How to aggressively grow your lists leading to BFCM

The anticipation of BFCM reverberates through every corner of the retail and e-commerce world. It's not just about discounts or quick sales—it's about establishing connections and building lasting relationships with customers.

A crucial component of any successful BFCM campaign is a solid contact list. This isn't just any list; it's a direct channel to communicate with potential customers who are eager to hear from you.

We've curated a bunch of growth tactics that'll help you grow your list more aggressively as BFCM fast approaches:

BFCM-themed popups

Traditional popups may be overlooked. But, imagine a shopper seeing an opt-in popup teasing a special BFCM offer? Not only does it grab attention, but it also segments these users into a dedicated BFCM audience.

While you're at it, switch up your exit intent pop-ups as well. Inform your shoppers that they'll be receiving other relevant marketing communications to keep the channel open after BFCM.

Sneak peek page

Design a BFCM preview page with upcoming deals. Blur items or the savings.

Anyone can view the page, but the catch is, people who wish to see what's on sale or how much discount they'll likely get, must submit their email address.

Here's how Mircrosoft's BFCM sneak peek page looks like:

Source: litextension

Social media buzz

Use social media to drive traffic to your website and build your lists. Curate content, run quizzes, and giveaways.

Contests and giveaways

Conduct contests and give out BFCM coupons, early access to deals, and downloadable shopping guides. People submit their email ids to enter the contest.

A key thing to note here is to segment the subscribers who came from these contests. Generally, the list is low quality and you might want to be judicious with it.

Surveys and quizzes

Collect customer information with quizzes and surveys. Ask what items they'd like to see on sale. Not only do these help understand their preferences, but they also keep them engaged. Use this data to personalize their BFCM journey.

Posts and stories

Regularly post about upcoming sales, behind-the-scenes looks, or even teaser images can create anticipation. Include a CTA asking people to subscribe to your list so they don't miss out on huge deals.

BFCM mini games

Online mini games that offers winners (and maybe participants) a prize, provides a fun and engaging experience. I'll admit, some technical effort is needed to pull off a seamless experience. However, according to Adact, the average engagement time is 5 - 16 minutes. Holding customers attention for that long opens up lot of touch points to collect their contact information.

Promote these BFCM mini games through your socials and website pop-ups.

Leverage analytics

Heatmaps, screen recordings, scrollmaps tell you about the customer interaction with your website. Use this data to place opt-in forms strategically. For product pages with high abandonment rates, a pop-up offering a special BFCM discount might be the trick.

Collaborate with influencers and other brands

Think of a skincare brand collaborating with a makeup brand for BFCM. The result? Exciting product bundles!

Brand collaboration is a great way to reach a wider audience during BFCM. You can be creative and produce fun content that provides value to both audiences.

Collaborate with brands that compliment your product to create product bundles together for the BFCM sale. Collaborate with influencers whose audience resembles closely with yours.

Here's how Kopari and Natalie collaborated:

Growing your list is the foundation for a thriving BFCM campaign. Once you have these contacts, automating and personalizing their shopping experience becomes the next crucial step. With these tactics in your arsenal, BFCM could be your biggest sale of the year!

‍