Missed Out On Cyber Monday Sales? Implement Facebook Marketing for the Holidays

Happy Cyber Monday! It's that time of year again. I did minimal Black Friday shopping, and spent my Friday giving my business locally.

As a Californian, I found this article interesting. This story shows how local Long Beach, Calif. businesses missed the boat by not utilizing social media to compete with national retailers. Ouch! 

"According to a National Retail Federation and Shop.org eHoliday survey, while consumers obtain information about retailers’ sales and promotions from various channels, nearly three in 10 (29.2%) will check a company’s Facebook page for more information, and about two-thirds (65.1%) will read customer reviews on the company’s website."

These statistics above tell the social media story. If you are a local business who didn't take advantage of social media marketing on Cyber Monday, it's not too late to implement "buzz marketing" strategies to boost your holiday sales.

Check out these easy Facebook tips to ramp up your social media presence for the holiday season:

• If you don't have a Facebook Business Page, then it's time to create one. Not every business is suitable for Facebook. But if you sell directly to consumers. then you definitely need a Facebook presence.
• Grow your fans organically and strengthen relationships. 'Tis the season so don't slack off on your Facebook fans. If you ask "fans" to like your brand/company, give them something valuable in return - discounts, coupons, etc. Your Facebook Page needs to be a two-way communication street. 
• Do NOT use your Facebook Page to SELL products. Don't come across as a spammer. It goes back to building and developing genuine rapport with your fans.
•  Install Facebook  "Like" buttons on your home page and product sales pages. This is an easy way to draw people back to your Fan Page, and interact with your customers and fans who like your products and services. 
• WHO are your target markets? No two customers on your Facebook Page are the same. What do they like? Dislike? What are their purchasing habits? Do they only buy products online based on price or convenience? Review and interact with their comments on your Facebook Page to dig for more information. Get inside the head of your targeted consumers, and figure out social media campaign strategies that will actually appeal to them. 

What social media strategies have you implemented to boost your holiday sales? I'd love to know! 

Cyber Monday - Online Shopping Safety Tips

The Cyber Monday blitz has begun, and retailers and consumers alike are going retail crazy! Black Friday is done and over with, but we still have Cyber Monday to contend with today! Holiday shopping is easier than ever. With just a click of a few buttons, your holiday shopping is completed. However, online shopping comes with risk so it's good to arm yourself with the following online safety tips. Consumer identity theft is rampant, especially during the holiday season so take extra precautions when shopping online:

Tip #1 Make sure all websites you visit when making purchases begin with "https" and make sure that little padlock key icon pops up whenever you use a site. If you don't see a padlock key pop up somewhere, you might want to skip that site as it's probably not safe to make an online purchase (or a scammer looking to steal your credit card number!)

Tip #2  Print out and save all receipts of online purchases. If your credit card number is stolen, federal law limits your liability to $50.

Tip #3 As with any purchase, make sure you read all the fine print, return policies, etc. 

Tip #4 If it looks and sounds too good to be true, well it probably is - shopper beware! Some discounts aren't really bargains at all so shop around and make sure you're really getting a deal. 

Happy Cyber Monday Shopping! There are lots of great deals out there today so be on your cyber toes - best of luck!