What Is Fake Friday?

Essentially, this new and important date on every marketer’s calendar stems from a bit of confusion. Like Easter, the date of Black Friday changes every year, and always falls on the 4th Friday of November (the day immediately following Thanksgiving). When the fourth Friday falls at the very end of the month – like Black Friday in 2025 will – you get people looking up online deals a week before the real day. Thus: you get Fake Friday, and with it, a new opportunity to work on your marketing funnel and get more conversions over the line on the big day (and the week leading up to it). 

While it may not have the global recognition of Black Friday itself, Fake Friday is an event to watch out for if you’re planning ad campaigns – no matter whether that’s search or social media ads. Consumers are now more particular about their purchases, and will hold off on buying until they’ve done their research. That could take the form of looking through pricing, reading up about their options, or signing up for email lists for those all-important discount codes. Many buyers are now also looking for other people before the festive season, meaning that education regarding your products or services is especially important to help make it easy for them to find just the right gift. 

What makes it so significant is that it’s a strong indicator that consumer behaviours are changing. Rather than jumping on whichever deal they see that’s convenient, they’re looking for more – in terms of price, quality, and convenience. Factoring all of these things in will give you and your business the best chance possible to get the most out of this busy pre-Christmas period. Not sure where to start? We can help. 

What Caused the Change in Buyer Behaviour?

Along with the initial confusion stemming from Black Friday’s changeable date, there are a few reasons why we’re seeing a shift in shopping trends. During the height of COVID, everyone was online – there was no alternative while we were all inside. While that was a few years back now, the instability we were going through for that time is only just now starting to stabilise. 

Combine that with the fact that there’s been a lot of economic uncertainty, the interest rate has gone up, often hitting renters just as much as those with a mortgage, and you have a recipe for change. People are more cautious with their money, and are looking for an option that gives them the best possible service and benefits all in one. 

Why You Need To Start Prepping for Fake Friday

Any form of change requires adjusting your approach – and navigating the digital fatigue of potential customers, increased competition both online and on the high street, and sophisticated buying behaviours makes this especially relevant. One of the key things to keep in mind is that customers are more discerning than ever, and are doing their due diligence to make their dollar go further. 

The next thing to plan for is that they’re also keen to get ahead, get in early, and avoid the mad rush that Black Friday results in – regardless of whether they’re shopping online or in store. Prospective customers are used to seeing deals pop up earlier every year and not everyone is waiting until Black Friday arrives to make their purchases. 

How this impacts you, whether you’re an ecommerce, lead gen, or retail marketer, is that Fake Friday isn’t just an optional pre-sale moment. Now, it’s becoming an essential part of your strategy to win conversions, get consumer data early, and improve efficiency before advertising costs skyrocket closer to the big day. 

Get Front and Centre With Early Sales – Or Start Dropping Hints

With all of that in mind, how can you use this information to your best advantage? It isn’t just consumers who are looking to save money, many businesses are keeping a close eye on their ad spend, return on ad spend, and every part of the funnel so they can turn first-time Black Friday purchases into life long customers. 

When it comes to planning your moves this shopping season, there are a few things to focus on: 

• People love to be first – and that’s still true when it comes to shopping. They want to skip the countdown timers that sit between them and the deal they want, and they also want to make sure they get in before things on their list sell out. 
• Along with getting options early – like on Fake Friday – creating an emotional connection is fundamental for your long term success. Along with early access sales, consider things like exclusive previews, VIP offers for those who get in early, or some other extra benefit relevant to your customer base that’ll make them feel valued. 
• If you’re looking to achieve the antithesis of the mad Black Friday rush, drip feed those hints, give special deals on certain days for product ranges, and stagger things out. It removes the heightened sense of urgency that can be overwhelming and gives you a softer launch into the sales season, while also preserving momentum for the official campaign later in the week. 

Building Momentum Pre- Black Friday 

Along with fostering those early relationships with customers, Fake Friday is also a fantastic way to learn what works, what doesn’t, and adjust your strategy accordingly before the big day (Black Friday and in the longer term, Boxing Day). Depending on your business, budgets, and goals, you may want to start as far in advance as early as the start of November, or even late October. Either way – you should start planning now. 

