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· 12 min read

How to Build a High-Performing BFCM Lifecycle Marketing Strategy in 2025

Marketer planning a high-performing BFCM lifecycle marketing strategy for 2025 on laptop at home

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are two of the biggest moments in the retail calendar and they’re only getting bigger. For brands, they’re a huge opportunity to drive revenue, win new customers, and strengthen relationships with existing ones.

But here’s the catch: success doesn’t come from a single campaign or a flash sale. It comes from thinking long-term planning across the entire customer journey and showing up in the right place, with the right message, at the right time.

That’s where lifecycle marketing comes in. It’s all about engaging your audience at every stage from awareness to post-purchase and making each touchpoint count.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to build a smart, high-performing BFCM lifecycle strategy for 2025. We’ll cover key stages, channel tactics, and optimization tips to help you drive serious results.

Let’s get into it.

Why Lifecycle Marketing Matters for BFCM

Black Friday and Cyber Monday isn’t just about driving a spike in sales. It’s a chance to build momentum that lasts well beyond the holiday season. When you take a lifecycle approach, your’re not just chasing conversions, you're building relationships with your customers. That means: 

Done right, this strategy increases retention, customer lifetime value and loyalty. It turns one-time holiday shoppers into year-round fans of your brand. 

The 4 Stages of the BFCM Customer Journey

Here’s how to break it down:

  1. Awareness – Start early. Build buzz and anticipation.
  2. Consideration – Nurture interest. Help people understand your value.
  3. Conversion – Make it easy to buy.
  4. Post-Purchase – Keep the relationship going with smart follow-ups and loyalty plays.

Awareness: Building Anticipation Early

The awareness stage sets the foundation for your BFCM efforts. It's about creating buzz and capturing interest well before the shopping frenzy.Start by crafting teasers and sneak peeks of upcoming offers. Engaging content on social media can build excitement. Use email campaigns to inform and excite your audience about upcoming deals.

Don’t wait until Black Friday to start talking to your audience. Warm them up early with: 

These actions help prime your audience for BFCM and ensure that when your promotions go live, customers are eager to participate. Building anticipation and early engagement enhances the impact of your BFCM efforts.

Consideration: Nurturing and Educating Prospects

During the consideration stage, focus on providing value and education to potential customers. This helps them understand why they should choose your products.

Share informative content that highlights the benefits and features of your offerings. Use storytelling to connect emotionally and make your brand memorable. Engaging blog posts and videos can effectively communicate this information.

Effective strategies include:

These efforts encourage prospects to view your brand as a trusted resource. They help guide potential customers toward making informed decisions. Nurturing relationships at this stage sets the foundation for future conversions.

Conversion: Driving Action During BFCM

When it's time, you need to be ready with offers that convert. Think about having:

And most importantly, make the buying experience seamless. No friction. No confusion. Just fast, easy checkout. 

Post-Purchase: Retention and Loyalty

The sale isn’t the end, it's the beginning. Following up with thank you emails, personalized product recommendations and offers for their next purchase. Ask for reviews. Invite them to your loyalty program.  

Loyalty programs are powerful post-BFCM tools. With platforms like Smile, you can reward repeat purchases, offer referral bonuses, and personalize incentives — turning one-time holiday buyers into loyal year-round customers.

These efforts transform one-time buyers into loyal customers. They ensure that your relationship with them continues to grow. Sustained engagement enhances brand loyalty and long-term success.

Building Your BFCM Lifecycle Marketing Strategy: Step-by-Step

Building a great BFCM lifecycle strategy takes some upfront planning but the earlier you start, the better your results will be. Every step should ladder back to your bigger brand goals.

First things first: get to know your audience inside and out. The better your insights, the smarter your strategy. Let that data guide your decisions, from messaging to timing to which channels you double down on.

Speaking of messaging, personalization is everything. Generic content just doesn’t cut it anymore. When your emails, offers, or product recs feel tailor-made, people are way more likely to engage.

Make sure you’re showing up in the right places, too. Each channel, whether it’s email, SMS, social, or direct mail brings something different to the table. Lean into those strengths and build a plan that connects the dots.

Your offers and creative should stop people in their scroll. Be bold, clear, and compelling. It’s not just about discounting — it’s about delivering value in a way that grabs attention.

