7 Things Brands and Marketers Need to Do NOW to Win Black Friday (Even If You’re Not Running a Discount)

 

Searching for how to prepare for Black Friday marketing in 2025?

Wondering if you really need to discount?

Or panicking because you haven’t started your Black Friday content plan yet?

Welcome.

This is your straight-talking, zero-fluff Black Friday marketing checklist.

Whether you’re a product-based brand, service provider, or B2B business trying to ride the Q4 wave, this post is for you.

Because ad costs are about to spike. Inbox space is about to vanish.

And whether you’re running Black Friday Facebook ads or just trying to stay visible on Instagram…

You will be impacted.

Let’s get you prepped, and pretty flippin’ fast.

1. Start Building Your Audience (Like, Yesterday)

You can’t retarget if there’s no one to retarget.

You can’t email people who aren’t on your list.

And you can’t sell to strangers who’ve never heard of you before November 24th.

Start now:

→ Run Top Of Funnel Meta ads to build warm retargeting audiences

→ Max out your weekly LinkedIn connections (especially if you’re B2B)

→ Launch lead gen ads or quizzes to collect emails BEFORE inboxes get flooded

Paid traffic gets way more expensive in Q4. Warm it up now, while it’s cheaper.

2. Plan Your Creator & UGC Campaigns in Advance

If you want creators or UGC for your Black Friday sale, start yesterday.

By November, the good ones are already booked.

What to do:

→ Put briefs into creator platforms or agencies now

→ Lock in partnerships with creators ahead of time

→ Think long-term collabs, not just one post on Black Friday

Need ideas? Check out our guide to using influencers for Black Friday when you’re not doing a discount (coming soon).

3. Create & Test Your Black Friday Ad Creative

Please, for the love of God, don’t use THAT Canva template for Black Friday.

Here’s your checklist:

→ Review your all-time best-performing creatives

→ Repurpose high-converting videos into ad variations

→ Create different assets for different audiences — cold traffic vs loyal buyers

→ Test copy variations before BFCM week

→ Don’t forget aspect ratios for TikTok, Stories, Reels, and Feed

If you’re running Facebook Ads for Black Friday – test early, scale later. The algorithm’s not magic. You need creative that converts.

4. Test Your Tech

Your offer means nothing if your checkout crashes.

Or if your code doesn’t apply.

Or if you didn’t notice that your add-to-cart button doesn’t work on mobile.

Test EVERYTHING:

→ Shopify/WordPress/whatever you use

→ Discount codes, bundle logic, referral offers

→ Tracking pixels for Meta, TikTok, and GA4

→ Email flows — especially abandoned cart, post-purchase, and upsell sequences

This is boring but vital.

One broken link = £££ down the drain.

5. Segment Your Audience for Smarter Targeting

One-size-fits-all is a crime in Q4.

Here’s how to segment:

→ Existing buyers = loyalty offers, early access, bundles

→ Cold traffic = education, testimonials, offer breakdowns

→ Lapsed customers = “we miss you” or “you bought this last year” style offers

This applies to your email flows, paid ads, organic posts, and landing pages.

The more specific, the more effective.

6.

Nail Your Offer, Even If You’re Not Doing a Sale

You don’t need to slash your prices to compete on Black Friday.

But you do need to communicate value.

Try this instead:

→ Limited-edition product drops

→ Exclusive bundles or VIP access

→ Free gifts with purchase

→ Early access for email subscribers

→ Limited-time experiences or services

Most important? Be crystal clear.

Don’t make people decode your offer, make it obvious, and easy to attain.

7. Schedule Everything Before November Hits

Q4 brain = chaos.

So do your future self a favour and get it all scheduled now.

Schedule ahead:

→ Organic posts and email flows

→ Meta and TikTok ads with variations

→ Influencer/UGC/ECG/CCG posts (and confirm delivery dates)

→ SMS campaigns if you use them

→ Post-BFCM campaigns too (yes, people still buy in December)

Want to post 3 times a day during Black Friday week?

Schedule 90% of that in October and keep your sanity.

 

Black Friday doesn’t need to butcher your margins.

But it does need a real strategy.

Whether you’re running an ecommerce business or doing B2B LinkedIn campaigns, this is your time to stand out because everyone else is lazy and last-minute.

 

✅ Ready to find out if you’re ACTUALLY ready?

 

We made you a Black Friday Readiness Quiz with all the things we’re checking for FB Comms clients right now.

It’s smart. It’s brutally honest. And it’s free.