Let’s face it: “Black Friday” for many businesses is dead. Stores are opening up for “Black Friday” on Thursday now, and “Black Friday” sales are stretching on for the entire week. “Cyber Monday,” “Small Business Saturday” — these are all relics of the past. Instead, we are seeing a shift to a shopping season – one that lasts from September through December. So don’t fret if your Black Friday sales weren’t as you’d hoped. According to a study conducted by Exact Target, 54% of Twitter users say that promotions on the site motivate them to buy. So, there is still plenty of time to put together a last-minute Twitter promotion that gets you closer to your holiday sales goals.
Here are 8 ways to use Twitter in your holiday marketing.
1. Post content on Sundays and run special sales.
Many businesses close up social media shop on weekends, but that is when shoppers are most active. Over the holiday season, run your promotions and post your most helpful articles on Saturdays and Sundays. For instance, you can post comparisons of your products and services or with that of a competitor to help shoppers make decisions. You can offer “flash sales” in real time if store traffic seems slow. Be sure your content is optimized for mobile and try geo-targeting people in your call list who are nearby.
2. Make it more visual by throwing image tweets into the mix.
Photo tweets get twice as many replies and re-tweets as non-photo tweets. You don’t want to just push ads here. Post seasonal images that evoke emotion, quotes, humor, recipes, photos from your employees, and other share-worthy bits of content. Encourage your customers to share their own holiday-related photos or photos of themselves with your product, and use a dedicated hashtag to follow the conversation.