Finally, don’t forget about automation. It’s your best friend during BFCM chaos. Set up your flows in advance, schedule smart, and test everything so you can stay agile and optimize on the fly.

Step 1: Data-Driven Audience Segmentation

Start with data. Use insights from your CRM, website analytics, and tools like Orita.ai to segment your customers and understand what makes them tick. This sets the foundation for personalized, high-impact campaigns.

Step 2: Personalization and Dynamic Content

People don’t want generic messages. They want offers that are made for them. Consider using these personalization tactics: 

Step 3: Choose the Right Channels

Meet your customer where they are. Think about:

Make sure everything works together, a consistent message across all channels drives better results. 

Step 4: Craft Messaging and Offers That Convert 

Your messaging really needs to stand out, especially during BFCM when everyone’s competing for attention. A strong offer can be the thing that seals the deal, but how you present it matters just as much. Keep your language clear, direct, and focused on what’s in it for the customer. 

Don’t just list features, show the value. And when you add a sense of urgency with limited-time deals or exclusive bundles, you give people a reason to act fast instead of waiting around.

Tips for effective messaging:

Step 5: Timing, Automation, and Testing

Timing really is everything when it comes to lifecycle marketing. You’ve got to show up at just the right moment — and that’s where automation comes in. With the right setup, your messages go out exactly when they should, without you having to lift a finger. That means more time to focus on strategy, less time chasing manual tasks.

And don’t forget to test! A/B testing is your secret weapon for figuring out what’s working and what needs tweaking. The more you experiment, the sharper your results get.

Remember to:

Channel Tactics That Work 

To run a high-impact BFCM campaign, you’ve got to show up in more than one place. Using multiple channels isn’t just smart — it’s essential. Each one gives you a different way to connect with your audience, and when they all work together, your message hits harder.

Email is your go-to for direct, personalized communication. Want to send tailored offers or important updates? This is where segmentation really shines.

SMS and push notifications are clutch during BFCM. They let you hit your audience in real time with flash deals and last-minute drops — perfect for grabbing attention when it counts.

Then there’s social. Use it to build hype, share content your audience actually wants to see, and boost your reach with influencer collabs or paid campaigns.

Speaking of paid — don’t sleep on retargeting. It’s a great way to bring back shoppers who browsed but didn’t buy. And when your messaging stays consistent across all these channels, it reinforces your brand and keeps you top of mind.

Direct mail may feel old-school, but platforms like PostPilot are helping ecommerce brands bring it into the modern retention stack. Use PostPilot to send personalized, timely postcards that reinforce your digital messages and re-engage customers during the BFCM rush.

Each channel requires specific tactics. Here's what to consider:

Email Marketing: Segmentation, Triggers, and Sequences

Email is still one of the most powerful tools in your BFCM toolkit and when its done right, it can seriously move the needle. Start by segmenting your audience based on how they shop, browse or engage with your brand. The more personalized your emails are, the more likely they are to convert. 

Platforms like Klaviyo make it easy to set up advanced segmentation, behavior-based triggers, and automated email flows that guide customers through the BFCM journey with timely, relevant messages.

Keep your focus on:

SMS and Push Notifications: Real-Time Engagement

SMS and push notifications are your go-to for real-time impact, especially during BFCM when every minute counts. They land straight on your customers phone and can get immediate response, which makes them perfect for last-chance offers, flash sales or low-stock alerts. Keep your messages short and to the point. This isn’t the place for fluff, just clear urgent copy that gets people to act. These channels feel more personal as well. You’re not just showing up in someone's inbox, you’re showing up on their lock screen. Use that advantage with exclusive offers and timed deals that create a real sense of urgency.

A few tips to get the most out of them: 

And with platforms like Klaviyo, you can manage SMS and push right alongside your email flows - making it easy to stay consistent and in control across all your channels. 

Social Media: Organic, Paid, and Influencer Strategies

Social media gives you a ton of ways to connect with your audience — and during BFCM, it’s one of the best tools in your kit. Start with organic content. This is where you build hype, share personality, and create a sense of community. Post stuff that feels real, relatable, and worth engaging with — not just more sales noise.

Then layer on paid campaigns to reach the right people at the right time. With smart targeting, you can get ultra-specific about who sees your offers — and constantly tweak your approach based on what the data’s telling you.

