Yes, the holidays are upon us. Whether they have snuck up on you or
you have been preparing for holiday sales for months, one thing is
clear:
It takes clever planning to stand out to your customers amidst a sea of competition.
Sure, you may have a Facebook page for your business and even a
Twitter profile. In fact, it should come as no surprise that social
media has been named the top marketing strategy for local businesses by Merchant Circle; 70 percent of small businesses use Facebook for marketing, surpassing the ever-popular search engine Google at 66 percent.
How Social Media Can Boost Holiday Sales for Your Business
In light of these revealing statistics, it may be time to get a
handle on your social media strategy before Christmas sales start to
soar. Currently, active monthly users on Facebook have totaled nearly
850 million. Twitter is another social media giant that now has 140
million active users that produce 340 million tweets per day.
If you have any hope of improving holiday sales for your business, you have to go where the fish are biting.
With a few simple guidelines, you can fine tune your social media
strategy or create a new plan altogether, just in time for the holiday
season:
1. Always respond to customers via social media. This may seem like a
simple rule of thumb, but if your company doesn’t have a staff member
designated to handle social media customer service, you may be shooting
yourself in the foot.
Customers are likely to complain or ask questions of major brands and
small businesses alike in a neutral environment like social media.
Every customer query should be responded to promptly, especially on a
public thread. This subtle message will convey to customers that they
are valued, reinforcing their trust and loyalty in your brand.
2. Get in the spirit of giving. Consider the fact that most online
shoppers can expect to be bombarded with ads, e-mails and discount
offers everywhere they turn. To stand out as an online retailer,
position yourself as a “giver” instead of a “taker.”
Although customers are on the lookout for hot deals and discounts,
you can appeal to your customer base by offering product specials with a
percentage donated to a local soup kitchen or similar Christmas charity
organization. These charitable discounts can be advertised on your
website and via social media to encourage customers to give back with
each purchase.
3. Don’t forget a sense of urgency. It’s time to strike while the
iron is hot. Social media, e-mail and direct mail marketing campaigns
should start early in the holiday season and set clear deadlines to
encourage customer action.
Customers are likely to ignore a special offer or put it on the
backburner if it is available throughout the month of December. Rotate
regular discounts and specials with an advertised deadline to elicit an
immediate response in each social marketing campaign.
4. When in doubt, hold a contest. If your brand doesn’t seem to be
getting a response in social media, it may be time to pull out the big
guns and run a contest.
To gather more attention with viral capacity in social media, the
bigger the offer, the better. This may include a $100 to $1,000 gift
certificate offered exclusively to Facebook followers or a large item
giveaway to the first 20 Twitter followers that respond to your contest
tweet.
If the four tips listed above don’t get your blood pumping for the
holiday season, consider this: Despite the recent economic slump, online
shopping remains strong.
eMarketer
reports that 2012 e-commerce holiday sales could reach up to $54.5
billion, making this the perfect time to tweak your social media
strategy to get a piece of the pie!
Kevin Gao,
Post from: SiteProNews
