that running a Black Friday campaign devalues a brand. The episode concludes with advice to just do Black Friday sales and focus on your best customers.
Takeaways
- Determining the right discount percentage is important for Black Friday campaigns.
- Offer bundles of products that have already been successful.
- Send more emails than usual during Black Friday.
- Analyze KPIs to track the success of your Black Friday campaign.
- Running a Black Friday campaign does not devalue your brand.
- Focus on your best customers and buyers.
Don’t Worry About Devaluing Your Brand
A lot of course creators shy away from Black Friday because they fear it will devalue their brand. If that sounds familiar, Josip wants to set the record straight: offering a discount doesn’t make your product worth less, it makes it accessible to people who have been eyeing it for a while. Chances are, if someone is on your email list, they already value what you offer. Sometimes all they need is a little push in the form of a discount to finally commit.
So, don’t let the fear of “cheapening” your brand stop you. Remember, people are expecting discounts during Black Friday—and your offer could be just what they’re waiting for.
Plan Early and Be Strategic
One of the biggest mistakes course creators make is waiting until the last minute to plan their Black Friday sale. According to Josip, you should start as early as August! Yes, August. This gives you plenty of time to fine-tune your offers, create email funnels, and get your audience excited long before the big day.
Starting early also means you can run “pre-sales” in November, giving you an extra opportunity to boost revenue before Black Friday even arrives. By the time the official sale kicks off, you’ve already built momentum.
Offer What Already Works
Now, here’s a critical point: Black Friday isn’t the time to launch something new. Josip recommends focusing on products or courses that have already proven successful. Your Black Friday offer should be something your audience already knows and loves.
Bundles tend to perform really well because they offer even more value. Think about combining your best-selling products or courses into one irresistible package. Customers feel like they’re getting a fantastic deal, and you boost your sales volume by selling more at once.
How to Set the Right Discount
Wondering what kind of discount to offer without hurting your profit margins? Josip suggests that 50% off or more works best. For info products like online courses, your profit margin is already pretty high since you don’t have the costs associated with physical products. If you’re in e-commerce, make sure to calculate your profit margins carefully to ensure your discount doesn’t leave you in the red.
The key takeaway here is to make your Black Friday offer the best deal of the year, without undervaluing your work. Your audience will recognize a great deal when they see it, and this will lead to higher conversions.
Send More Emails—Really!
Let’s be honest: many of us are nervous about bombarding our email lists with too many messages. But Josip makes it clear—Black Friday is the one time of year when people actually expect to get a lot of emails. So don’t hold back!
He recommends sending more emails than you normally would. For example, if you typically send two emails during a campaign, bump it up to four or even more. Your audience is in a buying mindset, so this is your chance to stay top of mind and keep them engaged. And if you’re worried about sounding too salesy? Remember, this is Black Friday—sales are the whole point!
Focus on Your Best Customers
Your most loyal customers—those who have bought from you before—are gold during Black Friday. Make sure you have something special just for them. Whether it’s an exclusive bonus or an extra discount, showing appreciation for your repeat customers can bring in a significant portion of your revenue. Plus, these customers are already familiar with your value, making them more likely to jump on your Black Friday offer.
Track Your KPIs and Learn From Past Campaigns
If you’ve done email promotions before, take a look at your past data to help guide your Black Friday expectations. Josip explains that typically, around 0.1% to 0.7% of your email list will convert during a regular promotion. But during Black Friday, you can expect that number to jump by 50% or more.
Tracking key metrics like conversion rates, average order value, and customer lifetime value will help you understand what’s working and how to improve. And if this is your first Black Friday sale, don’t worry—you’ll gather valuable data that you can use for next year.
Just Do It!
Josip’s final piece of advice is simple but powerful: just do Black Friday. Don’t get hung up on the fear of sending too many emails or offering discounts. Take the plunge, plan early, and make the most of this huge sales opportunity.
The more you prepare, the better your results will be. And remember, Black Friday isn’t just another promotion—it’s the best chance all year to connect with your audience and boost your revenue.
Meet my guest, Josip Belina
Josip Belina is a Funnel Strategy Lead with a background in biomedical science. He specializes in funnel optimization, marketing automation, and data analysis, helping online businesses scale to multi-million-dollar revenues. With a scientific approach, Josip designs automated systems that maximize profits and streamline sales funnels.
Before moving into marketing, he honed his analytical skills in a hospital lab in Croatia. Now, he leverages his expertise to help businesses grow through data-driven strategies, focusing on customer acquisition, retention, and long-term profitability.
Connect with Josip: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/josipbelina/
Ready to Plan Your Black Friday Campaign?
If you want to run a successful Black Friday campaign but need some guidance, I’ve got something special for you. There is a Black Friday resources vault right here.
Hi. And welcome. My name is Monica Badiu. I am a marketing consultant turned conversion copywriter and copy coach. I help online course creators and info product businesses sell more through persuasive, non-spammy, no fluff copywriting.
I teach about copywriting, digital marketing, and conversion strategies tested in my businesses and with my clients.
Other links:
- Get to know more about Monica Badiu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicabadiu
- Visit Monica’s website: https://www.monicabadiu.com
- Listen more Master the Inbox episodes: https://www.monicabadiu.com/master-the-inbox-podcast/
- Get your Black Friday resources: https://www.monicabadiu.com/black-friday-resources/
- Read Monica’s blogs: https://www.monicabadiu.com/blog
- Get your freebies: https://www.monicabadiu.com/freebie
- Get assistance with your copywriting by scheduling a free discovery call: https://www.monicabadiu.com/contact
- Learn more about running successful email promos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmXZEZDMnLQf1GnQeRfO5nUjNtZwEzoi0
Want to learn email copywriting?
Start by analyzing what others are doing. My Email Teardown series showcases some of the best (and sometimes worst) examples of sales emails that have hit my inbox. Here’s the link to the playlist. I publish new email reviews every week.
Are you a course creator?
Email marketing is one of those channels you should be developing early on in your business. Here are The 9 Email Automations Every Course Creator Needs to make bank, enroll students, and nurture audiences.
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Hi! I’m Monica. I help course creators enroll, engage, and educate audiences through customer-centric email copywriting. I’ve been privileged to partner with course creators from all over the world. And I’ve seen this customer-centric approach to email marketing work every time.
The best part? It’s not about the sale.
Email marketing is a fantastic channel because it builds trust, delivers value, and positions the brand as a partner. Read more on my blog or listen to Master The Inbox, the podcast where I share all my conversion secrets.