BFCM omnichannel tactics to drive sales

Inboxes are crowded all year, and more than ever during BFCM.

If wading your way through all that noise sounds daunting, it's time to invest in your omnichannel strategy.

An all-in-one platform like Klaviyo helps you optimize across channels so you can reach your customers exactly where-and when-they want to hear from you.

Grow your lists, expand channel adoption, and segment according to engagement to make every message count this BFCM.

Here are 10 tactics for accomplishing just that.

1. Improve segmentation efficiency

Email is the base of the vertically integrated tech stack, which is why it's important to hone your email savvy. It paves the way for bite-size convos (SMS) and influencers (reviews).

Because the inbox is so competitive, especially during BFCM season, you need to be careful not to send the same message more than once.

Duplicate-or worse, misaligned-messages sent via email, SMS, and push notifications can frustrate customers.

Your segmentation strategy makes you stand out in the crowd.

Mindy Regnell, head of competitive intelligence at Klaviyo, shares some best practices for segmentation ahead of BFCM:

1. Monitor segment overlap and set parameters for which messages go through which channels.
2. Make sure you have segments set up based on engagement, browsing, and purchase behavior.
3. Use simple descriptions to build complex segments in seconds with Klaviyo AI.
4. Personalize the entire customer journey to make all messages across channels more effective. Use Klaviyo's BFCM calendar to plan your sends.
5. Use Klaviyo's "integrations" column on the "Lists & Segments" page to easily see which segments are synced with which ad platform and manage integrations for that group.
6. Use engagement-based data (opens and clicks) to determine how often to send to each group. More engaged means more sends; less engaged means less sends.

"It's often the little things that can make a message feel more personalized," says Regnell.
"And when you're considering a sending cadence, just be aware about when it makes sense to reach out more than once. The right follow-up messages help drive customers across the finish line."

The right follow-up messages help drive customers across the finish line.Mindy Regnell, head of competitive intelligence

2. Grow your list using social

If you already have a big following on social, it's easy to guide those followers to email and SMS-your owned channels, which give you more control.

Josh Mendelsohn, director of product marketing at Klaviyo, recommends using Klaviyo's lookalike builder for social ads to connect Klaviyo with your social accounts and fuel faster list growth.

"Use the strongest content to generate leads through paid social ads, targeting people who are similar to those in your most valuable segments," Mendelsohn suggests. "Once the user is on your site, create pop-ups, forms, and landing pages that speak directly to the audience you're attracting with a consistent message."

Once the user is on your site, create pop-ups, forms, and landing pages that speak directly to the audience you're attractive with a consistent message.Josh Mendelsohn, director of product marketing

3. Invest in paid ads well ahead of BFCM

Leads get more expensive the closer you get to BFCM, so it's worth spending more on paid ads earlier.

Joseph Hsieh, founder and chief marketer at Retention Commerce, advises brands to "optimize for cost per lead, not only return on ad spend. The new subscriber might not become a shopper until BFCM, but if you get them into your funnel, it's worth it."

The new subscriber might not become a shopper until BFCM, but if you get them into your funnel, it's worth it.Joseph Hsieh, founder and chief marketer

4. Optimize your sign-up forms

Sign-ups can make or break your holiday email and SMS program.

"Having a best-in-class sign-up process before Q4 will ensure you finish the year strong," Mendelsohn says.

He offers 5 tips to make the most of your sign-up forms:

1. Use Klaviyo's Smart Opt-in to collect and verify SMS consent from website visitors-without making them leave your site.
2. Set up at least 3 forms-desktop, mobile, and teaser.
3. Take your current form as your baseline and think of how you can improve it:
   • Have you used the same offer for a long time?
   • Is your offer appealing?
   • How does percentage off compare to dollar amount off?
   • Do you show the form on the homepage, category, product detail page, or all?
   • When does the form appear?
4. Use Klaviyo AI to test multiple versions of your form and find the highest-converting display time.
5. Wrap up A/B testing by the end of August, and then use your top performers for BFCM.

5. Expand channel adoption

SMS speeds time to purchase, and plenty of shoppers even prefer SMS over email as a communication channel with brands.

"Almost no other marketing channel offers the open and click rates that SMS does. Not only does the ROI prove strong, but many prefer SMS over email, social, and other channels when interacting with brands they love," says Michael Pattison, lead digital strategist at Klaviyo.

Many shoppers prefer SMS over email, social, and other channels when interactive with brands they love.Michael Pattison, lead digital strategist

He recommends these 6 strategies to expand into SMS and push notifications:

1. Build phone number collection into your forms to grow your list, but don't overlook your email list for SMS growth. Use your email list to encourage folks to subscribe to your SMS message for exclusive discounts, products, or personalized offers.
2. Use Klaviyo's Smart Opt-in to collect SMS consent in sign-up forms.
3. Use your email list to grow your SMS subscriber list by building hype for exclusive SMS BFCM offers.
4. Make certain discounts only available to SMS subscribers.
5. Make certain products only available in your app and share special offers via push notifications.
6. Read Klaviyo's 2024 global texting takeaway report to see how consumers around the world interact with branded texts--including what makes them subscribe and buy.