You’ll want to cast a wide net, utilising the full scope of your channels to maximise attention, lead generation, and early sign ups (and conversions). The benefits of starting early is that you can avoid the peak in paid advertising costs that hit during Black Friday week. There’s also less competition when you start early, and you can be amongst the first ads that consumers see. Opt for social media advertising to capture attention with visuals, testimonials, and dynamic content. When it comes to Google, remarketing is your best friend – keeping you at the forefront of their mind. 

Email marketing is another integral tool in your marketing kit. If you’re running campaigns to capture contact details, email is the ideal way to drop hints and let people know about the things they’re really interested in. 

Getting the Benefits of an Early Launch

While it might seem like Fake Friday is just another thing to add to the “to-do” list, for early adapters, you could stand to gain plenty for a bit of early preparation. The main thing to remember is you can still have a similarly targeted approach, except you’ll want to spread your marketing efforts across a longer window. This gives you more room to learn, better budget optimisation, and takes the pressure off achieving those groundbreaking results in just one day. 

Each year is different, and change is the only thing you can count on when it comes to marketing and customer behaviour. Starting early, and even finishing late (with sales wrapping up a few days after Cyber Monday to let late-comers get a deal) will help tremendously. Rather than a one-day sprint, your pipeline and conversion path is spread across a week (or month) long marathon. You’ll be revising and optimising more – but you’ll also set yourself up to gain more in the long run too. 

Now’s The Time: Start Planning For Fake Friday

With the economy slowly coming out of its long period of instability, now’s the time to make the most of the changing trends and optimise your strategy to get ahead of the curve. Get amongst the retail and ecommerce brands who are already capitalising on it, improve your campaigns, and push for the extended success that this unofficial date can offer. 

Whether you’re aiming to stretch your campaigns across a longer window, are ready to experiment with refining your creative more, or want to see how the data pans out, WebSavvy can help. By utilising a full-service advertising marketing mix, we can help you reduce wastage – in terms of time, creative, and ad spend – and optimise your sales funnel across the holiday period. Avoid the Black Friday burnout and contact us today for a free consultation. 

The post Fake Friday: The Hidden Goldmine Before Black Friday appeared first on Digital Marketing Agency, Melbourne | WebSavvy.

In a previous blog: Awareness Advertising: Adding Some Broccoli To The Sugar Highs Of Performance Marketing,  I discussed some concepts about how to think about your awareness advertising and how you can measure it.  This piece is really looking at the channels that are readily available to broadcast your brand messaging, specifically in Australia.

There are a whole number of digital channels at your disposal. There are the Meta channels of  Facebook & Instagram, Google’s YouTube, ByteDance’s snappy short content on TikTok, the more modest Pinterest and Snapchat.

So how do you choose these channels?  Where to start?  Do you choose the largest one?  Something more niche? Or every single one all at once? (don’t do that).

There are 4 ways to evaluate a channel.  

1. Reach potential 
2. Demographic Fit
3. Psychographic fit 
4. Practical fit

Start with the overall strength of the channel.  How many people will you reach?

The chart above is taken from the ad platforms (which are maybe accurate?) and the data should be taken with a grain of salt.  The base numbers say that Meta and Google have the best ability to reach people.  

The next filter to look through is the actual demographic fit.  You want to align your channel with your marketing – it makes no sense to try and sell puffer jackets in tropical Queensland. 

Digging deeper into key demographic metrics like age and gender will help narrow things down further.  Age and gender won’t necessarily apply to all advertisers, but it will help you understand some of your competitive metrics.

Meta

You’ve got a fantastic reach in Australia across the ages and it skews slightly female.  More effectively you’re likely to be considering the 25 plus demographic with Instagram and Facebook. The older the demographic the more engaged they are on this platform.

TikTok is kind of interesting. The reach for TikTok is definitely younger. And the younger demographic skews female. But as you get into the 35 plus these audiences are getting very, very, very small and they skew heavily male. That’s probably going to change over time as more and more people adopt the platform. Keep in mind this is the snapshot at the moment.

One of the underappreciated platforms is Pinterest. There’s definitely a large female population on Pinterest. There’s 4 million Australians on Pinterest. I would estimate at least 80% of them are female.  The very valuable demo of  25 to 35 year old females make this an attractive fit for beauty, fashion and interior design led products.

