Question
It appears that America have been on holiday since Thanksgiving. I have a few questions you might be able to answer.
- Is Thanksgiving on the same date each year?
- What is Black Friday? It looks like I missed an opportunity for some sales.
- I’ve also seen the term Cyber Monday. What’s that?
Answer
Yah our Thanksgiving Holidays are almost as treasured to Americans as Christmas and 4th of July. It’s a big event. Many people will get 2 paid vacation days off to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family. Same for Christmas (btw – we don’t celebrate Christmas ourselves, I’m just sharing matter of factly – but we do enjoy Thanksgiving!) ?
Black Friday is the main 1 day event where Americans forget who they are and put on a very animalistic nature for the sake of saving a few bucks. The measures they do to observe this disturbing day is inhuman. My husband read that this year 2 people were run over in a parking lot, people are knocking people over, bringing handguns to Wal-Marts, fist fighting, literally breaking doors down (LITERALLY) to get inside a store. It is sickness. And a great point was made that all the time people put into a LONG OVERNIGHT waiting line outside a store (ON THANKSGIVING EVENING till the next morning) that all that time they could have put in the same amount of extra work hours in at work and would have been able to get the same product they’re standing in line for.
I was disgusted when I heard people were staying in line over night at a Toys-R-Us of all places….. A Kids toy place! I mean really… stay home with your kids on Thanksgiving, they’ll love you more for it than the toy you’d stand in line for hours just to save $20 or $50 bucks.
It is sad and disgusting at the same time.
As far as sells opportunity, sure its defiantly a time to throw out some sales pitches. All holidays are advertising opportunities. Black Friday is just another “reason” for the season – of shopping. But it mostly pertains to retail chains. There are many online businesses that will try to do a “pre-Black Friday” sale in order to get the peoples money BEFORE they spend it all on Black Friday at the retail chains. This works to some degree. But I think it’s a minor degree. These people that rush in line at the stores and stay overnight there with their sleeping bags and what-not – also do it for the “experience” and thrill… and sheer stupidity. (eh hem… as you can see I’m quite perturbed over this particular day, lol)
It was pointed out just looking at the animalistic nature of these people rushing in and grabbing and fighting and hurting each other (OVER ELECTRONICS) how much worse would it be if our economy were to go through a meltdown / economic disaster. The people are just uncontrolled… and how much worse would it be if it were not a Black Friday – but a depression or terrorist attack that made us have to fend for ourselves. They’d be animals out there.. no humanity about them whatsoever. ARGh.
Sorry… venting while answering your question. Heh.
Ok, back to holiday sales.
It’d be a good idea for you to get a list of American Holidays and popular events. Any holiday or popular event is typically a advertising opportunity. Companies will find whatever holiday or “reason” they can to throw a sales pitch… and it works. Give a person a reason to shop, and many times, they will. People for the most part are followers. Very few leaders out there.. and companies are leading the followers into spending. Some are better at it than others.
Another idea you might consider is signing up for some other popular newsletter lists, especially the makeup companies.. and just keep an eye on them and their advertising. I remember you said you’re doing that with Barb, which is awesome because she really keys in on selling, she’s a leader! But each leader has their own style, so again watching and signing up for different newsletters of makeup sellers will broaden your perspectives as you learn to lead in online makeup advertising yourself.
Cyber Monday – honestly I don’t know enough about it. But my guess is that it’s online businesses trying to play catch up with the retail chains Black Friday. Christmas is right around the corner, this is the one big opportunity for business to make the most that they can in the whole entire year…. If they don’t get $$ now who knows if their business will make it through the economy slump yet to come.
In my opinion makeup sales are very different. Yes they can be used a gifts, and very nice gifts at that… but for the most part they are a daily “need” for a large portion of women. So they get makeup on a very regular basis. Especially the foundation. The eye colors can last a LOOONG time, so keeping them a fun thing is a bonus, but the main attraction is to keep the foundation well stocked so women can hide their “flaws”.
So having said all that, yes Black Friday and Cyber Monday are selling opportunities for you, I assure you, there are monthly and even bi-weekly reasons in which to advertise the need for makeup, lol.
Even sharing Australian customs and holidays with the Americans is an added bonus, what a neat thing to learn about another countries holidays and to enjoy a great sale for both American and Australian events! That’d be neat to read a short newsletter about some Australian holiday and then to find out I could get a discount off along with the Australians… I’d feel like part of the family or something, lol..
This would also be great for blogging opportunity (SEO) in which you can fill up your site with priceless keywords.
Holidays and events… it’s a company’s true romance novel.