The marketing funnel has three main stages: top (awareness), middle (consideration), and bottom (conversion). During Black Friday campaigns, most advertisers focus heavily on the top and bottom, neglecting the critical middle layer.
Mid-funnel ads target audiences who already know your brand but haven’t yet made a purchase decision. This group includes people who have:
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Visited your website or product pages
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Watched your video ads or engaged with your social posts
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Signed up for emails but haven’t purchased
These users have intent—but need more reassurance, value, or urgency to convert. Mid-funnel campaigns nurture these prospects and build the bridge between interest and purchase.
Why Mid-Funnel Ads Perform So Well in Q4
Black Friday season drives intense competition and higher ad costs. CPMs can increase by 30–50% compared to the rest of the year. Relying solely on cold audiences during this time becomes inefficient.
Brands using mid-funnel ads saw a 12.5% incremental increase in sales over control groups; for video-based campaigns, lifts reached 31.5%. (Google attribution study)
Mid-funnel ads, however, deliver higher efficiency because you’re retargeting warmer users who are more likely to convert. Meta data shows that retargeting campaigns can achieve up to 70% lower cost per acquisition (CPA) compared to cold prospecting.
These ads keep your brand top of mind as users compare deals across competitors, ensuring you remain in their consideration set when they’re ready to buy.
What Makes an Effective Mid-Funnel Ad
To convert mid-funnel audiences, your ads must focus on trust, clarity, and relevance rather than pure awareness or urgency.
Key components include:
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Social proof: Reviews, testimonials, or user-generated content to build confidence.
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Offer reinforcement: Highlight value rather than just discounts. For example, free shipping, limited stock, or bundle savings.
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Consistency: Use creative and messaging that match earlier awareness ads, creating a cohesive user journey.
According to a 2024 HubSpot survey, 82% of consumers are more likely to purchase after seeing consistent brand messaging across multiple touchpoints. Mid-funnel campaigns ensure that consistency.
Audience Segments to Target
Retargeting campaigns accounted for roughly 41 % of Black Friday 2023 sales, highlighting the power of mid-funnel and remarketing efforts
Focus on users who’ve already shown meaningful engagement:
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Website visitors (14–30 days) — especially product or cart visitors.
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Video viewers (50–75%) — people who engaged deeply with your video ads.
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Social engagers — those who liked, commented, or saved your posts.
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Email subscribers — segment by engagement (opened but didn’t click, or clicked but didn’t buy).
These audiences represent your most conversion-ready group outside of existing customers.
Mid-Funnel Creative Strategies
Mid-funnel content should educate and persuade. Here are a few examples:
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Comparison or explainer videos: Demonstrate why your offer is different or better.
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Product-focused carousel ads: Highlight features, reviews, and limited-time perks.
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Dynamic retargeting ads: Show recently viewed or added-to-cart products.
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Case studies or UGC posts: Build emotional trust with real experiences.
The goal is to help users justify their purchase decisions and move confidently toward checkout.
Timing and Frequency
Launch mid-funnel campaigns 2–3 weeks before Black Friday to warm up your audience. Keep frequency between 2 and 4, ensuring repeated exposure without fatigue.
Once Black Friday week arrives, your retargeting and bottom-funnel campaigns can perform more efficiently—since your audience is already primed.
Final Thoughts
Mid-funnel ads aren’t optional—they’re the engine that turns early interest into high-converting traffic. By focusing on users who’ve already engaged with your brand, you can reduce acquisition costs, increase ROAS, and outperform competitors during the busiest shopping season of the year.
Building a strong mid-funnel strategy ensures you’re not just chasing new clicks—you’re turning consideration into conversions.
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