Promoting Your Black Friday Deals on Social Media

While plenty of consumers still flock to stores on Black Friday, online Black Friday traffic increased 7 percent in 2012, Experian notes. E-tailer Amazon.com saw the most retail traffic on Black Friday, with other big boxes also seeing increased, high ranking days for their businesses. Whether you’re trying to drive consumers into your store or net more online purchases, social media can be a powerful tool to drive traffic, remind consumers of local deals and boost your sales figures. Being independent on this busy buying day does not mean you can’t capture sales. To help increase your store awareness, try these powerful tips.

Promoting Black Friday on social media

In a Lab42 survey, 34 percent of customers stated that they follow brands on Facebook to receive discounts and promotions. An additional 21 percent of customers hoped to receive a free giveaway from the brands they liked on Facebook. With more than 50 percent of your social media fans hoping to receive some sort of discount, advertising your Black Friday deals online is a wonderful way to drive consumers into your stores to shop. Customers will print off coupons that you advertise on Facebook and use the platform to learn about your new products, Lab42 reports.

With these insights in mind, begin advertising your Black Friday deals early and often. Consider changing your picture to an icon that advertises your deals, creating a special Pinterest board for the unofficial holiday and posting regular updates urging customers to log on to their Lenovo laptops on Black Friday. Social Media Marketing University suggests running a “buy X, get Y free” deal to really incentivize customers to shop. Showcase new products and special holiday promotions on your social sites, offer e-coupons and post regularly to keep customers engaged. It’s best to cast a wide net with holiday promotions to appeal to the largest possible audience.

During Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale, you’ll be competing with many others. To help customers maintain brand awareness and to reach out to customers who may not yet connect with you socially, create a special Black Friday section on your website. Centralizing your campaign on your website in this manner helps customers stay on top of all deals and may increase your ROI.

Rewarding social customers for shopping in-store

If your social media platforms allow users to check in at a certain place, consider rewarding shoppers who check in to your store to access a special deal. Apps that would allow you to run this type of promotion include Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare, Gowalla and Loopt, Travel and Leisure notes. In The Business Journals, Kelly Johnson lists ways to engage with check-in traffic, from giving away a free appetizer to customers who check in, to offering free valet parking or giving a special perk to customers who check in with several friends. While you may not be able to offer customers a free appetizer, you could give away a small item or small discount to customers who check in.

Photo provided by SocialMonsters.org with permission to use.