YouTube’s a little bit trickier to measure and compare as the platform doesn’t talk about reach however  YouTube states that they hit 87% of Australian adults in November of 2022. Right at peak shopping time, there’s a lot of Australian adults on YouTube.

And Snapchat.. Just isn’t a channel that WebSavvy has worked with – but if you’re after a younger audience – it’s worth a shot.

The next factor is your psychographic fit.  The channel, your brand and your customer have to have some overlap.  Your brand values have to align with the customer’s lifestyle, and the customer needs to use that channel in order for it to make sense.  It would be extremely difficult for the Canadian Government to advertise on TikTok after banning it in March of 2023.  The channel brand and the advertiser don’t have a positive overlap.

Conversely if you have an audience of Planners and organisers – then something like Pinterest would fit like a glove.

The final element of choosing a channel is simply a practical one.  Ask yourself, ‘where has the brand got traction already’.  Often this is overlooked and a channel that has media attention gets the brand attention.  It’s much easier to build on a strength than try and create a new one.  Only look to new channels if you’re already saturating your strong performing ones!

The post 4 ways to evaluate a channel for awareness marketing appeared first on Digital Marketing Agency, Melbourne | WebSavvy.

September 2023 – WebSavvy, a leading PPC authority since 2006, is excited to announce its acquisition by Reform Digital, a rapidly emerging full-service agency founded in 2020. This strategic alignment offers both agencies the latitude to operate autonomously while forging ahead with joint initiatives to advance and refine service deliverables.

While Reform Digital boasts a diverse service portfolio spanning PPC, SEO, and in-house creative and content specialties, WebSavvy has always been recognised for its unmatched proficiency in PPC. This acquisition sets the stage for an enriched suite of digital services, blending Reform Digital’s robust organic and content offerings with WebSavvy’s acclaimed PPC expertise. For both agencies, we see this acquisition benefitting our combined clientele.

Mike Rhodes, WebSavvy’s founder, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “For 17 fulfilling years, WebSavvy has been a testament to the power of vision, hard work, and the magic of a truly outstanding team. Today, as I pass the baton, I’m proud to know that the new owners share our foundational values & care for clients, setting the stage for WebSavvy’s continued ascent to remarkable achievements.”

Reform Digital’s CEO, Dave Hyman, and Director of Marketing, Darren Vassallo shared, “We are incredibly excited to be working with such gifted digital marketers at WebSavvy and helping amplify their ability to support and partner with businesses who require paid media solutions. Having been in digital marketing agencies for 15+ years, the directors of Reform Digital feel like we can bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise into the agency, whilst empowering individuals to produce quality campaigns for our clients, along with providing more reach into a market that is calling out for improved performance across the board.”

While both agencies will continue independent operations, joint training and education programs are being offered for both teams, ensuring a seamless flow of expertise and perspectives. This joint trajectory, rooted in mutual values, promises to deliver top-notch digital marketing services to clients desiring clarity in their digital marketing campaigns.

At the heart of this partnership lies a shared ethos – people. The combined dedication to transparency and fostering a culture of empathy reiterates WebSavvy and Reform Digital’s commitment to ethical practices and clear reporting. In an industry known for “burning” clients, this acquisition is based on shared values of trust, respect, and reliability.

Established in 2006, WebSavvy, with its unwavering dedication to clients, has become an epitome of PPC excellence. Founded by Mike Rhodes, an industry frontrunner and co-author of “The Ultimate Guide to Google Ads”, the agency has fostered successful partnerships with an extensive range of both Australian and international clients. WebSavvy is a Google Premier Partner, which means our proven performance of maximising campaign success and client growth puts us in the top 3% of agencies in Australia.

Committed to its foundational principles, WebSavvy’s leadership team remains unchanged, guaranteeing a smooth transition period and sustained exemplary results for all clients.

After three years of rapid growth, Reform Digital is still fueled by the goal to transform the digital stratosphere, with a passion for data-driven results and transparent communication. Born in Melbourne out of a need for tailored solutions in a one-size-fits-all market, Reform Digital agency specialises in creating custom strategies that propel campaigns forward. 

Since 2020, co-founders Dave Hyman and Darren Vassallo have set a tone of treating clients like partners and a focus on building long-term relationships that have honesty at their core. With Reform Digital, B2C, B2B, and lead generation clients of all sizes have benefitted from uniquely crafted campaigns that are aligned with their goals.

