Welcome back to Funnel Vision, the weekly newsletter that puts performance creative & growth marketing in focus. Brought to you by the crew at Ready Set.

Ever wonder why October (from the Latin octo meaning eight) is the tenth month? The original Roman calendar had ten months starting in March. When January and February were added to the beginning of the year, October got bumped from eighth to tenth. But the name stuck, creating a calendrical quirk we've lived with for over 2,000 years.

Here’s what’s inside today’s edition:

• Why October is your last chance to get Q4 right

• 20+ actionable BFCM/Q5 tips organized by timeline

• The strategies that separate good campaigns from great ones

Reading time: 7 minutes

PERFORMANCE MARKETING STRATEGY

27 Q4/BFCM/Q5 Tips That Actually Move the Needle

October is your last chance to get Q4 right.

The decisions you make now will have a direct impact on your BFCM and holiday campaigns. Having spent countless late nights in the Q4 trenches, we compiled our best tips on what actually moves the needle when stakes are highest.

This is the checklist. Forward it to your team. Print it out. Use it as your roadmap through the chaos ahead.

DO RIGHT NOW (October)

Creative Strategy

1. Lean into proven creative

If you have an ad that's already working, use it. Some of our best BFCM ads were existing top-performers with a Black Friday wrapper. Keep it simple. The deeper the discount, the less sticky the customer.

2. Create solid briefs

Your brief should be clear, detailed, and specific—explain the creative vision, desired outcome, and technical requirements (format, dimensions, platform) to avoid time-consuming recuts.

Media Buying Preparation

3. Align on your offer strategy

Get finance, marketing, and operations aligned on your BFCM offer. These few days can drive 30-50% of annual sales. The offer needs to be competitive without losing your shirt. Lock it in early, it'll be prominent in all your creative.

4. Make BFCM your exclusive discount

If you're only going to offer one discount per year, this is the time when you'll get the biggest bang for your buck. Just make it perfectly clear to your customers that this is the only sale you'll be doing for the year. The sense of urgency and exclusivity it creates can be a powerful revenue driver.

5. Start planning early with operations

Can your warehouse handle BFCM demand? Are best-sellers well stocked? Are shipping logistics buttoned up? Get these answers now to avoid surprises in November.

6. Test new channels now

Test TikTok Shop and other new channels. The lead-up to November is a great time to test new channels that could give you a boost. Explore whether emerging channels like these make sense for your brand.

7. Track spend in real time

Build a system for tracking and adjusting spend in real time. You'll need to monitor and manage spend strategically during peak days. Watch for opportunities to scale ads that are performing well, while being mindful of overspending on underperformers.

8. Understand what BFCM means for your brand

BFCM is a lucrative period for many DTC and ecommerce brands. But for other brands, it makes zero sense to compete on spend when costs are at their highest. Understand what BFCM means for you. The smartest move for some is sitting it out till the frenzy dies down.

9. Understand your category's CPM patterns

Review historical campaign data to understand spend patterns. Health/wellness and fintech tend to see consistent costs through Q4 and Q5. Retail/consumer products typically experience a Q4 spike followed by a Q5 dip. Establish your precedent and use it to set clear campaign objectives.

PRE-BFCM (November 1-20)

Final Creative Push

10. Stop testing by mid-November

Wrap up testing before mid-November. Leading up to this date, test aggressively. But when it's go-time, focus solely on scaling your top performers.

11. Optimize ad set management

Each ad set should contain 3-6 ads. You'll typically know which ads are working within 48 hours. If it's not working, cut the fat and move on.

12. Start with quantity, refine to quality

Aim for quantity and variety through the year as you test different concepts. Then refine down to your top performers for BFCM. Plus, the platforms themselves will often isolate one or two winners. You're dancing with the algorithm. And the algorithm leads.

13. Simple ads often win

Don't be surprised if a static ad with just your offer is your top spender. People are shopping. They're looking for the best deals. Make sure yours is prominent and obvious.

Media Buying Strategy

14. Focus budget on warm audiences

BFCM weekend is the most expensive time of the year to acquire new customers. Expect to spend 50-100% more on cold acquisition. For smaller brands, this spike makes cold advertising unaffordable. Instead, prioritize customers who've already purchased, leads in your database, and high-intent warm audiences on paid social. When other brands are racing to the bottom on discounts, you win by focusing on what already works.

15. Cast a wide net (but test first)

BFCM is prime time for broad audience targeting. The mass market is ready to shop, and prospecting audiences offer the biggest growth potential. Go broad. But test these strategies before BFCM—don't introduce untested methods during peak period.

