How ‘Boring’ Businesses Can Turn Black Friday Into a Competitive Advantage

Black Friday isn’t just for big retailers. It’s also an opportunity for the hardworking small businesses we see every day, from bakeries and hair salons to cleaning companies and accounting firms.

I affectionately call them “boring” businesses, but there’s nothing boring about the people behind them. They’re the familiar neighborhood businesses we rely on every day, run by hardworking people who often wear several hats to keep things going.

And these traditional industries continue to attract new entrepreneurs. According to internal Tailor Brands business formation data, cleaning and home service businesses saw growth ranging from 60% to more than 300% in 2026, depending on the subcategory. But whether you’re just starting out or have been serving your community for years, the challenge is the same: finding ways to attract customers and keep them coming back.

Black Friday gives small businesses an opportunity to do both. A record 202.9 million Americans shopped between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday in 2025, up from 197 million in 2024, as reported by inBeat. While much of the attention goes to major retailers, local businesses can use the shopping season to reconnect with existing customers and give new ones a reason to try their services.

Having worked with many small businesses, I’ve learned that successful Black Friday campaigns don’t always require big budgets or massive discounts. Sometimes, a personal gesture or a clever offer can make all the difference.

Here are a few practical strategies, including examples from my own experience, to help everyday businesses make the most of Black Friday.

1. Send handwritten Black Friday offers to existing customers

Whether you run a hair salon, accounting firm or neighborhood bakery, Black Friday can be an opportunity to generate sales from customers who already know and trust your business. Instead of competing for attention with another promotional email, try sending a handwritten offer.

Handwrytten’s Consumer Survey found that only 11% of consumers had recently received a handwritten note from a brand, and just 4% found them annoying. That makes handwritten outreach an interesting way to stand out during a season dominated by digital promotions.

I’ve seen this work firsthand. I once worked with a client whose cake business was on the verge of bankruptcy. With bills and taxes piling up, we asked the owner’s 10-year-old daughter to handwrite thank-you letters to existing customers, offering them a special Black Friday deal: buy cake credits now and redeem them anytime over the next 12 months.

We sold credits for 271 cakes at an average of almost €60 each, generating nearly €16,000 in Black Friday sales. That cash injection gave the business much-needed breathing room. Customers also loved the letters, and the heartwarming gesture helped turn them into even more loyal supporters.

The same idea can work for almost any local business. Hair salons can sell prepaid appointments, cleaning companies can offer service credits, and accountants can create annual packages. The trick is to combine a personal touch with an offer that brings in revenue today while giving customers something valuable tomorrow.

2. Make your Black Friday offers easier to discover by AI

For hotels, Black Friday is an opportunity to sell discounted spa weekends, romantic getaways and prepaid stays during the quieter winter months. But travelers need to discover these offers before they can book them.

AI-powered travel planning creates another opportunity to reach potential guests. According to Wanderboat, 56% of active U.S. travelers used AI for some aspect of their travel experience in the previous year.

Yet ranking highly on Google doesn’t guarantee visibility in AI-generated answers. Heroic Rankings reports that Google’s AI overlooks approximately 62% of pages ranking in the top 10 traditional search results.

To improve their chances of appearing in AI-generated recommendations, hotels should make their Black Friday offers as specific as possible. Instead of simply advertising “40% off winter stays,” imagine a small hotel offering a “Two-night spa getaway for two in Asheville for $299, including breakfast and spa access, valid December 12–14.”

I’d create a dedicated page for that offer, clearly listing the price, dates, amenities, cancellation policy and booking conditions. I’d also add guest reviews and answer questions travelers might ask, such as whether parking is included or if the spa requires advance booking. Make sure the details match what’s listed on booking platforms and add appropriate structured data to help search engines understand the package.

The easier it is for AI to find and understand your offer, the better your chances of reaching travelers looking for exactly that kind of getaway.

But optimizing your own website is only part of the equation. I’d also try to get my Black Friday offer featured in local media, relevant industry websites and articles rounding up the best Black Friday deals. In its GEO research, CSP analyzed more than 70,000 AI answers across three industries in 2026 and found that 85 earned-media placements generated 5,697 AI citations. This shows why getting your offer mentioned on relevant third-party websites can be just as important as making it easy to find on your own.

3. Make a “boring” service impossible to ignore with video

Video can make even the most ordinary services more appealing. In fact, 85% of consumers say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service after watching a video, as reported by Flova. Even less flashy businesses like accounting firms, plumbers and cleaning companies can use humor to make their Black Friday campaigns stand out.

Last year, while managing a marketing campaign for a cleaning company, I wanted to create a funny video, but the employees weren’t comfortable on camera. We used AI animation instead, creating a humorous clip about the mess after a holiday party. The video converted particularly well in paid campaigns, driving plenty of sales while also generating strong organic engagement.

What makes this approach even more attractive today is how affordable it has become to experiment. As GPTProto reports, short AI video clips can cost between $0.04 and $0.50 per generation. That doesn’t mean producing an entire campaign costs a few cents, but it does mean small businesses can test different concepts, jokes and visual styles without spending heavily on every attempt.

