How to Run a Black Friday Sale on your Membership Site

The holiday shopping season is almost upon us, and Black Friday through Cyber Monday (BFCM) continues to be the largest weekend for in-person and online sales. This shopping weekend isn’t slowing down anytime soon, as shoppers are spending 20% more year over year during Black Friday. Some companies even see upwards of 75% of their total November sales in that one outrageous weekend.

As a membership site owner, this heavy-traffic weekend presents an incredible opportunity. If you’re thinking of running a membership sale this BFCM weekend, you’ll definitely need some strategy to plan ahead. Here are our tips on how to run a Black Friday sale for your membership site on this biggest shopping weekend of the year.

Figure out your offer

First, if you decide to get in on the action, come up with a great offer. A 5-10% discount isn’t going to see a huge return. People expect big savings on Black Friday, so shoot for 25%-50% to compete. But be reasonable: the last thing you want is to finish the sale and realize you lost money. It’s easy to get caught in a race to the bottom.

If it doesn’t make sense to offer your membership at a big discount, then consider what else you can offer. Think extra services, a free month, or a special bundle. Bundling a product or some limited-release swag with a membership can be an alternative if you don’t want to underprice your membership. Alternatively, consider a membership option that isn’t available currently – like a lifetime option – that could generate buzz.

And don’t forget about current members! A big discount could make them feel they’ve overpaid or that you’re not concerned with them. A great deal on a renewal can help retention and remind current members that you’re not only chasing the shiny and new this Black Friday.

Related Post: Tips for Pricing your Memberships

Plan your campaign

Getting the attention of your audience can be challenging any time, never mind at the craziest time of the year for online sales. Rising above the noise can be one of the trickiest parts of a Black Friday sale.

Warm up your audience by letting them know that a deal is coming. Find out which influential blogs in your market are curating deals and ensure yours is included in their list. This can start with a simple Google search with your product and “Black Friday sale” in your search term, (For example, a search for “WordPress memberships plugins black friday” reveals the top hits for WordPress blogs curating deals.) If you have a contact person for your company who performs outreach, this is a great partnership to strike up, as reciprocal link sharing can help both parties.

We recommend running your sale for four to seven days instead of just the weekend. Also, make sure your codes have a buffer day on each side. If your sale runs Friday through Monday, the code should work Thursday through Tuesday. This helps with timezone issues and allows stragglers a chance to get the sale price.

In terms of getting the word out, consider your email and landing page strategy:

Email: Make sure you are segmenting new leads versus existing customers to target the right group. You don’t want to email someone who just paid full price about a new sale. Keep the copy short with a clear call to action. Email your list once a day for the duration of your sale and make the coupon code is easy to find. Automate your emails and social media posts a week ahead so you can relax and troubleshoot during the actual sale.

Landing page: A landing page specifically for your offer is a great way to highlight what’s on sale and for how much. If your software supports it, place a checkout on the landing page. This will minimize the number of clicks and convert more shoppers. You’ll also be able to direct your entire sale on social media to one landing page for an easily shareable and trackable link.

Related Post: How to Market Your Membership Site

Use Restrict Content Pro for your Black Friday membership sale

If you’re using Restrict Content Pro as your membership gateway, it’s easy to set up and offer a coupon for your Black Friday shopping weekend.

Codes can be configured in Restrict > Discount Codes. From here, give your code a name, a description, a unique code, a percentage or amount, and expiration date. Make sure to check the “one time” option to ensure your Black Friday code only discounts the membership once, and not on a recurring basis.

Here’s how this page looks:

Questions? Our Support team is happy to help with any questions relating to adding codes to discount your membership.

Consider alternative ways to tap into the Black Friday Buzz

If you decide that a Black Friday sale isn’t the right decision, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out. If your site runs a blog, a podcast, or web series, then you can be the go-to person in your industry for information on what deals others are offering. Hunt down bargains for your audience and leverage this to drive more traffic to your own site. Members may even see your bargain hunting as a perk of their membership: you’re doing the hard work for them!

Plus, don’t forget to do some shopping yourself! Membership sites typically need dozens of different plugins to run behind the scenes. Spend some time this year finding the best deals to set up your membership site for a great year ahead. All of the StellarWP plugins are 40% off this Black Friday through Cyber Monday. If you’re looking to expand your membership site by offering classes, virtual events, and enhanced shopping carts, check out StellarWP’s offerings.

With Restrict Content Pro’s premium plugin at 40% off this Black Friday, it’s a perfect time to see if a membership plugin is right for your site. Try it in the demo first before you buy and explore how a membership can help your business grow.