As the chill of the winter season begins to knock

Brands and retailers look to drive their stock

With sales and discounts near and dear to their hearts

Eyes focus upon their website’s shopping cart

But this season there’s a new spirit in the air

It’s 140 characters with none to spare

Or a cheerful affinity to “Like”and share

For those in which this spirit is embraced

Record revenues and a jolly smile upon their face!

I may not be a poet, but I do know the value of social media. I am not the only one,over 40 percent of U.S. adults are using social media in their shopping experiences. Furthermore, even B2B companies are hopping on the bandwagon, 65% are now using social media to drive their purchase process.

So, what do this all mean? A holiday season without social media is a stocking full of coal, or perhaps not stocking at all. Here’s a few simple tips to to ensure a season worth greeting:

1.) Don’t Hand Out Discounts–make discounts and savings an interactive experience. At a minimum require your customers to do something, if even very small to access savings and promotions. For example, “Like” our Facebook page and get a $3.00 coupon.

2.) Harness Holiday Creative--there is no better time of year to tug at the heartstrings. Throughout the year every retailers get a lot of “fringe” customers/purchases. This is when a customer is on the edge. Maybe they hop to another brand for a better price, incentive or feature. During the holiday season you can literally double your “Conversion” rates using holiday creatives as the driving force.

3.) Consider a Centralized Campaign–Too often brand managers and retailers think of social media and traditional advertising mediums as separate entities. The advantage with social media is that its ability to be real-time is unsurpassed by anything else. If you have sent out a flyer, advertised in a newspaper, magazine or on radio/TV, you can use the social media campaign to highlight it. Furthermore, think about a centralized campaign that is promoted through all of your mediums, the results will be tremendous!

Looking to put some Ho Ho hum in your holiday sales? We would love to talk you about different ways we can use social media to make this your best end of year ever! Feel free to drop us a line or give us a call!

Seasons Tweetings!

-Drew