Black Friday hacks and tips for maximum profit

Black Friday is brutal. Competition is intense and ad costs go through the roof, eating into margin. We’re going to show you how to drive more revenue and profit with three Black Friday tips and Google Ads advertising tactics almost no one knows or talks about.

You’ll learn how to boost your Black Friday revenue and ROAS without burning through your budget or racing your rivals to the bottom. It’s part of our series of Black Friday guides for digital marketing pros, helping you to crush your holiday sales goals now.

Key takeaways

• Launch a VIP sale before the rush begins

• Optimise your Google Ads strategy using SBAs

• Spin the flywheel to maximise ad impact

• Don’t forget: Optimise your feed to improve performance
  

Why Black Friday still matters

Despite growing cynicism and year-round discounting, Black Friday remains the biggest commercial opportunity of the year. In the US, estimated Black Friday spending exceeded $10bn in 2024. Global spending topped $74bn – and 2025 is likely to be even bigger, experts say.

The entire weekend (including Cyber Monday) has become a fixed date in consumers’ minds. They’re not window shopping, they’re ready to convert. For marketers, this creates a high-intent environment that’s ripe for short-term revenue and long-term customer acquisition.

The challenge is how you can cut through the noise. Simply increasing ad spend won’t do it, instead you need smarter strategies.

1. Run a VIP sale before the crowd arrives

During Black Friday, CPCs and CPMs shoot up which can kill your ROAS. Instead of fighting for attention through high-cost Google Ads, launch a VIP sale targeted at existing customers and subscribers before the madness begins.

Here’s why this works:

• Lower CPCs in the lead-up mean better returns on ad spend.

• You avoid the bidding war during peak Black Week.

• You give loyal customers early access and guarantee them the best price.

Channable helped a home electronics brand generate 40% more net revenue during the VIP sale than during Black Week itself using this approach.

Pro tip: Make it clear that now is the best time to buy and that your prices won’t go down in the future. Use phrases like “best price guarantee” and “won’t be beaten on Black Friday” to build trust.

2. Switch to racing mode with seasonal bid adjustments

Most advertisers rely on Google’s smart bidding to manage spend. On Black Friday, you’ll want to take the brakes off and use Seasonal Bid Adjustments (SBAs).

• SBAs let you override the algorithm, giving Google specific instructions that enable you to spend more aggressively on ads where and when it matters most.

• To get the best results, you’ll need to set specific adjustments for individual campaigns.

• Use a third-party tracking tool to monitor real time marketing, efficiency rate and contribution margin free.

Learn how to scale smartly in Channable’s Google Ads Growth Strategy.

Pro tip: This strategy works, but you’ll need to stay in control. If your marketing team has mastered KPIs (Realtime-CM3 Tracking + MER) you can be aggressive and outspend
your competitors.

3. Spin The Flywheel And Make Your Shopping Feed Work Harder

Digital marketers never want to change too much in their Google Ad accounts, but Black Friday is different. It’s essential you control your ads, with multiple intraday adjustments and real-time budget management and control essential.

Key actions:

• Use Auction Insights to provide a snapshot of your key competitors’ ad spending throughout the day.

• Third-party tools are better than Google’s in-built tools for tracking real-time marketing efficiency rate (MER) and contribution margin 3 (CM3).

• Ensure business alignment with hourly calls to manage budget and provide an extra boost to take advantage of emerging opportunities.

Pro tip: The businesses that win on Black Friday are constantly monitoring the market and using tools to mine for insights. Constant communication, engagement and collaboration are vital, so work with the team before Black Friday.

Conclusion

Google Ads success during Black Friday isn’t about who spends the most, but who spends the smartest. We’ve tested dozens of tactics and we’ve found that these three consistently deliver the biggest wins.

They are proven strategies we’ve used to find success for our clients. By ripping up the standard digital marketing playbook this Black Friday, you can develop market-ready strategies that cut through the chaos and connect with customers.

Need more help? Check out Channable’s Google Ads Growth Strategy and arm yourself for the year’s biggest eCommerce opportunity.