E121: Ready, Set ... Black Friday!

10/30/23 • 9 min

1 Listener

As we head into November, there is one thing on the minds of online businesses and ministries .... It’s not turkey or dressing. It’s “what will I do about Black Friday??” Join me for Episode 121 of Just One Simple Thing where you’ll learn three ways to maximize your Black Friday, and two ways to stand out in the noisy crowd.
Hey friends! Welcome back to Just One Simple Thing, where we are motoring towards the end of the year. It will be here before you know it!
Black Friday isn’t just a day now ... it’s a whole week. And then you tack on Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday. It’s enough to make your head spin.
But let’s simplify the whole thing with a few tips and two ways that you can stand out among the crowd.
1. Don’t feel like you have to offer major discounts, especially if you are a service-based business.
Cutting the price on your regular offers devalues them, and if you get a big response, delivering on all of those cut-price sessions could be draining for you. Instead, try adding bonuses to your regular offers that increase their value or you can go the other way ... a mini-version of your regular offer to give people a taste of what you do and how you can help.
2. Create a signature Black Friday offer.
My core audience expects it and plans to purchase that weekend so they get the best deal.
3. Leverage affiliate promotions.
One easy way to do this is to create a gift guide
So you have a great offer in mind ... but with all the noise, how do you stand out in the crowd?
1. Tease your offer in advance.
If you catch their attention before all of the noise starts, they’ll be watching for your email so they can jump on it.
2. Make it personal.
Segment your email list based on previous interactions and send different emails to each segment, addressing their specific pain points and how your offer can help.
And finally, as just one word of caution ...As you make your Black Friday plan, keep in mind the other things you want to do during that week and the Thanksgiving weekend.
Think ahead about how much time you really want to spend during the weekend when you plan your promotions.
ACTION STEP
Look at what you already have available and how you might promote it over the big holiday weekend. Can you turn it into a signature annual offer? When you decide what to do, tease it on your social media. Be sure to tag me so I can cheer you on AND share the amazing things you come up with!
Thanks for hanging out with me today. I don’t know about you, but things feel really unsettled all around me. I’m praying that by keeping things simple, we can find peace in the chaos and use our gifts to bring peace to others as well. If you’re in on that, send me a DM and let me know! That would be a huge blessing to me.
RESOURCES
Go-Getter Jesus Girls Gift Guide

++++++++++
Are you tired from trying to share your God-inspired message while working your full time job? Do you wonder if it’s worth it, or even possible, to build a ministry or business on the side?
I have good news for you. It is possible. It is worth it. You can do it.
Download the Honor System Guide, to help you honor all the work God has given you to do.

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Previous Episode

E120: Make the Most of Your Fourth Quarter with Two Important Questions

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Y’all know I’m a big advocate for doing quarterly planning for your ministry, business, or even just for life in general. But planning for the last quarter of the year has some extra things you need to think about. Join me for this super short episode to learn the two questions you need to be asking at the end of the year.
It happens every year. October gets here and we are surprised that it is already the last quarter of the year.
Last weekend, I met with some members of The Honor Circle for our quarterly planning time. They have been working their plans all year and seeing the benefits that come from consistently working on the most important things.
Our planning took on a little different vibe this time as we looked towards the end of the year. I asked the ladies a couple of important questions as they framed up their plans for the last quarter. And I thought they might help you as well, so let’s dive into them.
1. What can you do to finish the year well?
And finishing well does not necessarily mean killing yourself to catch up on work you haven't been able to do all year. "Finishing well" might mean taking the first few steps because making some progress is better than making none. Finishing well also means you need to take into account all of the things you have on your plate this season.
2. What can you do to set yourself up for success next year?
Start by looking back at the fourth quarter last year. How did it go? Were there lessons you can learn from the way things went? If you can name the things that derailed you then, you keep them from happening again.
Another way to set yourself up for success is to think ahead about what you want next year to look like. Themes you want to cover in your content, programs you want to start, products you want to develop. You’ll be miles ahead next year if you start being intentional about those things now.
That’s it! Two simple questions. What can you do to finish the year well? And what can you do to set yourself up for success next year? I told you it would be super short this time!
ACTION STEP
Grab a sheet of paper or your journal and write the answers to those two questions. I’d love for you to share what finishing well will look like for you. Shoot me a DM on FB or IG @doanewthing and let me know!
Thanks for being here with me for this quick little episode. If you are listening to this in real time at the beginning of October, hop over to my free Facebook group, Plan & Pray with Do A New Thing. I have a lot of exciting things planned for the end of year. The Looking Back to Move Forward challenge, Build A Better Year annual goal planning workshop, the Do Your Thing Retreat ... hang out in the Facebook group to get all the info!
RESOURCES
Do Your Thing Retreat –My annual “get it done” working retreat. Join us for a weekend designed to support and encourage you as you do whatever needs doing in your ministry or business!

Next Episode

E122: The Tough Grace Episode

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While it’s great to get encouragement and positive feedback, sometimes you need to hear the hard things. I call it “tough grace”. So here in Episode 122 of Just One Simple Thing, I’ll share five tough grace thoughts from me and my friends.
As we move towards the end of the year, you’ll hear me and others start talking about year end reviews and starting to make plans for next year.
Part of evaluating your year is getting very honest with yourself about where you have been and where you are headed. And once you admit it, give yourself some grace and move on.
So let’s dive into these things you may need to admit as you review your 2023.
1. Take care of the money stuff. Even if your thing is more of a passion project than a business, the money things can get away from you in a hurry.
2. Renew your mind because our thoughts really do matter and pave the way to our success. If your year hasn’t gone like you thought it would, it’s easy to get discouraged and feel defeated. Allow the Lord to speak truth into your situation ... to show you the learnings and the small steps of progress ... the ways He has been with you all the way.
3. Trying to push through when you are tired rarely yields the results you want. Sometimes you have to push through to make a deadline. Making that a way of life rarely yields the results you want.
4. Progress may be slow when life is full. We all have to make decisions about where we spend our energy and when life is full, we may not be able to focus on the dream work like we want to.
5. You can’t expect results like a business when you treat it like a hobby. You have to adjust your expectations to match your effort. Or find a way to ramp up your effort to match your expectations.
Okay .... I hope this hasn’t been a downer episode for you. We’ve talked about some tough things. But don’t forget the grace part. Give yourself a heavy dose of it, learn from where you are, and carry those lessons forward with you.
ACTION STEP
Grab your calendar and make an appointment with yourself to do your year end review and annual planning. If you want to plan your year with me, circle January 6th on your calendar and watch for details on my social media and in my newsletter.
And speaking of my newsletter, are you a subscriber? It's is a unique combination of encouragement, exclusive subscriber discounts, and resources chosen just for you. Subscribe by going to my website at doanewthing.com, scroll down to the bottom of the home page, and sign up to get my best to-do list tips. I’d love to have you as part of the Do A New Thing community.
RESOURCES
Cindy Yorks His GPS for Your SOS Podcast
Erica Goode Coaches, Consultants + Money Podcast
Erika Millard Get Comfy With Numbers Podcast
Melissa Dickey Empty Nesting On Purpose Podcast
Cathy Lawdanski @retired_empty_nester IG
Grace Workman Beautiful Art and Meaningful Gifts