4 communication lessons from Black Friday

I’m not a Black Friday shopper. I hate shopping in general, so it horrifies me to think about doing it during the post-Thanksgiving chaos.

Regardless, there are many lessons we can learn from Black Friday to enhance our communications plans. The shopping holiday highlights some key aspects of buyer psychology that every communications pro should know.

1. Acknowledge the power of tradition.

Tradition is a powerful way to motivate people to take action. We do things—often without thinking—because they’re traditions.

This is especially true around the holidays.

Black Friday, for better or worse, has become a tradition in many families. This is important for two reasons when it comes to purchase decisions.

First, tradition helps a product or service leap past competitors because of prior awareness and familiarity. In some ways, tradition is the ultimate word-of-mouth marketing tactic.