How to Plan a Great Flash Sale
Planning your sale, made simple
What is a flash sale?
Simply put, a flash sale is a promotional event for a small amount of products that runs for a brief period of time, backed with ‘urgent’ messaging to entice prospective customers. However, just because it only runs for a short while, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t spend a good amount of time planning it. A well-planned flash sale can give you a spike in sales, and - more importantly - bring in significant amounts of new loyal customers to add to your customer base.
The following guide will give you a quick walkthrough of some essential steps to take, when planning the perfect flash sale for your business.
Consumers love flash sales - but only when they’re done right. Make sure you take the proper planning steps before you set up your next one.
Is a flash sale the right promotion for my business?
If you’re excited to create your next flash sale, take a moment to ask yourself the following questions. Why are you looking to run a sale? Are you featuring any new or trending products? Who are you hoping to sell to?
These questions will help you avoid some of the ‘cons’ many business owners experience with flash sales. Notably, these involve attracting one-time buyers, cutting into your profits, and adding to your sale fatigue. Ideally, your flash sale will attract new loyal customers, who will be on the lookout for more of your products over the coming months and years.
There’s tons of different promotion types, and a flash sale might not be the best for your business. Carefully weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.
1. Clearly set your flash sale goals and rules
With a flash sale on the horizon, you’ll want to make sure you have simple marketing and sales goals for your flash sale, with clear rules you can communicate. If you’re struggling to simplify this information, your customers will likely get confused and frustrated during the sale - hurting your reputation.
Make sure you have clearly defined sales goals, with metrics listed that you’ll use to analyze the success of your flash sale. With these, it’ll be significantly easier to improve your next flash sale - knowing what worked and what didn’t work.
The more you use social media, the more you get back - when you’re doing it correctly.
2. Start getting active on your channels
With any sale, you’ll want to be leveraging your social media presence to maximize your reach. If you haven’t already, determine what platforms your customers are using - and begin posting consistently, promoting your brand’s messaging. This activity will help you considerably, by letting prospective customers know that they should be checking your channels for news, updates, and promotions.
To create the urgency, you’ll then be able to use your platforms to announce your flash sale. Always be on the lookout for ways you can increase your reach, and project your announcements to the audiences that most closely resemble your ideal customers.
Creating urgency is tough to do properly, but when done right - it gets customers excited to start shopping.
3. Get your visual instructions ready
This is what most business owners enjoy the most during planning - designing the ads that will help promote their flash sale. There’s a lot of technical nuances that impact the success of a good ad, but there are a few key design choices you should always incorporate:
- Make it simple
- Get creative
- Get to the point
Ready to take your flash sales to the next level? Give us a call.