6. Personalize across channels

During BFCM 2023, messages sent through Klaviyo that were personalized with dynamic content earned 17% higher average click rates and 40% higher average order conversion rates than non-personalized messages.

Regnell stresses the importance of going deep. "Personalization goes beyond just the first name in a subject line," she says. "Customize the content to fit each segment so the message feels personalized to each customer."

Customize the content to fit each segment so the message feels personalized to each customer.Mindy Regnell, head of competitive intelligence

You can also use Klaviyo AI to deliver personalized, suggested product recommendations in content blocks. And don't miss the opportunity to remind subscribers of their available loyalty points.

7. Integrate social proof

Incorporating social proof into email and SMS messages does more than just build trust to create a sale. By incorporating social proof at the start of a relationship with a buyer, you make reviews and community a cornerstone element in the buying process.

"It's a virtuous cycle that then increases the likelihood of new buyers leaving a positive review," says Mendelsohn.

Integrating social proof is a virtuous cycle that increases the likelihood of new buyers leaving a positive review.Josh Mendelsohn, director of product marketing

He recommends these 6 tips for integrating social proof into your marketing messages:

1. Promote the highest-rated products from "buyers like me" via SMS to generate excitement.
2. Segment those who regularly submit glowing reviews into brand enthusiasts.
3. Reward frequent reviewers with discounts and incentives that motivate them to buy and review even more items-and do it via SMS to create urgency.
4. Use quotes from your biggest fans in email, SMS, and elsewhere to highlight the value of your product or a specific feature.
5. Sync reviews to Google for more reach.
6. Use the Klaviyo Reviews analytics dashboard to track what's working.

8. Optimize the post-purchase journey

Every touchpoint is an opportunity to connect, build trust, and deepen your relationship with your subscribers. Post-purchase messages are often overlooked, but they can accomplish a lot.

"The holidays usually have high returns, so putting in the work during post-purchase can not only help you avoid returns but drive even more purchases after the holidays," says Pattison.

The holidays usually have high returns, so putting in the work during post-purchase can help you avoid returns and drive even more purchase after the holidays.Michael Pattison, lead digital strategist

He offers 7 tips to make the most of your post-purchase journey:

1. Consider opportunities across channels when sending post-purchase messages.
2. Consider adding quick links to the footers of your post-purchase emails to drive more attention to relevant product and sale pages.
3. Use the message to share your gratitude for purchasing with you during this competitive season.
4. Try to up-sell with a limited-time promotion.
5. Request a review or user-generated content (UGC).
6. Set up virtual contact cards in your SMS welcome flow so your customers can save your contact on their phone.
7. Integrate product recommendations into existing post-purchase emails and SMS flows (e.g., "you may also like this"). Don't make this the star of a thank-you message, but do make it a part of your post-purchase strategy.

9. Determine channel preferences

Depending on age, gender, lifestyle, and other factors, certain subscribers may convert from one channel but rarely engage on another.

"Track which subscribers are converting from certain channels and base your segmentation strategy on those preferences," recommends Melissa Matusky, manager and implementation consultant at Klaviyo. "You'll refine your messaging strategy and save money."

Track which subscribers are converting from certain channels and base your segmentation strategy on those preferences.Melissa Matusky, manager and implementation consultant

She also offers these 3 tips to make sure you're tracking accurately:

1. Use keyword response, preferences pages, and surveys to let your subscribers tell you how frequently and on which channels they want to hear from you.
2. Use Klaviyo's analytics dashboard to learn which channels are contributing the most revenue.
3. Use Klaviyo's Segments AI feature to build segments using "purchased more than 0 times" from an attributed flow, where channel = SMS and other channels.

10. Always be testing

The months leading up to BFCM are a great time to test your send times, subject lines, message length, number and placement of CTAs, and segmentation strategies. Having a clear idea of which strategies are working well ahead of BFCM will save you money and time and set you up for a stronger, more profitable season.

Matusky suggests that brands "use holidays like Labor Day, Halloween, and even Amazon Prime Day to test BFCM theories."

You can A/B test both email and SMS campaigns in Klaviyo. A few clicks allow you to test different subject lines, content blocks, and send times.

Key items to test:

• Offer type
• Sign-up form
• Sending frequency
• Personalization
• Creative layouts
• Time of day
• SMS + email or SMS only/email only
• MMS vs. SMS

The future is omnichannel

Your owned channels will always be the strongest, most reliable way to reach your biggest fans. A strong omnichannel strategy can help you build relationships across channels, and there's no better time to shore it up than the months leading up to BFCM.

Related content

• Why omnichannel marketing trumps muti-channel strategy (and how to get it right)
• Crack the growth code: omnichannel planning for 2024
• Omnichannel best practices and tactics to grow faster
• July BFCM checklist

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