As WebSavvy and Reform Digital move forward with a unified vision, we anticipate the digital marketing industry to witness shifts that not only elevate service standards but also set new benchmarks of excellence and trust for our clients.

The post Industry Titans Merge as Reform Digital Announces Acquisition of WebSavvy appeared first on Digital Marketing Agency, Melbourne | WebSavvy.

A Year-End Review for a Successful BFCM 2023

Get an insight into Agency thinking when it comes to making sure you’re prepped and ready for the beginning, middle and end of Black Friday 2023. This fillable workbook and checklist will help you review your previous year’s Black Friday results to elevate this year’s strategy, determine what your lead-up plan is, initiate your post Black Friday planning and much more.

It’s time to work on your Paid Google Advertising Black Friday Strategy for 2023. In the ever-spinning carousel of online advertising, pausing for a moment to reflect on what worked and what didn’t can be your secret sauce for future victories. So, without further ado, here’s your playbook for a successful Black Friday strategy.

Let’s start with a deep dive into your campaign results both looking at last year’s BFCM period, as well as how you are tracking to date. What made your ad revenue skyrocket? Did anything leave you feeling like you missed out? Take a closer look at those roller-coaster moments when your ad performance went from “Woo-hoo!” to “Uh-oh” and analyze how those fluctuations were managed. Noting what campaigns were the top revenue drivers & understanding how to push them even further during the busy season can really help prioritise your game plan.

I know, it can be A LOT to document all of the account changes made throughout BFCM last year, but at WebSavvy, we’ve found it super valuable to understand what changes were made when to budgets & targets in the Google Ads account. Mapping these alongside the performance trends above will help unpack decisions that either launched your performance in the right direction (towards more) or that may have held you back, helping to create a potential roadmap of changes for this year.

Your ad creative is like the glittery outfit at a disco party – it needs to shine! Take a look at what you ran across Search, PMax, Sitelinks, extensions, YouTube & Discovery (soon to be Demand Gen). Did you approach the sale messaging differently in these placements? Are there ways the sale messaging could be incorporated more prominently for this year? It’s key to make sure your ad creative pops so you stand out against your competition!

Speaking of competition!! Keep your eyes peeled for what your rivals are up to in terms of offers & messaging, particularly with search ads on keywords you are competing for. Big discounts & offers from your competitors can make it hard to entice users to click your ads, so snapping screenshots and jotting down notes for future reference can help you plan ahead for next year.

Google is great at capturing demand, but the magic really does happen when used alongside other demand-driving channels like Meta. A cross-platform approach in the lead up & throughout BFCM helps get people excited about your brand & what you have on offer – you’re competing with a lot of different categories in this time for consumer attention (and their wallets!), so read more here about how to win with paid social!

In a nutshell, by dissecting your campaign results, keeping tabs on budget changes, jazzing up your ad creative, giving your competition the side-eye, and working alongside other channels, you’ll be armed with a knockout approach for the remainder of the year. Just remember, success in online advertising is like a fine wine – it gets better with time and a little bit of tweaking. Cheers to your future ad triumphs!

Check out our 5 Tips for your Black Friday Social Ads Strategy here

Reflecting on last years data is only step 1 in our 5-Step Checklist to guide your Black Friday strategy. Download the full, fillable workbook below to ensure you have planned for everything when it comes to your strategy for Black Friday 2023.

 

The post Black Friday: 5 Tips For Your Google Ads Strategy appeared first on Digital Marketing Agency, Melbourne | WebSavvy.

A Year-End Review for a Successful BFCM 2023

Get an insight into Agency thinking when it comes to making sure you’re prepped and ready for the beginning, middle and end of Black Friday 2023. This fillable workbook and checklist will help you review your previous year’s Black Friday results to elevate this year’s strategy, determine what your lead-up plan is, initiate your post Black Friday planning and much more.

Let’s chat about gearing up for the upcoming Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) madness. Paid Social marketing is an ever-evolving landscape, which offers exciting opportunities, but that doesn’t mean you should totally disregard your previous years strategies. By digging into last year’s data, you can gain valuable insights from your data to shape this year’s WINNING game plan. 

