You’re probably aware that digital advertising is the go-to solution for all kinds of businesses in 2021. You also must’ve heard that e-commerce profits are expected to go over the roof this year. That’s why, with the Black Friday and Cyber Monday craze about to hit us, the key to success is getting ahead of your competition while preparing for whatever opportunities this season brings forward.

So… are you one of those smart affiliate marketers looking to scale their campaigns with Q4 key shopping events? Well, of course, you are! 

Read the article below for detailed insights about each event and learn how to tap into consumer demand during this Holiday season and beyond.

October 1st — International Coffee Day

How could we not celebrate it? It has always been there for us — pulling students through all-nighters, getting us through rough mornings, or helping enjoy those precious lazy afternoons. 

Yes, coffee definitely deserves its special day. 

Although the initiative was first introduced in 2015 in Milan to raise awareness around the situation of the coffee-farming community, many brands certainly know how to use it for their marketing purposes. But hey, helping spread the word is a great way to raise awareness, too!

And if you’re an affiliate marketer… then it’s never too LATTE to give it a go and use the celebration as your marketing angle.

October 11th — Canadian Thanksgiving

Well… it’s Thanksgiving, so it has to be a great occasion to use as a marketing angle, right? Please note, it’s the CANADIAN edition of the holiday. That means your target audience is going to be limited geo-wise, which can actually act to your advantage and help you target your campaigns accordingly.

Since both events, that is the Canadian Thanksgiving and the US edition are essentially based on the same ideas, the scope of niches and interests that match the occasion are almost the same. That means similar marketing techniques can be applied in both cases.

Also, the Canadian Thanksgiving might serve as a great chance to test the performance of your campaigns and see what works best before you target a slightly larger US-oriented audience a few weeks later.

October 31st — Halloween

But the end of the month is truly what we’re all waiting for — it’s Halloween.

Let’s just all admit it, whatever country you’re from, you have taken part in the Halloween festivities at least once in your life. But for countries like the US, UK, CA, and many others around the world, Halloween is truly a spending event and a billion-dollar business opportunity.

It’s a wonderful occasion for brands, retailers, and advertisers to capitalize on the festivities. In 2019, people spent almost $8.8 billion dollars on Halloween in the US alone! And last year, despite the COVID-19 situation, the amount spent was still $8 billion but this year it’s expected to be over $10 billion as people party in person again. 

That gives advertisers of all kinds an endless list of products or services to promote specifically for this event. Last year, home decorations were all the rage. We all wanted to add some color and fun to the lockdown situation, right? But costumes, gadgets, treats, and party supplies are always in demand.

But it doesn’t mean physical products directly related to Halloween are the only ones that are supposed to work during this time. Literally, anything will work! The key is to keep the theme spooky and launch your campaigns just in time to benefit from the seasonal trend. Learn how to monetize the Halloween hype by reading our special article!

November 11th — Singles’s Day 

Single’s Day was invented in 1993 by a group of Chinese college students as an alternative to Valentine’s Day. On this occasion, people would treat themselves to gifts celebrating their single status. As singledom is treated slightly differently in China or Japan, Single’s Day started to slowly gain popularity… but nobody would call it a global event.

That is until Alibaba, one of the biggest e-commerce retailers often referred to as the ‘Amazon of China’, made its first big Single’s Day sale in 2009. Long story short, it turned out to be an overnight, billion-dollars worth success. In 2019, Alibaba’s Single’s Day sale made $38 billion dollars in only 24h of sales, which means as a single shop they managed to beat Black Friday numbers.

And how can affiliate advertisers monetize on Single’s Day?

IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY!

Do anything you’d normally do for Valentine’s Day or holiday shopping season… only tune it to match the theme. Physical products, services, experiences, anything that can come as a gift or treat will work. Remember that by November 11th people are already well into the crazy shopping mood!

November 4th — Diwali

Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most important holidays in India. Festivities last five days and are meant to celebrate the victory of good over evil. But most importantly, Diwali gathers whole communities together, allows them to pay respects to family members, and give thanks for past year’s events.

Given that the Indian nation is widely spread all over the globe, this holiday has been eagerly celebrated in all of its parts.

It’s also a very happy holiday giving advertisers a chance to connect with their target audience and promote products they’d be highly interested in around the time of Diwali. Decorations, gifts, accessories, clothes, and home appliances are very much in demand while preparing for the big event. If done with respect and sensibility, Diwali can help advertisers find a great advertising angle with a highly motivated target audience.

