5 Ways Black Friday Advertisers Alienate Cyber Monday Shoppers

Savvier audiences see past the old tricks that used to work

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A shift in demographics has Black Friday advertisers scrambling to connect with Cyber Monday audiences. The tried and true “doorbuster blowout” language has proven less effective for online shoppers battle-hardened from years of detecting SPAM and pushy online scams.

By adopting conversational language and easing up on drama, advertisers can turn shoppers onto their deals without turning them off altogether. Suddenly, authenticity is in demand.

SpyFu’s Convertasaurus tool uncovers modern secret formulas behind the ads promoting the year’s biggest deals.

1. Advertisers are shooting themselves in the foot with exclamation points.

Rest assured that the most obnoxious advertisers don’t come out on top. Exclamation points in ads end up on the losing end with audiences.

2. …Unless supplies are dwindling.

Once advertisers switch to urgency signals, the exclamation point is back in action. When time is running out, audiences agree that the message calls for excitement. “Act now!” and “Hurry!” get big boosts from that punctuation.

3. When it comes to building urgency, “while supplies last” isn’t the best choice.

Some retailers have to cover their bases, having such deep discounts end with what’s in stock. Getting shoppers waiting at their doors takes a combination of great deals and excellent phrasing. To push a sense of urgency, the drama-laden “before it’s too late” wins big.

4. Deals vs. Savings vs. Offers

Advertisers know that great bargains draw the crowds to the stores, but a simple word choice can bump the ad’s effectiveness. Appealing to their sense of a great buy makes shoppers love the word “deal” more than savings. However, “offers” rose to the top as a power player, pulling in bargain hunters better than the others.

5. Branding your own sale name is a crapshoot.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers expect deep discounts and big buys. When advertisers tag products with labels like “special buy,” they could be losing sight of the important words that really work with shoppers.

Read more and see real-world examples here. http://blog.convertasaurus.com/black-friday-ads-cyber-monday-lessons/

Ad copy writing is hardly a science, but Convertasaurus puts incredible confidence into its claims. For every word or phrase battle, Convertasaurus weighs tens of thousands of ads across hundreds of industries, so flukes and quirks are weeded out. The same brains behind SpyFu.com uncovered this helpful way to repurpose billions of ads collected over time—and whether they were successful ads or lifeless failures. This collection of audience-tested words powers Convertasaurus.com.