by Ashley Ray

If you are a retailer, there’s one thing you know for sure about holiday shoppers: they’re looking for a deal. So how do you get in front of thousands of retailers screaming for the consumer’s attention? Take social media by the reins and drive your customers to your Facebook page! Here are a few tips to get you started.

First things first, start now! Thanks to department stores and Walmarts all over America, shoppers are already thinking about Christmas because they’ve been exposed to it since Halloween! So catch your early shoppers while you can by getting them to start thinking about gift ideas … whatever they might be!

Know your keywords. Research has shown that fans are more likely to respond to words like “coupon,” “$__off” or “discount” and less likely with words like “promotion,” “sweepstakes” or “contest.”

Keep your posts short and simple and use action words to be clear about what you want fans to do:

• “Like” this post
• “Share” this coupon
• “Click” on the link
• “Save” in our online store by following the link

Use Facebook Ads. Facebook Ads can be targeted to just about any demographic, group, geo-location, interest, or even people who are fans of other pages. The possibilities are endless with Facebook Ad targeting. Why not draw them to you site or your Facebook page by using this easy-to-use, low-cost marketing strategy?

Create content that can be shared. If you are going to run a coupon, make it into an image that can be posted on your wall and shared, and then ask fans to share it!

Pictures. A picture is worth 1,000 words … the more pictures you post of your beautiful products, the more you get your fans in the mood for shopping!

Like-gate a reveal. A great way to gather new fans is to give them a deal AND get them to share it with their friends!

Foursquare check-in special. Be creative by doing a discount when people check in and spend a certain dollar amount or offer a giveaway with the purchase of any item. You can even boost up your Foursquare tips by asking them to leave a comment for 10% off!

Create a sense of urgency with limited edition items for the holiday season. Display these prominently on your Facebook page before you release them, and talk about them frequently to build the chatter.

Post on Wednesday. According to Buddy Media, the engagement spikes on Wednesdays:

Do an overall assessment of your posting times. Think about your target audience and when they are most likely to be on social media. Evenings after work? In the morning?

Did any of these ideas inspire you, or are you feeling a little overwhelmed? No worries–we are here for you! If you need help boosting your sales through social, we are glad to help you. Just give us a call! (813) 347-4400.

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