November 19th — International Men’s Day

A noteworthy initiative with many accompanying events (pretty sure Movember rings a bell!) that celebrates all the men and boys in the world! This event is meant to bring forth the value of men to their families, communities, and the world, in fact. Also raising awareness on men’s well-being and positive role models. But don’t worry, the girls get their own day of recognition in March as we celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March.

Naturally, many people want to honor men surrounding them or closest to their hearts on that special day. That’s why brands all over the world tune in with the event’s character and help spread the word about various initiatives by promoting International Men’s Day and engaging in various activities, too.

As for affiliate advertising, this is surely going to be a time when various kinds of gifts will be sought after. Items, experiences, services… anything that’s meant for the fine men of this world. Why not help people find those perfect gift ideas by using the event’s angle to match your offer to the occasion? Especially with the event taking place in Q4 and Christmas shopping being so soon after, too!

November 25th — Thanksgiving (USA)

Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, is the biggest national holiday in the US. Thanksgiving preparations start months before November and festivities continue until New Year’s Eve. Once the American beloved family day is here, people all over the world know that the Holiday season has truly begun. Definitely, a day the whole of the US waits for… as well as marketers all over the world.

Though this day is unique to American culture, it has a strong and direct influence on the advertising and e-commerce industry globally. It used to mark the beginning of the hot sales season, though now it’s more appropriate to describe it as its peak — especially given the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.

So, as much as Thanksgiving is about spending time with your friends and family in the US, the rest of the world tends to get ready for the shopping craze to start.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Black Friday time!

November 26th — Black Friday

Black Friday is actually the Friday following Thanksgiving, which is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. This year Black Friday takes place on November 26th. 

Most importantly, it’s not a US event only anymore. It’s a global shopping day at this point, with sales hitting staggering numbers of  $9.0 billion in 2020 in the US alone, an increase of 21.6% over the previous year! Given the other countries’ input into the global Black Friday economy, we’re talking tens of billions of dollars total. All made on one day alone — and there’s Cyber Monday still ahead of us!

So, what can digital marketers or affiliate advertisers do to have a piece of that cake?

That’s both the simplest and most difficult question to answer for the Q4 season, yet here are some universal tips to get everyone going through this heated period.

Tip #1. Remember to do your research right!

This industry is super dynamic, trends come and go, people make their buying decisions within seconds. So you need to stay in the loop to follow the latest trends and adjust your marketing efforts to make the most of the Black Friday sales!

Tip #2. Don’t miss your chance and get ready early!

Yes, Black Friday may come at the end of November… but you should be ready to scale big on November 26th way before that day even comes! 

Tip #3. Adjust your offer!

Remember how we just mentioned research and the following trends? Given that Black Friday 2021 will be bigger than ever as sales bounce back from COVID-19 and lower sales. So, make note of the top popular products on the market right now and focus on what’s currently in demand!

Tip #4. Meet the customer’s eye!

Once you get an offer that fits the situation, it’s time to match the way you’re going to present it to your audience. Customers all over the world are already trained to pick up Black Friday offers out of the sea of deals. Always make sure it is clear right away that’s a Black Friday offer you’re promoting.

Tip #5. Take action!

Research is very important, yes, but it can’t take too long. Given the industry dynamics, you need to put your efforts into practice and test your campaigns to find the best-performing setup! There won’t be time to do that on the big day — preparation is key. But you won’t make any money unless you’re fully ready and running those campaigns once Black Friday hits!
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November 29th — Cyber Monday

If Black Friday alone is not enough, there comes the last day of the Black Weekend — Cyber Monday!

Cyber Monday comes on November 29th this year and the online world couldn’t be more excited. This day has been created primarily to promote online sales after Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend. What may have come as a surprise a few years back, Cyber Monday has at some point surpassed Black Friday and hit a record $10.8 billion dollars in profits in the US only. As in the case of Black Friday, think of the amount of money it brought to the e-commerce business globally!

Naturally, just like the Black Friday craze, Cyber Monday is a globally recognized event and people all over the world get ready to both buy and sell, on that special Monday, weeks, if not months, ahead.

So, how to make sure you’re making the most of this key shopping event? Follow all the tips and tricks you can get, have your products ready, find time to prepare in advance, work on your creative marketing skills, and advertise as you have never done before!

With nearly all of the shopping events moved online this year, Cyber Monday might be a lifetime opportunity for many digital advertisers and affiliate marketers out there!