Consider how you segmented your audiences; were they too broad, defined, or divided? By identifying your top-performing audiences and evaluating your spend allocation, you can determine whether the distribution of your budget delivered the desired results or if it missed the mark. Question whether last year’s cold audiences responded better to BAU content rather than sales messaging? And finally, take a closer look at what creative elements made your cold audiences swoon and what resonated with your existing, loyal customers.

Did you give enough love (aka budget) to last year’s cold audiences? It’s important to prioritise growing remarketing audiences before the sale period – remember, they’re going to need some warming up before the big sale. Recognize that buying intent tends to snooze pre-sale, so consider reallocating some of your budget towards site traffic, lead generation or other non-conversion focused campaigns. Really think about how you can utilise different objectives to align with consumer behaviour. 

Budgets, budgets, budgets! Compare your current spending to last year’s at the same time. Use this as a benchmark to give your budget a little boost within a similar margin, provided your return on ad spend aligns with your goals.

In the ever-evolving landscape of paid social marketing, change is your bestie. Explore what’s new since the last BFCM. Have you discovered that collection ads drive sales in warm audiences? Or have you implemented Advantage Shopping + campaigns? By embracing diversity in ad types and objectives to appeal to a wider range of people, you can make them fall in love with your product faster than they can say, “add to cart.”

Lastly, remember that while you learn from last year, you shouldn’t settle for the same old approach. Leverage the dynamic nature of paid social marketing to your advantage. Is your offer going to show the value you’re offering in the context of the larger changes we’ve been through this year? Stay agile, adapt to new trends, and be open to experimentation.

BFCM success in paid social marketing, hinges on data-driven insights and a willingness to adapt. Analyse, reflect, optimise, embrace change, and always strive for improvement. Armed with these tactics, you’re set to blaze through BFCM with a record-breaking season. 

Check out our 5 Tips for your Black Friday Google Ads Strategy here

Reflecting on last years data is only step 1 in our 5-Step Checklist to guide your Black Friday strategy. Download the full, fillable workbook below to ensure you have planned for everything when it comes to your strategy for Black Friday 2023.

The post Black Friday: 5 Tips For Your Social Ads Strategy appeared first on Digital Marketing Agency, Melbourne | WebSavvy.

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Video 1: Intro

Mike introduces a framework to help viewers maximize the potential of ChatGPT, an AI language model. He emphasizes the importance of leveraging AI to enhance writing efficiency and creativity.

Video 2: Imagery and Videos

Here Mike dives into the realm of visual content, showcasing how AI can revolutionize the creation and utilization of imagery and videos. He explores the possibilities of AI-generated visuals, improved image recognition, and streamlined video editing processes. 

Video 3: Data and Code

The third video highlights the transformative power of AI in the fields of data analysis and coding. Mike demonstrates how AI algorithms can process and analyze vast amounts of data, identify patterns, and extract valuable insights. Furthermore, he discusses how AI simplifies coding processes and automates repetitive tasks, enabling businesses to develop innovative solutions more efficiently.

Video 4: AI as the Muse and the Teacher

In this video, Mike explores the inspirational and educational aspects of AI. He discusses how AI can act as a muse, sparking creativity and aiding in the generation of novel ideas. Moreover, he highlights AI-powered systems that offer personalized recommendations and facilitate the creative process across various domains. By leveraging AI tools, professionals can tap into new realms of inspiration and enhance their creative output.

Video 5: Where It’s Going From Here 

As AI continues to advance at an unprecedented pace, it’s crucial to understand its future trajectory. Mike provides insights into emerging technologies and trends. He discusses the potential impact of AI on businesses, and society as a whole, giving viewers a glimpse into the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.

Video 6: Summary

The series wraps up with key takeaways and reinforcing the need to embrace AI as a powerful tool for growth and innovation. 

Ready to harness the power of AI and unlock new possibilities for your business? Don’t miss out on Mike Rhodes’ comprehensive video series on AI. By enrolling today, you’ll gain access to all six informative and inspiring videos, covering writing, imagery and videos, data and code, AI as the muse and the teacher, and future trends.

As a special offer for our readers, we are giving an exclusive discount on the course by visiting  https://websavvy.thinkific.com/courses/how-to-use-ai-in-your-agency  and using the code AI50.

Join Mike Rhodes on this enlightening journey into the world of AI and discover how it can revolutionize your business and enhance your creative endeavors.

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