I’ve since started incorporating AI video into the marketing services I offer clients. For a small business with someone comfortable using AI tools, the opportunity isn’t simply to produce cheaper videos. It’s to experiment with more ideas, discover what resonates with customers and put the strongest creative into a Black Friday campaign.

Small businesses can try the same approach. Show a relatable problem, add some humor, and finish with a clear Black Friday offer. You don’t need a big budget to make an ordinary service memorable.

4. Make your Black Friday deals impossible to miss on Google

Organic search traffic is declining across many industries, partly because Google’s AI Overviews now answer informational queries directly. According to Get Stuff Digital, organic traffic declined by 20% to 35% in its analysis following the introduction of AI-powered search features.

But I don’t see this as a reason to panic. Small businesses don’t necessarily need more informational traffic. They need visitors who are ready to book or buy. That’s why I’d focus Black Friday SEO efforts on high-intent searches rather than trying to recover every lost click.

For example, a cleaning company could create a dedicated page targeting searches like “Black Friday cleaning deals in Chicago” or “holiday deep cleaning discounts in Chicago,” with a specific package, price and clear booking option. I’d publish that page in September, or early October at the latest, to give Google time to discover and index it before Black Friday. I’d also add a few relevant internal links from existing service pages and blog posts to help search engines find it.

The goal isn’t to attract the most traffic. It’s to make sure that when someone searches for a Black Friday deal on a service you provide, your business is there with an offer they can act on.

5. Turn abandoned carts into Black Friday sales

Black Friday isn’t just about attracting new customers. It’s also a chance to bring back shoppers who never completed their purchases.

The average cart abandonment rate is 70.22%, as reported by Knowcrunch. These shoppers have already shown interest, making them a valuable audience for Black Friday offers.

For my clients, I already use automated emails year-round to remind customers about products they’ve left in their carts. During Black Friday, I take this a step further by targeting shoppers who abandoned their carts in the past 30 to 60 days and sending them personalized emails with a limited-time discount.

AI agents can make this process even easier by helping generate messages based on the products each customer considered. Scalably reports that sales professionals expect AI agents to reduce email-drafting time by 36% once fully implemented. In my experience, automating these repetitive follow-ups can save even more time, especially when you’re managing campaigns for multiple clients.

For example, a furniture store could automatically email someone who abandoned a sofa in their cart, remind them of the exact product and offer a Black Friday discount with a direct link to checkout. The system should also exclude customers who’ve already completed their purchases, so they don’t receive unnecessary reminders.

Instead of spending your entire Black Friday budget attracting new visitors, use automated emails and timely discounts to bring interested shoppers back and turn abandoned carts into sales.

6. Reach customers where they spend their day — in the car

One of the first rules of marketing is to be where your customers are. And sometimes, that’s behind the wheel. Munley Law highlights that Americans spend an average of 60.2 minutes driving each day. For local businesses, that creates an opportunity to reach customers during the busy Black Friday weekend.

Run short, frequent local radio ads with one clear offer and a promo code. Leave flyers with a time-limited deal on parked cars in busy shopping areas, where local rules allow.

Extend your opening hours over the holiday weekend and add them as special hours in your Google Business Profile. Drivers searching “near me” early in the morning or late in the evening may be looking for businesses they can visit immediately, so longer hours give you more opportunities to attract them. Add your offers to the profile too, and if your business allows it, offer curbside pickup.

Plan for parking, too. Reserve a few spots near the entrance for pickups. If you need more, offer to rent a few spaces from a neighbor just for the holiday weekend. Many will say no, but a small business only needs a handful of spots, and some neighbors will gladly take a few extra dollars for them. Then tell customers where to park in your emails and Google Business Profile.

On Cyber Monday, extend the deal online for anyone who heard the ad but didn’t make it in.

7. Offer something free to win a higher-value customer

Giving away a small service can be a smart Black Friday strategy when it helps customers take the first step toward a much larger purchase. A limited-time offer gives them a reason to act now rather than keep postponing their decision.

Dental practices are a good example. According to Myra, 23% of adults have delayed dental treatment because of its cost. Offering a free initial consultation during Black Friday can remove that first financial barrier and encourage patients to explore treatments they might otherwise put off.

For example, a dental practice could invite patients considering implants, veneers or orthodontic treatment to book a complimentary examination and personalized treatment plan, with clinically appropriate imaging where needed. The dentist can explain the options, discuss installment payments if available and help patients understand the costs before committing.

And it’s not always just about money. Some patients feel anxious about visiting the dentist or discovering they need extensive treatment. A free, no-obligation first appointment can make that step feel less intimidating while giving the practice an opportunity to build trust.

The appointment can take place after Black Friday, as long as it’s booked during the promotion. For treatments involving a significant financial commitment, even a few new patients could make the offer worthwhile.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from working with small businesses, it’s that a successful Black Friday campaign doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Sometimes, understanding your customers and coming up with a creative offer is enough to stand out.

My advice is to pick one or two strategies that make sense for your business, test them, and learn from the results. You might be surprised by what works.