Social Media and Cyber Monday

The term Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday and marks the beginning of the online holiday shopping season when Online retailers strive to offer the lowest prices and great deals...

More than 8 out of 10 shoppers will be looking for discounts on Cyber Monday and 69 percent will be searching for free online shipping.

Using your Social Networking skills can enhance your sales dramatically. Here are a few tips for this year.

1) After updating your site with your Cyber Monday promotion, make sure to post the sale to your blog.

2) Then update your Facebook and Twitter status with a link to your new blog post.

3) Log into your StumbleUpon account and make sure to add a link there as well.

4) Also, you can go to online-sweepstakes.com and post your sale there as well.

I personally offer FREE ground shipping - use your imagination. Maybe, buy one - get one free, offer a free size upgrade or an extra little something with every gift :) Just make sure that you measure your ROI (Return on Investment) and not end up loosing money on the sale you choose.

Consumers are more likely to recomend products from Social Networking sites

I was emailed this consumer market research study from one of my social networking subscriptions and thought I would share it with you. I found it rather interesting.....

Consumers are more willing to engage with and buy from brands on social networking sites, according to a new study by Performics and ROI Research.

The study found 34% of customers who have used a search engine to find information on a product/brand after seeing an advertisement on a social networking site. In addition, 30% have learned about a new product, service or brand from a social networking site.

"Social networks are creating a monumental shift in how people communicate with each other and with brands," said Michael Kahn, SVP of Marketing at Performics.

"The results of this study can help marketers better understand where and how consumers interact with social media sites and what types of offers and communications engage them and motivate them to act."

The study also found the opportunity for engaging with consumers on specific social networking sites:

• 46% of consumers say they would talk about or recommend a product on Facebook
• 44% of Twitter users have recommended a product
• 36% of YouTube users say that they have gone to an online retailer or e-commerce site after learning about a brand on a social networking site

"The numbers are staggering. One in four consumers have four or more active social network accounts and more than one quarter access their Facebook or Twitter accounts at least once a day via their mobile phone," said Scott Haiges, President of ROI Research.

"We knew that these sites are extremely popular for socializing, but the level of interest for branding and promotional marketing content is surprisingly large.

Proof that Social Networking Really Works

As most of you know, I use Google Analytics to monitor my traffic source, keywords, ROI, etc. If you would like to learn how to use it, send me a note or an email and I will be more than happy to help. But basically, when you sign up for an account, they give you a snippet of code that you paste in your HTML code which tracks all the information you need.

I was looking at my sales for the month of October and wanted to share my results:

• 9 Facebook sales : I update Facebook with daily sales & events
  
• 12 StumbleUpon sales: I add new blog and articles
  
• 6 Twitter sales: I update my status with the same stuff as Facebook (automatically)
  
• 12 sales from press releases:I submit a press release 3-4 times a year
  
• 10 sales from articles I wrote in ezinarticles : I submit an article at least once a month

I know in the scheme of things, 49 sales in one month is not alot, but I didn't really do that much work - imagine if I focused more time on it. So, I just wanted to give you an idea on how with a little extra work - Social Networking can really help bring in more sales. And here's a hint - I don't always write my own press releases and articles - I have an amazing writer that does it for me if I don't have the time.

Now rest assured, I had more than just 49 sales this month - but I wanted to show you some real live examples of how Social Networking can really work :)

Using Radio & TV with Social Networking

I read this blog by Tony Brueski and thought that it was very insightful. I'm actually going to start a radio campaign next month and will most likely try this method to see how it works.... can you guess what "restaurant" he is talking about? I did see the commercials and thought it was genius! :) Let me know your thoughts.....

"Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Linked-In, there are far too many to count… and for that matter, too many to remember. It’s very easy for a business owner to feel overwhelmed when it comes to marketing your products and services. It’s no longer just as simple at putting an ad in the paper, buying a radio commercial, or having a TV commercial created. While your customers still use radio and TV quite heavily you need to be in more than one place to make a true impact on your customers lives, and to make them take action. Bottom line: The consumer needs that little extra reminder that you exist. The good news is… the cost of having a presence on social media outlets is free. It just takes some time and effort for it to pay off big time, if done correctly.

When you use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter effectively, you can reach thousands of potential clients with a meaningful message on a daily basis. But how do you get these potential clients to become your “Friend” or “Follow you” if you’re starting from scratch? That’s where traditional media comes in. Recently a major restaurant chain wanted to dramatic increase its “followers” or “fans” on Facebook. To do this, they launched a campaign on TV and Radio asking people to sign up and be their “Fan” on facebook, the message clearly stated that if “a set amount of people became a “fan” by a select date, every one of them would get a coupon for a free burger”. The result… thousands of people became a “fan” and many of them told their friends to become “Fans” as well, and so on and so on. In the end, every single one of them were given a free burger.

So now this restaurant chain has loads of “Followers/Fans”… Now what? If the restaurant uses their social networking wisely, they can make meaningful offers, share viral videos, bits of humor, all in an effort to be “top of mind” with their target customer. It’s not just a matter of posting the daily specials, their “posts” than fall onto their fans “feeds” cannot be spamy in any way, shape, or form.

Do they abandon all other forms of media now? Certainly not. This is a mistake many make, simply dismissing radio or TV as “old”. Remember how they got these followers? The “old” media drove them there, obviously they still work, and work quite well. The restaurant simply now have another way of being in front of their target clientele.

What we are witnessing is the evolution of a new venue for marketing. Just as the evolution from billboards lead to print lead to radio led to TV led to internet, and now to social marketing. None of the mediums died, they simply created more places to reach your customers. The businesses that are reaching their target clientele, still use all of these mediums in some way shape or form. All of them are effective at delivering different messages. Some in making direct offers, some in branding top of mind name recognition, some in garnering excitement and evoking emotion and action. They all work hand in hand."