And don’t forget about influencers. The right partner can help boost your reach and add credibility fast — especially if they genuinely align with your brand and audience.

Here’s your playbook:

Social’s not just for likes — it’s for driving real results when it matters most.

Paid media is where strategy really pays off — literally. It’s your chance to get back in front of people who’ve already shown interest, whether they browsed a product, added something to their cart, or just didn’t pull the trigger the first time. Retargeting helps bring those shoppers back and nudge them toward the finish line.

Cross-channel consistency matters, too. When your ads look and feel the same across platforms — whether it’s Instagram, Google, or YouTube — it reinforces your brand and builds trust. The more familiar you feel, the more likely people are to click.

And of course, keep an eye on the numbers. Track what’s working, what’s not, and optimize as you go. Data should be your guide, especially when every dollar counts during BFCM.

Here’s the paid media checklist:

Paid media is all about being smart, not just spending big.

Optimizing the Onsite Experience for BFCM

Your website has to be dialed in for BFCM — no excuses. Shoppers are moving fast, and if your site slows them down (or worse, crashes), they’ll bounce in a heartbeat.

Start with speed. Make sure your pages load quickly, especially under heavy traffic. Test now, not later — because once the BFCM rush hits, it’s game time.

Next up: mobile. A huge chunk of shoppers will be browsing and buying on their phones, so your site needs to look great and work seamlessly on every screen size.

Keep things simple, too. Make it easy for people to find what they’re looking for. Clean navigation, a solid search bar, and quick paths to popular products go a long way.

And when it comes to checkout, less friction = more conversions. Let people check out as guests, give them plenty of payment options, and don’t make them jump through hoops to buy.

Here’s your BFCM web experience checklist:

A smooth onsite experience can be the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity.

Post-BFCM: Retention, Loyalty, and Year-Round Engagement

Once the BFCM dust settles, your job isn’t over, it’s just getting started. Now’s the time to focus on retention and turn all those new customers into loyal ones. Start simple: send a thank you. A quick message showing appreciation goes a long way and it’s even better when you include a little something extra, like a discount for their next purchase or a sneak peek at upcoming drops.

This is also the perfect moment to introduce your loyalty program if you have one. Give shoppers a reason to stick around with points, perks, or VIP access. The goal? Make them feel like part of something special.

Don’t go quiet after the sale. Keep showing up with valuable content with tips, stories, product recommendations, anything that keeps them engaged and builds that ongoing connection with your brand.

Also, pay attention to what they bought and how they shopped. Use that info to personalize your follow-ups, so your next message feels less like marketing and more like, “Hey, we thought you’d love this.”

Here’s your post-BFCM game plan:

Retention is where the real growth happens — don’t let all that BFCM momentum go to waste.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Even the best marketers can trip up during BFCM,  it’s a high-pressure moment, and small mistakes can cost you big. The good news? Most of the common pitfalls are totally avoidable if you plan ahead.

Here are a few missteps to watch out for:

The fix? Prep early, double-check everything, and keep reviewing your plan as BFCM gets closer. A little extra effort now will save you from major headaches later and set you up for a smoother, more successful weekend.

BFCM isn’t what it used to be — and that’s a good thing. Every year brings new shopper expectations, new tech, and new ways to stand out. If you want to stay ahead in 2025, you’ve got to be ready to evolve right alongside it.

A few trends to keep on your radar:

The takeaway? Stay curious. Test new tools. Keep an eye on what’s shifting — and don’t be afraid to adapt your strategy. The brands that stay flexible and forward-thinking are the ones that win before, during, and long after BFCM.

Conclusion and Action Plan

Puling off a winning BFCM strategy in 2025 takes more than just great deals, it takes smart planning, sharp insights and a strategy that actually speaks to your customers. The key ingredients? Personalization, showing up across channels and timing your message just right. Here’s how to get started:

The brands that crush BFCM are the ones who never stop testing, tweaking and pushing things forward. Stay flexible, stay curious and keep evolving with your customers.

Want to see how top brands are putting this all into practice?

Join us for a webinar with experts from Klaviyo, PostPilot, Orita.ai, and Smile.io. We will show you exactly how to build high-performing customer journeys before, during and after BFCM. 

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