Since 2016, every September I’ve had the same conversation with business owners: “Q4 is here, what can we still do to make it successful?”
Q4 isn’t just another quarter. It’s the 4th quarter of the game. Think of it like basketball: for three quarters the pace is manageable. Then the final quarter hits and every play, every decision, every substitution matters ten times more. By December, there’s no room for sloppy execution .
I know the pressure. CPCs rise. Competitors get aggressive. Teams are already stretched thin, and you’re staring at year-end targets, wondering if you can make it without burning through all your margin.
Read to the end - I saved a little surprise there for you that can help lift your business in Q4.
⚡ Why Most Businesses Struggle in Q4
Ad costs spike: CPCs often double in Q4. If your campaigns aren’t tight, you’ll watch your budget evaporate.
Funnels leak: You don’t lose sales because of traffic, you lose them because of abandoned carts, stalled leads, or a weak mid-funnel .
Customer behavior shifts weekly: October early birds are not the same as December last-minuters. One blanket campaign won’t work.
Too much focus on new traffic: Meanwhile, past customers and warm leads, which are your cheapest revenue source, get ignored.
It’s NOT about doing MORE. It’s about plugging the leaks and matching your message to where your customers actually are in their buying journey.
What are you struggling with the most in Q4?
🧠 My Q4 Survival Playbook
1. Audit Jan - Sept Performance
Stop wasting energy on vanity metrics. Look at what really worked this year: which campaigns drove revenue, which channels filled the pipeline, and where you lost momentum. Kill the rest. Free up budget now.
2. Set 3 Clear Objectives (Not 30)
Pick no more than three:
Hit a revenue goal
Grow your list by X%
Increase repeat purchases
Don’t scatter your team across 10 directions. In Q4, clarity beats chaos .
3. Match Offers to the 7 Shopper Phases
Holiday shopping is no longer one big Black Friday spike, it’s a series of phases with different buyer mindsets :
October → Early Birds (“Gift-Giving Lifers”): Launch early-bird bundles, VIP lists, and “holiday prep” campaigns. Position it as smart planning, not frenzy.
Early November → “Joyful Shoppers”: Lean into emotion and meaning. Storytelling and gift guides beat discounts.
Mid-Nov to BFCM → “Discount Devotees”: This is deal season. Scarcity, urgency, exclusivity.
Early December → “Curators”: People looking for thoughtful, story-driven gifts. Highlight craftsmanship and meaning.Mid-December → “Last-Minute Listers”: They’re stressed, not inspired. Talk about delivery guarantees, gift wrapping, stress relief.
Post-Christmas → “Self-Gifters”: Boxing Day indulgence. “Get what you really wanted.” Great time for upsells and clearance.
January → “Self-Improvers”: Pivot fast to wellness, productivity, subscriptions. Think “New Year, New You.”
4. Fix the Mid-Funnel
Most deals don’t fall apart because of visibility; they fall apart because buyers lose clarity. Common misses I see:
No updated case studies or ROI proof.
Sales teams are “checking in” instead of moving deals forward.
No content for the second conversation.
Create the tools your buyers need to justify the decision: ROI breakdowns, side-by-side comparisons, FAQs .
5. Retain Before You Acquire
Your past customers are your fastest, cheapest path to revenue.
Send a “holiday thank you” email with a small loyalty perk.
Launch an upsell bundle for repeat buyers.
Reactivate leads who ghosted earlier this year.
Email ROI averages $42 for every $1 spent . Don’t ignore that when CPCs are climbing everywhere else.
🎯 A Note for Amazon Sellers
Sponsored Ads will only carry you so far in Q4. DSP (Demand-Side Platform) is how you keep momentum when the buyer journey stretches out.
Retarget October browsers who won’t buy until December.
Defend your ASINs during Black Friday conquesting.
Convert gift buyers into 2025 subscribers.
DSP isn’t about spending more, it’s about staying in front of your audience when attention is fragmented.
📈 Quick Wins This Week
✅ Audit your funnel and cut underperformers.
✅ Finalize Black Friday/Cyber Monday promos before October 1.
✅ Segment early-bird vs. last-minute shoppers in your email flows.
✅ Prep messaging for December panic (delivery guarantees, stress relief).
✅ Amazon sellers: start building DSP retargeting pools now.
🧭 Final Thought
I call this stretch the Great Lock-In of September to December. It’s when everything tightens: budgets, buyer attention, your margin for error.
The SMBs that win Q4 don’t outspend. They out-prepare. They focus on the phases that matter, plug the leaks, and show up consistently while everyone else panics.
It’s not about being everywhere. It’s about being sharp where it counts.
Let’s scale smarter,
Iulia
