Ah, Black Friday. A day that’s turned into a week (or even a month in some brand’s cases!) promising big discounts and creating quite the spending frenzy in the UK – I’m sure we all remember seeing the supermarket stampede for slightly discounted tvs, which made even the lockdown toilet roll buying fiasco feel pretty tame in comparison.

For independent businesses however, this fear-induced/ price slashing marketing tactic isn’t always aligned with your brand- or bottom lines, for quite a few ways:

• Offering a discount simply isn’t an option with profit margins already squeezed – especially for those who make products themselves, and need to factor this time and skills into their prices. 
• Discounting could see sales during the Black Friday period, but could undervalue products after this, with customers knowing that it’s been sold for a considerably lower amount and believing that’s what the product is now worth.
• Operationally; it can be difficult to manage an influx of orders, with extra staff potentially needed to fulfil orders and keep up the levels of customer service you pride yourself on – and also ordering extra stock in for this, especially, can be a risk too.
• It just doesn’t feel on-brand to be involved in Black Friday. Your business is YOUR business. It has your personality, your values and personality woven throughout it. If you’re not fussed personally buying during Black Friday, chances are your customers aren’t either. If discounts aren’t part of your usual marketing plans, don’t feel forced to run any.

But with consumers expected to spend over nine billion British pounds between Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year (with almost five billion of that spent in physical stores), there’s still ways you can get involved – with no offers needed:

• Connect with your newsletter, blog and social media audiences and share why you’re proudly not getting involved in Black Friday, to strengthen your brand messaging about your values (chances are your audience feel the same!). In fact, 71% of UK shoppers are willing to pay more to buy from a small business rather than a larger competitor during the 2024 holiday season, according to a recent Go Daddy survey .
• Promote ethical alternatives by emphasising your commitment to sustainability and quality, contrasting with the throwaway culture often associated with Black Friday.
• If you have a store, organise a feel-good event encouraging shoppers to pop in and celebrate supporting your small business. Perhaps this could be a first peek at Christmas ranges, running a craft workshop, or simply offering some mulled wine and mince pies.
• For makers without a store, perhaps you could organise a live demo (on Stories etc.) to connect with your customers, highlighting the time and care that goes into all of your products.
• Give a shout out to your favourite small businesses on social media or in your newsletter to continue encouraging others to shop small.
• Focus on Small Business Saturday (7th December in the UK). Use Black Friday to tease or promote your participation in Small Business Saturday, which directly supports independent retailers.
• If you really want to offer something extra; perhaps consider free postage, free gift wrapping, a small complimentary gift added to orders, or donate a percentage of sales during this time to a charity or community initiative, aligning your business with meaningful values.

Hopefully that gives you plenty of inspiration for Black Friday non-marketing-marketing, but if you need any help implementing these – be it blog, newsletter or social media caption writing, or even helping you host an event, please just drop me a line: shelley@smallbizstoryteller.com.