When my husband and I were engaged, the slogan of the marriage prep we attended was "A wedding is a day, a marriage is a lifetime."

And I kind of feel like Black Friday is becoming the same?

Because I don't know about you, but pretty much every store this weekend was in my inbox with "early Black Friday deals"...three weeks before actual Black Friday.

Anyway, rant aside, if you're still coming up with a plan for what you want to offer, there is one thing I really, really don't want you to do:

Do not launch something new during Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

If you think the online space is already crowded, it's about to become more packed than St. Peter's Square during the announcement of a new pope.

You'll be all excited to launch this thing you've poured your heart and soul into...

...and it will be met with crickets because people won't even see your promotions for it in the deluge of sales and bundles and discounts.

Plus, launching a new offering sometimes requires a good amount of "pre-qualifying" - essentially educating people on what it is, why they need it, how it works, etc.

During Black Friday, all those educational promotions will get drowned out.

The only exception to this would be a new variation on something you already offer - for example, a new flavor or color of an existing popular product that existing customers would already be excited about.

But something brand new you've never offered before? Better to wait a bit so it can have its proper fanfare.

I couldn't find an actual stat on this, but anecdotally, it seems many people go into the "discount season" with a specific list versus browsing aimlessly.

I know that's how I shop, too. I have a note in my phone that I update throughout the year with gift ideas, and then I check during Black Friday/Cyber Monday to see if they've gone on sale.

So what should you do? Promote the offerings you already have, and use the next couple of weeks to get people prepared.

If they need education around your mission or what your offerings are, now is the time to do that.

That way, when Black Friday/Cyber Monday do finally get here, you've already done the pre-qualifying work and can just show them where to seal the deal and buy.

Just look at how Jesus prepared prior to Good Friday. He made sure His disciples were ready, talking about what was going to happen after and preparing them for what was to come.

And He takes time to reorient them in the mission, especially in the Last Supper discourses, so they're rooted in that when the time for action comes.

So this week, as you prep promotions for any discounts or deals you're planning, also take some time to create a few promotions reacquainting your audience with what you offer and the "why" behind your work ahead of the chaos.

That way, you'll be on their list of places to check for Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

For His greater glory,

Emily