24 Nov

Social Media Factor Huge In Holiday Shopping Decisions

Posted in Social Media on 24.11.14 by John Meloche

Blue bird in christmas cap.We don’t generally go too long without blogging about the power of social media, here on the Synergy Marketing Blog. And that’s because we know just how powerful it can be! In all likelihood, you know this as well. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t have a Facebook or Twitter account? It doesn’t seem like it, does it? With these social networking platforms among the most popular in the world, it only makes sense for business owners to take advantage of them.

Now, it is true that it’s important to be social through your social media platforms. That includes both asking and answering questions, offering insight and clicking “like” on the posts of others. But, for small business owners, social media also provide numerous ways to promote their brands free of charge. And considering the vast popularity of the Facebooks and Twitters of the world, that’s a lot of bang for your buck!

The benefits of using social media to promote your brand are only bound to increase during the holiday season. Naturally, this time of year brings out more shoppers than at any other time of year. It’s probably an understatement to say that it would be a good idea to advertise all of your stores’ special deals and discounts online. After all, the internet is where a lot of people go first to browse for gifts.

On MarketingLand.com, Greg Sterling reveals that a recent study found that social media channels will play a major role in the shopping decisions made by consumers this year. The MarketLive survey was conducted online among 1,000 smartphone owners – half of them male, the other half female, Sterling informs. The tying bind was that each respondent spends a minimum of $250 per year through e-commerce.

What were some of the most interesting findings from the survey? “30 percent of respondents had made a purchase as a direct result of ‘engagement with a social networking site’ within the past year. That was up from 18 percent the previous year,” writes Sterling. Apparently, looking for and sharing product recommendations as well as discussing gift ideas is a big part of what people use social media for during the holiday shopping season.

What were the biggest factors in what got people to spend their money with certain merchants? According to Sterling, “free shipping, deals, points and discounts” draw the most interest. “Most consumers remain highly price sensitive and want offers to motivate them to buy,” he reveals, “whether on conventional e-commerce sites or social media with buy buttons.”

So what else did the survey find? Says Sterling, respondents “would likely be influenced by recommendations and personalized emails (and) they would be fairly receptive to personalized ads or, by implication, retargeting on social networks. A quarter of respondents said they would be anticipating personalized display ads on social sites and would be ‘taking advantage’ of such ads as part of their shopping this holiday season.”

So what does this mean for your business? Well, if you haven’t yet taken advantage of social media, the time to start is now! As you’re likely aware, starting up a Facebook or Twitter account is free. And there are many other social media platforms out there. At Synergy Marketing, we do what we can to stay active on social media. A link to each and every one of our blogs can be found on our profiles. Here’s hoping you “like” them!

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