Last-Minute Tips from Master Media Buyers on Dominating This BFCM

Welcome back to Funnel Vision, the weekly newsletter that puts performance creative & growth marketing in focus. Brought to you by the crew at Ready Set.

Black Friday is next week so we’ll cut to the chase.

Below are our best tips and advice on running efficient, profitable BFCM campaigns. These tactics are tested, proven, and most importantly, can be actioned right now before the big weekend.

?? Good to know: We're taking next week off to focus on eating turkey and running client campaigns. Catch the next Funnel Vision on December 6th.

Ready? Let’s get the vision.

Reading time: 4 minutes.

Last-Minute Tips from Master Media Buyers on Dominating This BFCM

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just days away, we've compiled the most actionable tips from media buying experts to help you maximize your campaign performance.?

Here's what we recommend focusing on to get the most out of your BFCM campaigns.

Monitor and manage spend strategically

During peak days—Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday—stay vigilant with your spend monitoring. Watch for opportunities to scale ads that are performing well, while being mindful of overspending on underperformers. Have a system ready for tracking and adjusting spend in real time.

Focus on your proven winners

Now is not the time for testing new strategies. Instead, focus on:

• Leading with top-performing ads
• Landing pages that have already demonstrated strong conversion rates
• Simple, clear messaging that prominently displays your offer
• Campaigns and audience targeting that have worked well recently

Prioritize your warm audiences

With acquisition costs at their peak, focus on your most valuable audiences:

• Previous customers
• Leads/subscribers in your database
• High-intent warm audiences on paid social?

These groups are not only more likely to buy but are also more cost-effective to reach than cold audiences.

Keep creative simple and clear

Don't overthink your creative approach. Some of the best-performing BFCM ads are straightforward:

• Static ads that clearly display your offer
• Top-performing existing ads with a Black Friday wrapper
• Simple, prominent messaging about your deals

Quick post-BFCM transition plan

Have your holiday messaging ready to deploy as soon as Cyber Monday ends. Prepare to update:

• Ad creative
• Website messaging
• Email campaigns?

Keep successful BFCM ads running if they're still performing and your offer remains active. Clearly communicate shipping cut off dates, return policies, and other important information.?

Prepare for technical issues

Have contingency plans ready for common problems:

• Backup payment methods for ad accounts
• Alternative email service provider options
• Emergency contact information for key team members and vendors
• Backup copies of all critical creative assets

Maintain clear communication

Set up a system for frequent updates with your team:

• Share campaign performance metrics regularly
• Establish a clear chain of command for decision-making
• Keep stakeholders informed of any changes or issues

Prep for Q5

Looking ahead, prepare for the post-holiday opportunity in Q5 (post-December 26):

• Watch for dropping advertising costs
• Consider New Year's resolution angles for relevant products
• Have fresh creative ready that speaks to new year motivations

We’re all in it together

There’s no getting around it; BFCM is a high-pressure, high-stress time for ecom marketers. Simple things can make it far more manageable.

Stick to the plan. Check in with your people. Be direct and egoless in your communication.

You've got this. We've got this. See you on the other side ??

CLICKABLE LINKS?????

?? Brands are playing supply chain chess as potential Trump-era tariffs loom: some moving production to Vietnam and Mexico, others betting on China's infrastructure advantages. Feels like watching a really slow, really expensive game of Risk.

?? From viral dances to verified trust: TikTok CEO outlines ambitious plan to become social media's most responsible player.

?? Meta's "just trust the AI" approach to ad campaigns is actually working.

AD OF THE WEEK ?

In this section, we analyze high-performing ads and extract actionable insights you can use to power your creative.

This week, a deceptively simple yet extremely effective Black Friday ad from footwear brand, Birdies, that lets their product and offer take center stage.

• Brand: Birdies
• Length: 10 seconds
• Platform: Meta

A lineup of five elegant flats fades in against a clean grey background under an unmissable offer and straightforward headline. This winning variation, featuring proven value propositions, is an iteration of a previous top-performer and outperformed three more complex alternatives.

WHY IT WORKS ??

???Direct Offer: The prominent "BLACK FRIDAY SALE" headline with "30% OFF" sticker won against more creative approaches, demonstrating the effectiveness of keeping BFCM messaging clear and offer-focused.

???Iteration > Innovation: This ad builds on a previously successful concept rather than testing entirely new approaches. During BFCM, stick with your winners.

???Strategic Value Stacking: Each product feature callout has been tested and proven in previous campaigns. Combining them with an attractive offer makes for a highly effective ad.

STEAL THIS ??

• Add Black Friday wrappers to your best-performing evergreen ads. We can’t stress this enough for BFCM: stick with your winners.
• Create static iterations of your top-performing video ads to run to retargeting audiences. Feature your offer prominently.

BOTTOM LINE ??

When it comes to BFCM creative, clear beats clever. This ad's success reinforces our most important takeaways: focus on proven winners, keep messaging simple, and let your offer take center stage.

That’s all for this week.

As always, thanks for reading. Appreciate you ??

Dan Moran, Content Marketing Manager, Ready Set | Sleepless | Airpost

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