Here’s how you can use digital marketing to win big on Singles’ Day

ALIBABA is credited with starting the Singles’ Day sale phenomenon in Asia. It has helped the company’s e-commerce platforms reel in billions in revenue every year since 2012, and the success has inspired other e-commerce platforms — the competition — to join in.

So, in a few days from now, on Sunday, Nov 11, Asian e-commerce players — everyone that sells on Alibaba’s platforms, businesses with their own e-commerce platforms, and sellers on platforms that compete with Alibaba — will see the biggest spike in sales.

Tech Wire Asia spoke to a number of e-commerce sellers, in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia and found that most of them had been thinking about how to maximize revenues on “11.11 sale day” for almost a year now.

Some of the top things that these businesses have done in preparation for the sale is made sure they understand their customers’ needs (and wants), acquired enough inventory to meet customers’ expectations, and found the right partners to manage the logistics to deliver once the transaction is made online.

However, there’s one thing that is only kicking in this week. It’s their digital marketing campaigns.

If you start too early, you risk blending into the crowd — your “creatives” start to look familiar as the sale draws closer — allowing other brands to make an impression on the customers.

Start too late, and you miss out on the entire opportunity as shoppers prefer to take a day or two to map out their “shopping carts” in advance based on the deals that will be made available to them.

Here are thee pointers to help e-commerce sellers get more bang for their buck on digital advertising spends for Singles’ Day:

# 1 | Go big or go home

Customers have big expectations from their chosen brands on Singles’ Day. They expect big deals and great offers — bigger and better than on any other day of the year.

Make sure you deliver on their expectations. Once you’ve got the offers lined up, make the announcement on social media. Let them know. Of course, promote the posts — but expect your customers and community to like and share it with their friends.

Remember, marketing your products and living up to the hype of the Singels’ Day sale is part and parcel of the tradition that Alibaba has created — which is what makes the sale so great in the first place.

# 2 | Highlight your top deals on social media

Before and on sale day, everyone is vying for the attention of the customers — everyone wants the eyeballs — and it’s going to be hard to get.

However, one way to ensure success is to make sure people know about your offers beforehand. Make sure you create interesting content and highlight your offers on social media.

The idea is to make sure your customers and fans know what’s on offer so they allocate a portion of their budget to you beforehand. This is a great strategy for those selling expensive electronics, branded apparels, and accessories studded with precious jewels.

# 3 | Invite your community to the sale

It’s a good idea to create an event and invite your fans and followers to the event. Then, on the event page, put in all your offers and write about how you plan to sweeten the deal for early birds.

It’s also possible to leverage singles’ day to speak to a wider audience via your event — by promoting it to include and invite more people outside your circle of followers.

Doing so will not only help you on sale day but might also encourage new people to join your community, thus expaning your community.

 

 

 

 

This is the fourth in a series of stories that Tech Wire Asia will produce to help e-commerce readers better understand and plan for Singles’ Day this year. Come back tomorrow to learn how Alibaba’s exciting tech will help cope with logistics challenges on sale day.

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