Using Social Media to Market During the Holidays

By Beth J. Bates, New Media Special Correspondent

With the holidays just around the corner, consumers are are planning on spending slightly less than in 2008, but much more strategically. 59% of consumers plan to shop in discount stores. 42% plan to shop online. What does this mean for professional services firms? Probably not much. But it does demonstrate that people in general have embraced social media and web-based alternatives to traditional ways of doing business. This public acceptance of new media almost certainly has implications for the b2b world.

According to Deloitte's 2009 Annual Holiday Survey:

• 17% of U.S. consumers plan to leverage social media sites to assist in their holiday shopping.
• 60% will do so to seek discounts and sales.

In an online study conducted by an independent research company:

• 53% of consumers will use social media sites to research potential gift ideas.
• 46% will research product reviews.
• 52% will view their family members' wish lists.
• 30% plan to share their own wish list.

The study surveyed more than 10,000 individuals.

Another recent study conducted by Shop.org indicated that 47.1% of retailers plan to increase their social media usage during this holiday season. The most common social media sites that are being used by retailers are Facebook and Twitter.

Retailers are getting truly creative when using social media to promote their products through events like Twitter scavenger hunts and Facebook contests. Still other companies reported to feature "Facebook Only" discounts through their fan page or exclusively to their Twitter followers.

Professional services firms would do well to watch what is going on in the b2c world and monitor what social media tactics are truly engaging people. Chances are, at least some of these marketing techniques could be successfully adapted to your firm. So this season, keep your eyes open as you do your online holiday shopping. You might just discover a free gift!

Beth J. Bates consults with Hinge on social media tool selection and strategy and helps its clients find effective ways to leverage these new mediums to meet business goals.