🍯 3 Things to do if You Take Black Friday Seriously

Hello You DTC Savage,

Black Friday isn’t just another sale. For most eCommerce brands, it’s the championship game. This isn’t the time to scramble—it’s the time to execute.

Here are three non-negotiables to dominate Black Friday like the 8, 9, and 10-figure brands do:

1. Set Channel-Specific Goals

Most brands head into Black Friday with a single focus: “make as much revenue as possible.” That’s not a strategy—it’s a gamble. What gets measured, gets managed.

Before Black Friday hits, you should have:

• Spend Projections: How much will you allocate to Meta, Google, TikTok, YouTube, and even Email/SMS?

• Revenue Goals by Channel: What are you expecting from each platform?

• Contribution Margins: How does revenue compare to costs per channel?

Why it matters:
Without clearly defined, channel-specific goals, you can’t effectively monitor performance or pivot when something goes off track. Knowing exactly what each channel needs to deliver ensures your efforts aren’t scattered.

2. Monitor Hour by Hour

At our agency, we see 8, 9, and 10-figure brands monitor their performance on an hourly basis during Black Friday. Yes, hourly.

Here’s what they track in real-time:

• Ad Spend: Is each channel performing to expectations?

• Revenue by Channel Comped to Last Year: Are you ahead or behind YOY benchmarks and goals?

• Contribution Margins by Hour: Are you staying profitable as spend ramps up?

Why it matters:
This level of granularity isn’t optional during Black Friday. It’s how you spot underperforming campaigns early, avoid overspending, and make real-time adjustments to ensure you stay on track. Nobody wants to hit revenue goals while destroying profitability.

3. Prepare and Deploy Contingencies

If you’re waiting until Black Friday to plan backup strategies, you’re already behind. Here’s how our retention-focused brands handle it:

• Pre-Schedule Emails & SMS Campaigns: Your baseline comms should be locked and loaded well in advance.

• Have 2-3 Contingency Campaigns Ready: These should be designed to fill gaps if revenue or contribution margins fall short. Think: flash sales, value-driven offers, or re-skinned top performers..

Why it matters:
Black Friday is execution, not planning. It’s the Super Bowl, not practice. The brands that win are the ones who’ve already done the prep work. Their contingency plans are in place, and they’re ready to pivot on a dime.

Quick Stats to Back It Up:

• Brands that monitor real-time performance report 15-20% higher profitability during peak sales events.

• 80% of successful Black Friday campaigns are finalized weeks in advance, leaving only execution and adjustments for game day.

• SMS campaigns sent as “contingency plays” have been shown to drive up to 29% additional revenue during BFCM.

Summary: Win Like the A-Players

1. Set channel-specific goals. Know exactly what every channel needs to spend and deliver.

2. Monitor hourly. Stay on top of spend, revenue, and margins every single hour.

3. Have contingencies ready. Don’t react—be ready to execute backup plans in real time.

The brands that win Black Friday treat it like a championship game: prepped, dialed, and ready to execute.

Are you ready to play at their level?

Lastly, I would love to chat with you on LinkedIn if we aren’t already connected.

Talk soon,
Feras