6 Things You Should Be Doing...
Chris Meade
Co-Founder of CROSSNET | Building a new sport with the world’s first four way volleyball game | Forbes 30 Under 30
Happy Thursday!
It’s been a great week. CROSSNET just got confirmation that we landed another MASSIVE retailer for 2024 and they purchased 5000 units for a Spring rollout. This is coming just a week after locking down probably the biggest retailer in the country. I think we hit the target if you know what I’m saying!
Momentum’s rolling and Founders Club just added some really impressive entrepreneurs to the mix. The community is growing so fast I may need to do some interviews with some of them because they have crazy perspectives on a lot of the stuff you & I are struggling with.
Speaking of community, for my Miami readers I have two free III Points tickets for the festival this weekend. I’m on a flight now for a Founders Club event in Salt Lake City and a beautiful wedding tomorrow in Park City. If you’re out and about in SLC, I’ll have some free time this afternoon and if you’re in town and want to catch the dinner last second RSVP here.
As we get closer and closer to the Super Bowl of e-commerce, my days feel like they are turning into nights and there is no way I can get all the work I need to get done by 8PM. Am I alone?
Regardless of what industry you’re in, this week’s newsletter will cover many important things you should probably be doing. Before we dive in tho, I want to give a massive shout out to the team over at Revenue Roll. Not only did they fix my email deliverability a few weeks ago, but they allowed us to identify all of our anonymous shopper’s emails which will lead to probably $250k in extra revenue this Q4. Hit up Mike for the secret sauce - [email protected]?
Brace Yourselves: We’ve Officially Entered Q4
This is your last shot to make this year count. Q4 is the final stretch, and for many businesses, it’s make-or-break. A successful Q4 can not only help you close the year strong but also completely redefine your goals for 2025.
This is also the most competitive time of the year. Every business is ramping up their ad spend, flooding customers with deals, and fighting for attention.
If you want to win Q4, you have to be strategic. From data-driven content calendars to diverse content, leave no stone unturned. This is your final chance to win the year.
Here are my top tips for dominating the BFCM season:
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1. Map Out Key Dates: Don’t Miss the Important Ones
Look at your data from last year. When did you see traffic spikes? When were customers most likely to convert? Use that insight to plan campaigns around the moments that matter. Every year it seems like people start their holiday campaigns earlier. We will start our holiday sales the first week of November this year.
Important dates to mark:
Once you have those dates locked in, reverse engineer your content. If you’re running a big Black Friday sale, start teasing it in early November. Run early-bird campaigns, sneak peeks, and “coming soon” emails to build anticipation. This gives you momentum going into the major sales days instead of just showing up last minute and hoping for the best.
MOST IMPORTANTLY - Track your daily revenue to your goal. If you see a few days into the month you are far behind on your goal, you need to meet with your team daily to figure out how you’re going to get ahead of the difference.
2. Create Seasonal Content
You can’t ignore the fact that customers are in a different mindset during Q4. They’re hunting for deals, thinking about gifts, and feeling the pressure of the holiday season. Your content needs to tap into that.
From blog posts, emails, social media — everything you create should tie into the holiday mood.?Last year we got lazy and didn’t do the cutesy holiday photoshoots and it hurt us.
If you’re in e-commerce, push gift guides and “best holiday deals” content.
If you’re in B2B, focus on “wrapping up the year strong” or “preparing for 2025.”
Here are some Holiday-themed content ideas that do well every year:
You’re not just competing for sales, you’re competing for attention. Your content needs to be creative, engaging, and, most importantly, timely.
3. Analyze and Adjust: Don’t Set It and Forget It
Here’s where a lot of businesses go wrong: they set up their content calendar, hit “schedule,” and walk away. That might get you through most of the year, but it’s not how you win Q4.
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Keep up with every single post you make so you can know what’s working, and be ready to pivot in an instant. Sometimes that means rescheduling posts with new formats based on what your audience is responding to.
Things to track:
Q4 is a dynamic time, and what worked last week might not work next week. Your competitors will be hitting your audience just as hard, so you’ll have to keep things interesting if you want to win their business.
If a promotion isn’t converting, switch it up. If a piece of content does go viral or atleast pops more than a normal post, that is the one to double down and throw ad dollars on.
4. Play the Retargeting Game
Most customers won’t buy the first time they see your offers. The average CROSSNET customer has to come to our site 5 times before they make a purchase. To maximize profits, you have to retarget anyone who has clicked on your ads and you’ve already invested in.
Earlier this year I became an advisor to a company called Revenue Roll after I saw the massive impact they had on CROSSNET’s retargeting after our customers left our site.
Once somebody leaves our site, they use every point of data possible, from public records to data collected from 3rd party platforms, to fully build out an identify for this person. From there are marketing team can then decide what the best attack strategy is. Are they a mom? They get this email. Are they a college lacrosse player? Okay this email. The difference between 7 & 8 figure brands is the attention to detail on the little things.
Whether you're looking to reduce cart abandonment or drive more post-visit engagement, Revenue Roll legit crushes it and constantly proves max ROI. They are the one tool I’ll never churn from and can almost guarantee will make you several thousands in additional email revenue this Q4.
Or skip the line and email the founder directly for the friends & family hook up - [email protected] *
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5. Ask Yourself The Right Questions
To get the most out of your strategy, spread your promotions out. Every year I see posts about how “Black Friday sales start earlier every year,” and it’s for a good reason. Don’t throw everything into Black Friday and hope for the best.
Plan smaller promotions leading up to BFCM and extend them afterward to capture late shoppers. Flash sales, “deal of the day,” and extended Cyber Monday promotions can keep the momentum going well into December.
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6. Diversify Content Types
If all your content looks and sounds the same, it’s going to blend in with the noise. Invest in custom assets that stand out in the feed and highlight your seasonal offers. If you have the luxury of having. an email & graphic design team, load them up with work and have them be working 30+ days out on content.
If you’ve been looking for a reason to experiment with different post times, this is the perfect chance to pull out all the stops. We are going to try to mix in few infographics and start a newsletter series from the founders this Q4 that goes into how thankful we are for their support and how they’ve changed our lives.
By diversifying your formats, you’ll keep your content fresh. Customers are bombarded with sales pitches during Q4, so the more creative and varied you are, the better your chances of standing out.?
Onward & Upward
My plane is landing in Salt Lake City so I’m going to sign off. I hope you loved this week and if you have ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL I’d love to hear from you and write back on my 8 hours of flying on Saturday morning.
We have just 10 spots left for Tulum and we are 100% sold out. If you’d like to come to our FOUR DAY MASTERMIND you need to book your ticket now. Get yours here.
Talk soon,
Chris
Technology Strategist ? Enabling Businesses to Innovate and Transform ?? Ex-AWS ?? Ex-Etisalat ?? Founder
1 个月Great insights, Chris! Strategy and data-driven content are vital!
Manager at Blackcoffer
1 个月https://startuppedia.in/startup-stories/delhi-entrepreneurs-launch-global-hyperlocal-networking-app-netclan-connects-200000-users-for-jobs-dates-business-in-local-ecosystems-7289293
Drinkbrez.com Structured.agency Konstantkreative.com Wearelucyd.com
1 个月Love the Q4 tips, especially the focus on data and adaptability Gotta make the most of this crucial time.?We're all in this together
Brands need to be prepared to capitalize on this massive opportunity with targeted campaigns and irresistible offers
Love the focus on BFCM. It's the Super Bowl of e-commerce