16. Plan for technical disruptions

Stuff breaks. Payment methods get rejected. Email service providers go down. We've rebuilt ad accounts from scratch on Cyber Monday. We've had no email on Black Friday. Have backup plans ready. And know that much of this will be outside your control.

17. Overcommunicate with your team

BFCM expectations are sky-high across the entire company. You'll be asked for updates constantly. Get ahead of it. Share how campaigns are tracking. Explain any changes. Check in with your team proactively. This communication goes a long way to getting the entire organization behind you during an extremely demanding few days.

Site Optimization

18. Don’t forget your landing pages

Your landing pages are often just as important as your ads. Aggressively test and optimize your landing pages leading up to BFCM to ensure they're converting effectively. Roll out your winning pages for BFCM.

19. Ensure creative-to-landing page cohesion

Review the creative-to-landing page journey to ensure it's cohesive. When ads align with the landing page experience, conversion rates improve significantly. The landing page needs to "continue the scent" that the ad created by maintaining visual and messaging consistency.

PEAK WEEKEND (November 27 - December 1)

Campaign Management

20. Monitor spend like a hawk

During peak days (Thanksgiving, November 27; Black Friday, November 28; and Cyber Monday, December 1) stay vigilant with your spend monitoring. Watch for opportunities to strategically scale ads that are performing well, while also being mindful of overspending on underperformers.

21. Lead with your proven winners

Focus on top-performing ads, landing pages that have already demonstrated strong conversion rates, simple clear messaging that prominently displays your offer, and campaigns and audience targeting that have worked well recently.

22. Prioritize your warm audiences

These are the people who already make your business. Take care of them. With acquisition costs at their peak, double down on previous customers, database leads, and high-intent retargeting audiences. They're more likely to convert and far more cost-effective to reach.

23. Don't ignore your CRM

Your CRM can drive a ton of BFCM revenue. Leads that haven't engaged in months will probably be responsive to your offer. Don't ignore your email, SMS, and push notification strategies. These channels can be some of the lowest hanging fruit of all.

POST-BFCM & Q5 (December 2 onwards)

24. Switch to holiday messaging immediately

When things slow down on Tuesday, December 2, make the switch to holiday messaging as soon as possible. On your ads, your website, emails, everything. Keep successful ads up if they're still performing and the offer is still active. Clearly communicate shipping cut off dates, return policies, and other important information.

25. Don't sleep on Q5 opportunities

Ad costs drop significantly for certain categories. New Year's resolutions drive spending in beauty, fitness, and health. 70% of consumers plan to shop the week after Christmas. The period between December 26 and mid-January can slingshot you into a profitable 2026.

26. Understand your category's Q5 pattern

Health/wellness and fintech see consistent costs through Q4 and Q5. If that's you, double down on proven winners. You likely have ample learnings from Q4 to inform your strategy. Retail/consumer products experience a Q4 spike followed by a Q5 dip. If that's you, this is the perfect time to test new creative concepts at a fraction of Q4 costs.

27. Fill the sponge in Q5

If you're in a category with low Q5 CPMs, use this period to test new creative concepts while costs are low. Think of your audience like a sponge: fill the sponge during low-CPM periods with educational and UGC content and brand storytelling. Then strategically wring it out at key moments with targeted promotions and email/retargeting campaigns to drive sales.

The Bottom Line

Eight weeks. That’s all that stands between now and the biggest shopping weekend of the year.

The brands that dominate Q4 aren't lucky, they're prepared. They tested in October. They locked down operations early. They knew their winners before everyone else started panicking.

You've got the playbook. Now execute.

The clock's ticking.

FROM OUR SPONSOR

AD OF THE WEEK ✨ 

This week, a deceptively simple yet extremely effective Black Friday ad from footwear brand, Birdies, that lets their product and offer take center stage.

Brand: Birdies
Platform: Meta (Facebook & Instagram)
Length: 10s

WHY IT WORKS 🧠

🎯 A bold "BLACK FRIDAY SALE" headline with a simple "30% OFF" sticker outperformed more complex, creative approaches, proving that clear, offer-focused messaging wins during BFCM.

🔄 This ad builds on a previously successful concept rather than testing entirely new approaches. During BFCM, stick with your winners.

📊 Each product feature callout has been tested and proven in previous campaigns. Combining them with an attractive offer makes for a highly effective ad.

When it comes to BFCM creative, clear beats clever. This ad's success reinforces our most important takeaways: focus on proven winners, keep messaging simple, and put the offer front and center.

Thanks for reading!

That’s all for this week. Seeya next time 🫶 

Psst... wanna earn $1k?

Know someone looking for efficiency, flexibility, and scale with performance creative and media buying? Refer brands in your network and earn $1,000.

Check out the Ready Set referral program here.