This year’s holiday season has shown that retailers are catching on to the idea of social media and are taking advantage of this cost effective medium of advertising. 47.1% of retailers surveyed by the National Retail Federation, plan on increasing their social media this holiday season. Of those who plan to use social media, 76% are focusing on Facebook, 50% on Twitter, 14% on MySpace and 14% on YouTube. Ten percent plan to utilize each of those outlets according to Advertising Age.
So what exactly are retailers using these social media sites for?
Customer Service: Facebook and Twitter allow followers of retail groups to post their praises, complaints and questions directly to the retailer. It is important that retailers address these posts promptly to show that they understand and care about their customers.
Marketing and Sales: Before Black Friday, retailers were posting special deals and offers to their followers in order to entice people to head to their brick and mortar stores on Friday to shop. In addition, retailers posted online only specials to help drive online sales for Cyber Monday.
Promotions: In order to generate followers and keep followers coming back for more, retailers are posting promotions such as item giveaways and charity donations. In addition, they are offering exclusive applications such as a Best Buy’s Hint Helper that would drop personalized hints to friends and family via a cookie placed on their computers.
By using social media to promote customer service, deals and promotions, retailers are able to build relationships and credibility with their customers in a brand new way.