By the end of September, your final quarter activity should have already started...

No matter the economy or financial challenges, two things are certain in Q4:

🎁People will be buying gifts

🏷️People will be shopping sales

There are obviously a number of key events throughout October-December that drive this - let's recap:

🪙Prime Day Fall / Early Access Sale

🪙Diwali

🪙Halloween

🪙Singles Day

🪙Thanksgiving

🪙Black Friday + Cyber Monday (BFCM)

🪙Christmas

🪙New Year's

If you're a DTC brand, advertising is EXPENSIVE in Q4...

But it doesn't have to be! You need to be driving traffic to your sales platform NOW. Here's how to limit the expense and maximise profitability!

🔍Focus on the big events

In short: BFCM and Xmas. These are when activity is super-high.

• Run a really tasty discount, say 20-30% depending on your product/service for the week in the run-up to Black Friday, that weekend and Cyber Monday.

• Run a slightly lesser discount (15%?) for the two weeks up to Xmas Eve.

• As a third option, run an even lesser discount (just 10%) between Xmas and New Year for those who missed out!

🏃‍♂️Drive the traffic NOW

In addition to whatever advertising you're doing now, add in a pure traffic campaign - one that simply gets reach or link clicks.

You want to be 'filling your funnel' now with people that have visited your website so that you can retarget those visitors when your discounts are running!

Traffic campaigns are much cheaper than conversion campaigns, and retargeting campaigns can often be cheaper too.

🙋‍♂️Amp up the UGC

Work with charistmatic and convincing customers, influencers and creators to promote your product or service, and make the message specific to gift-giving or your upcoming sales.

Remember, if a creator posts and features your brand, you can often use THAT EXACT POST as an ad - called 'dark posting' this looks hyper-organic and engaging. Perfect for that top funnel traffic campaign!

📣Shout about your sale

Be bullish, be direct! No room for subtlety here. Use bright banners on your creatives! Shout your terms such as:

'SALE!'

'Our biggest ever discount!'

'Black Friday Sale!'

'SHOP NOW'

Not only is this accepted by customers during this time, it's expected. People are actively looking for that perfect deal for themselves or a friend/family member!

📉Expect some mini-dips

As customers learn about your deals, they'll hold off that purchase until it hits. Don't let the dip in sales get you down! Focus on the success during the key times.

👂Keep the conversation flowing

Speak regularly about your offers in the run up to your sales - by running those retargeting ads and posting on social.

Remember to get signups to your email list! This is BY FAR THE CHEAPEST form of digital marketing! Drive that signup on your website and through your ads so your customers don't miss out on your offers.

📦It's not too late to take advantage of Amazon Prime Day Fall Event

In a surprising move (or not so surprising given the success of Prime Day), Amazon have announced 'Prime Day Early Access Sale' to be run on 11th and 12th October.

As Amazon Advertising Partners, we had the inside scoop on this second Prime Day event (originally internally called Prime Day Fall Event) and were able to set up top deals for our customers.

But it's not too late to dive in with your own sale!

Many sellers will still be able to run vouchers or coupons during the event, and still get some coverage throughout the Amazon site. If you do - make sure it's a lesser discount than the one you intend to offer during BFCM.