Why you should start prepping for Q4 and BFCM now

Hey there, and welcome back for another bite to chew on

… and to those in the US - happy belated 4th of July

We know you’re busy and have a ton of work to catch up on, but we wanted to write a small piece on everybody’s favorite season of the year…

Black Friday & Cyber Monday

You might think, “Yo, these guys have lost it. It’s summer”

And yes…

Although we appreciate that it’s a bit early to think (read: stress) about BFCM, we have a few thoughts on some preparations you should be starting already today.

We’ve been through at least 12 BFCM seasons, so trust us when we say it’s better to start preparing as early as possible.

But before we jump into the newsletter, there are also a few things that we want to share with you first

1. We expect to release a new free resource tomorrow about our entire Meta Ad Account Structure, how we test, and how we scale. Stay on the lookout for that. It’ll arrive in your inbox either tomorrow or friday

2. Thank you for all the love you’ve given to the newest podcast episode with Nik Sharma. If you haven’t yet listened - be sure to check it out here

3. We’d love to hear any feedback you may have for us, so we can improve the newsletter. Click here to fill out a brief survey (1-2 min)

Hot Testing Summer

Although the summer is a very slow period for many brands

It’s also a good period to start really honing in on the following things.

1) What offer structure works best for us?

=> Analyze old campaigns

=> Analyze what other brands did last year, and try to run a similar offer-structure prior to BFCM to see if it sticks

=> Test every possible offer structure to have a better idea of which one you should double down on for BFCM

Coming up with a standard BOGO or X% off offer isn’t hard.

But the hard part lies in figuring out how we can acquire new customers without giving too much margin away with large discounts.

Phrased differently, we want to figure out how we can offer something that’s valuable to the customer - without devaluing our margins and brand

2) Get clear on the messaging angles that stick (both for LP and ad creative)

Although you always want to be testing - you need to have some evergreen / winning creative angles in your war chest when BFCM comes around.

Some of them you may already know. Others - you still need to discover.

Spend the summer testing out as many different ways of saying the same thing to figure out exactly what works and what doesn’t

Fix your broken home

You know how some people spend their summer working in their garden or fixing their home…

It’s the same way you should be thinking about your business before BFCM

… and more specifically - mean: Fix your systems and processes before the busy period

We all have systems and processes that are either A) not built out properly or B) just completely outdated for our current workflow.

Whether you use Notion, Asana, ClickUp - or whatever…

You don’t want to spend time building or fixing those systems once Q4 comes around. The time to do it is now.

In fact, you want to make your processes as streamlined as possible in Q3 so Q4 becomes “EaSiEr”.

Get real with your P&L

The dumbest thing you can do for BFCM is wait around for delayed data to help you make decisions.

It just won’t work. Period.

You need your financial data updated by the minute at all times.

And whether you want to build out an automated reporting system in Google Data Studio or use a 3rd party SaaS to help you - is completely up to you.

But regardless of what you do: Make sure to build a 100% accurate and always up-to-date P&L.

It’ll help you before, during, and after BFCM.

We recommend using Finaloop (for operators) & Triple Whale (for marketers) - because that’s the tools we use ourselves.

But there are definitely also other alternatives out there.

Maybe not as easy or good, but they are there…

Onboard early

Think about the number of people you’ll need on your team in Q4.

And more specifically, think about the functions you’ll need people to fill…

Once you’re clear on that…

Start looking…

It’s not like you’ll need these people less the more you wait.

So you might as well start thinking about what you want your team to look like for Q4 and start bringing in those people.

It’s better to have employees who’ve gotten to learn the company, processes, and systems just a little bit ahead of the busiest season of the year.

That way, you make sure that they are working efficiently and know what they’re doing in Q4 (because they’ve already onboarded properly)

And you also make sure they don’t need extra support to go about their work (again - because they are not new anymore)

Tool of the week

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again…

If you don’t have a mobile app, you’re missing out.

… Especially once Q4 and BFCM rolls around

Here are 3 reasons why you should at least consider getting a TapCart App:

1. Own your customers: Your app gives you prime real estate on their home screens. That means more visibility, higher conversion rates, and valuable insights to drive growth.

2. Be their top priority: Unlike crowded inboxes and text messages, push notifications on their phones are a direct line to your customers. And guess what? They're completely free!

3. Go above and beyond: Use your app to offer VIP treatment. Share exclusive content, app-only deals, educational resources, captivating videos, and more. It's a win-win situation that sets you apart from the competition.

If you mention that Ron & Ash / Chew On This sent you - they’ll give you up to 2 months completely free.

Disclaimer: TapCart is a sponsor of this newsletter - BUT, we do actually use AND love the product and would wholeheartedly recommend you to check them out