December 5th/6th — St. Nicholas Day

December means Christmas, there’s no doubt about that. And although most of the world may still be hooked on the subject of the Black Friday Weekend in the early days of the month, some countries quickly move forward.

December 5th/6th is the day that European countries honor St. Nicholas Day…. in other words, it’s Santa Claus Day!

In the Netherlands, it’s the 5th and in countries like Poland or Germany it happens on the 6th, but it’s the same celebration. It is in fact a globally known event, though not the one to be widely celebrated outside Europe. What’s interesting for marketers is that it’s yet another occasion to give gifts to your close ones, mostly children. Naturally, that means yet another business opportunity and marketing angle to be adopted for your campaigns!

Given the Holiday Season is at its full potential at that point, and finding the right products or matching the Christmas spirit shouldn’t pose any difficulties, it’s an easy way to target your ads to an interested audience.

Whoever, or whatever it is that delivers your Christmas presents, be it, Santa Claus, a Christmas Angel, or a Star… a little ho, ho, ho! ad will surely get exposure.

December 14th — Free Shipping Day

This one-day event is by many customers and brands considered a last-minute order date to receive items before Christmas Eve. To make the deal even sweeter, many retailers have now joined the Free Shipping Day event, offering free delivery with a guarantee of reaching their customers on time.

So if your holiday shopping hasn’t been good enough so far or you’ve missed any of the Prime Day, Bid Saves, Black Friday, or Cyber Monday deals — now’s your time to save a bit of cash, too.

And as for affiliate advertisers — free shipping with a guarantee of delivery before Christmas seems like a perfect marketing angle, doesn’t it?

December 24th — Christmas Eve

It’s Christmas time! Both December 24th and 25th have a strong tradition for gathering with friends and family, whether it’s actually Christmas you’re celebrating or just holidays. Naturally, such celebrations require a great deal of work and preparation… as well as gifts!

Even if we all have been preparing for this day since October 1st, there’s always a ton of last-minute shopping millions of people need to get done on both of those days. That’s why, although it’s definitely the time when things and people tend to slow down a bit, your marketing profits don’t need to.

Don’t think that Q4 is already over — it’s not, and there are still plenty of business opportunities!

How to make sure your marketing campaigns are up and running while you get to enjoy a bit of Holiday spirit, though? Is it even possible? Well… if you follow our tips and prepare yourself well ahead of time, then it surely is!

December 26th — Boxing Day

We told you, it’s December 26th, and marketers are right back at it!

Whether you’re celebrating Boxing Day, or just that day right after Christmas when you’re not quite sure about what’s happening in the world apart from the savage amounts of food you got to indulge in for the last couple of days… it’s a perfect occasion to check out some of the post-Christmas sales! Right from the comfort of your own sofa thanks.

So, while people will turn to their desktop or mobile devices to shop on deals… again, your business and advertising campaigns need to be ready to accommodate your customers’ needs. Just think of all the products people might be interested in right after the Holiday season is gone and New Year’s Eve is on the way — weight loss niche, here we come again! 

In fact, these items might not be any different from what you’ve been advertising so far, but your message definitely should be. Tap into what people want and seek at that particular moment to win it at the very end of the year and the crazy holiday season that Q4 is!

December 31st — New Year’s Eve

Ahh… just one more occasion and we’re past the Golden Quarter. So how to give your profits a boost on the very last day of Q4 2021?

Given that most of both huge outdoor events as well as smaller New Year’s Eve parties won’t be really possible this year, just keep doing what you’ve been doing so far — put yourself into your customer’s shoes and try to accommodate their needs. House parties and celebrations mean decorations, gadgets, accessories, clothing (both comfy and elegant, whatever suits us best!), groceries, electronics, music and streaming software, VPN, gaming, gambling, dating… and truly all of that affiliate jazz!

And the best part is you can all set it up way ahead of New Year’s Eve and enjoy the time for yourself. Isn’t the Internet a great place to make business, especially in 2021?

Conclusions 

As for affiliate marketers looking to scale their business in Q4, monetizing occasions listed here should be your primary focus at this point.

But the truth is there are plenty of other occasions that can be marketed in a similar fashion, too!

The calendar is full of such celebrations all year round. The potential is there and all that needs to be done is do your research well, find products that are in demand, tune creatives to match the occasion, and get ready ahead of time and your competitors! It will be tight, so don’t let others outdo your efforts.

The Golden Quarter is here.
Why not have a piece of that cake?

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Kinga Gawron