Preparing your store for a Black Friday sale might sound overwhelming at first, but with the right advice you’ll be feeling ready in no time. Most of the preparation you’ll need to take applies to all special promotions, so this advice just may be useful all year.

Create Awareness

What’s the point of a sale if no one knows about it? While big sales can bring in new customers, don’t forget that these sales can also redirect a currently browsing customer’s purchases. Whether you’re located in a mall or have space in front of your storefront to grab attention of those passing by, getting the attention of those extra customers can be the difference between a good day and a great day. Black Friday is one of those days where everyone is out expecting to spend some money on some good deals, and letting people know that you’re participating in these deals can help fill your store.

Calls to Action

Good signs have purpose. You’ll want to inform as well as suggest what you’d like the customer to do. With so many sales going on, it’s smart to differentiate yourself and let people know why this sale is worth their time and money. If everyone has 30%+ off, remind them that your products are the ones that 30% off means the most. Be sure to make the items on sale be easily found once inside, even if you have it towards the back so that they need to walk by your other items first.

Know Your Audience

Knowing who your message is directed to is a very large factor in knowing how to reach them. Most audiences aren’t only one set of people, so be accessible but not exclusive. You may want to think of it as your targeted audience would appreciate the message even more, but the message would still apply to most people viewing it. The tone of the message should reflect this as well. Are you going for professional and sharp or humorous and fun? It’s best to test different types throughout the year to know what works best for when the largest sales times of the year come around.

Sign Location and Size

Different messages are best said in different ways. Some signs are made to entice while others are there to bring attention to your store or a certain display. You may want a retractable banner towards the front of your store or next to big displays while you could put banners with different messaging in the windows and wall space. Make the shopping experience as simple as possible for people to find the products they’d like, and be sure to have similarly purchased items near to those best sellers.

Appeal to the Wisdom of the Crowd

Let some of your messaging tell about some of the positive reviews by real customers. Even if the potential customer might not take your word for how great your products are, they’re often more willing to trust another customer’s word. How many stars do you have? How many times have people bought and came back? Did you know that lots of people who bought the sale item also bought these other items and loved them? Many people are loyal to quality products and outstanding customer care, so if you’re a great company it’s ok to brag about yourself a bit based on the reviews of others.

The Difference Black Friday Makes

One of the biggest differences of Black Friday is that shoppers will be out in force ready to buy products they may not have even known they wanted. Sometimes you can let others drive the desire to get out and shop so long as you’re ready to catch their attention and direct them to your sales. That’s why it’s so important to be ready to be a part of this biggest shopping day of the year, even if you don’t have a big budget for print, radio, or television ads. Get their attention, have your messages be speaking to the right people, and let them hear about how great others know you are.

Track your Success and Plan Ahead

Always try to draw conclusions as to why something was as successful as it was. Was it the product on sale? Was it the extra attention you received based on new strategies to get people into your store? Was your messaging directed to the right shoppers? Never stop questioning success so that you can replicate it again and again. Once Black Friday comes and goes, you’ll be able to use what you learned to promote your next upcoming sale.