Year after year it's the biggest week for consumer spending: Cyber Week! 

In fact, data shows 49% of all winter holiday sales are driven during November.

More than $33.9B was spent by consumers last year during this high-shopping period, and even in the midst of an economic downturn, there’s a lot of money up for grabs this year. 

But how can your brand stand out? 

Well, consumers are 71% more likely to buy products after seeing positive reviews on their social networks, so if creator marketing isn’t in your marketing strategy for Black Friday-Cyber Monday (BFCM)–it should be. 

So how do you plan for a BFCM creator campaign? 

Like any other marketing channel in your mix, how you execute creator marketing depends on your goals. So ask yourself: “where in my marketing funnel do I want to use creator marketing?”

Here are a few goals to consider:

1. Drive brand awareness
2. Test your messaging
3. Change an audience’s perception
4. Drive traffic to an event 
5. Drive sales 

Once you know where in the funnel you’re operating, you can start thinking about creative strategy. Here are some examples from different brands—across the funnel.

Drive awareness

Brand: Walmart
Industry: Retail
Creator:  Zahra (@zahra)

In 2021, Walmart rolled out an #UnwrapTheDeals campaign where they created a TikTok filter that uncovered different Black Friday deals. They had a diverse group of creators like @jonnym0rals, @thekingofweird, @zahra, and @jfam.ily share the filter to encourage their audiences to try it for themselves. Walmart then offered giveaways of the featured items to participants who shared the filter on TikTok. This challenge received more than 6 billion views. 

Brand: Autonomous
Industry: Tech, Office Supplies
Creator:  JonJon (@jonjontech)

Autonomous launched the #autonomousblackfridaychallenge where they had @jonjontech, a TikTok tech creator, promote their Black Friday challenge and giveaway to his audience of more than  600,000 people. The challenge encouraged TikTokers to type out a phrase about the Autonomous Black Friday promotion as fast as they could on their keyboard, and the top submissions were awarded giveaways from the Autonomous store. This creator campaign had a reach of 163,000 views on TikTok with some great engagement from the submissions.

Brand: Amazon
Industry: Fashion & Apparel
Creator: Michael Le @justmaiko

Amazon Fashion launched a #PajamaJam TikTok creator campaign to encourage people to think of Amazon as their go-to holiday pajama shop for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. They partnered with a diverse group of creators like @justmaiko, @team2moms, @zahra, and @heididamelio to reach a broader audience and increase representation. The TikToks feature creators dancing and showcasing the wide variety of holiday pajamas ordered on Amazon. The campaign hashtag has received more than 6.3 billion views.

Test your messaging

Brand: Mysa
Industry: Technology, Home goods, Smart home
Creator: Alison Mazurek (@600sqftandababy)

Mysa ran a Black Friday creator campaign to drive awareness of their smart thermostats and explore a new market segment selling to women and busy mothers. This campaign allowed them to test different messaging and reach a new audience through four different creators, while also repurposing the creator content on their own branded page. The Mysa Black Friday campaign revealed a 419% increase in ROAS and a 215% higher conversion rate than branded ads they previously ran. In addition, they were able to increase their sales to women by 50% with content from creators like @600sqftandababy. Alison was able to connect with her audience, who are a majority of women and mothers, to talk about her busy lifestyle and how Mysa has helped her control their thermostat on the go and help her family save money. 

Change brand perception

Brand: Timberland
Industry: Fashion & Apparel, Eyewear, Sustainability
Creators: Blake Moynes (@blakemoynes)

In 2021, Timberland announced two key objectives to help the brand produce a positive net environment impact by 2030. They are committed to having 100% of their products based on circular design and 100% of natural materials obtained from regenerative agriculture. With this mission in mind, they launched a Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaign featuring eco-conscious creators like @blakemoynes to promote their sustainable eyewear line made with bio-based materials. Collaborating with creators that align with the brand’s mission is a surefire way to shift perception with authentic human connection versus branded ads.  

Drive traffic to an event

Brand: Amazon FireTV
Industry: Technology, home goods, television
Creator: Charlotte McKinney (@charlottemckinney)

Amazon Fire TV partnered with @charlottemckinney to promote a five-day #FireTVPopUp event for Black Friday and Cyber Monday at Century City Mall, her local mall. The popup aimed to increase awareness of Amazon Fire TV and its accessories as great gift options for the holiday season. By partnering with a creator local to Los Angeles they were able to drive foot traffic to the event and get people involved in their on-site challenges and giveaways. The campaign was a brilliant way to get a local community involved in an event where it is easier to engage with customers and activate sales at the mall.

Activate Sales

Brand: World Vision USA
Industry: Charity, Nonprofit
Creators: Meagan Good (@meagangood)

World Vision had a unique approach to their Black Friday campaign with a series of creator collaborations for each product launching in their holiday catalog. They partnered with creators like @meagangood, @we_mcdonald, and @leannefordinteriors to create custom-designed gifts like jewelry and wooden salad spoons for people to give as gifts for the holiday. World Vision then rolled out an Instagram campaign where each of the creators spoke about the creation and impact of the products to encourage their audiences to check out the holiday catalog on worldvision.org.

Brand: Tentree
Industry: Fashion & Apparel, Sustainability
Creator: Zizi @zizidonna

Tentree ran a Black Friday promotion in 2021, which was rebranded to a Green Friday campaign partnering with several creators to promote the site-wide deals along with their mission for sustainable fashion. Not only were the creators sharing organically on their own Instagram pages but Tentree was able to repurpose creator content in their own branded promotions like this post from @zizidonna, a sustainable fashion icon.

Brand: Microbe Formulas
Industry: Health & wellness, Natural supplements
Creator: Kelly Towart @kellytowart

Microbe Formulas ran a great campaign for Black Friday partnering with creators who vulnerably shared stories about their health journeys and experience taking the supplements. For brands in the pharmaceutical, health, or supplements space, partnering with creators is a great way to build trust quickly and activate bottom-of-funnel action. Partnering with creators like @kellytowart allowed Microbe Formulas to connect with their target audience in an authentic way, letting their most influential customers share their stories and inform their own audiences of the upcoming promotions.

Create a winning Cyber Week influencer marketing strategy

2022 will be a big year for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, and brands will continue to fight for consumers' attention. 

While the economic downturn is a reality retailers and etailers must account for, a recent report from Salesforce predicts that BFCM sales will continue to grow. But the question is how will merchants attract sales while maintaining profitability?

“The trillion-dollar question is how do brands and retailers maintain growth, but do it profitably with an omnichannel approach?” the Salesforce report states.

Creator marketing is one of the best ways for your brand to stand out and really connect with consumers. Set clear holiday campaign goals, find the right creator, and start planning your launch today!

Remember:

1. Launch early: Nearly half of the holiday spending happens before the end of November.
2. Push promotions on Cyber Monday, Black Friday, and Thanksgiving: These are the top 3 days for total consumer spending during Cyber Week.
3. Hire a diverse set of creators for a broader audience reach and better representation.
4. Get creative with your creator collaborations: Involve them in a product launch, invite them to an event, or even create a custom social media filter.