We have come across a few articles highlighting the use of social media (Facebook, Twitter et al) to promote deals and offers.
MSNBC offers this high level summary of what's going on. "There’s already a fair amount of texting, Twittering and e-mails going on by retailers and shoppers about sales and bargains. Social networking — be it through sites like Twitter or Facebook — is magnifying the season’s gift-a-thon more than ever before. Guidance, a company that creates e-commerce sites, surveyed 1,000 online shoppers and found that nearly 30 percent of them cited “some form of ‘social action’ as the best way to find out about deals or discounts online.” Regarding shipping promotions, the piece concludes: "One in five retailers say they will require a higher purchase amount by customers this year than last to be eligible for free shipping, and one in 10 said they will be cutting back on the use of free shipping with no conditions."
At the same time, I read an e-consultancy piece on Twitter, about brands using it for customer service. Zappos we know well (in fact the CEO responded to my "tweet" within hours!).
Curious, I used Twitter search on a few client brands and discovered a lot of activity on Thorntons - including some very positive "mystery shopper" feedback and links to Youtube for it's latest (& popular, it appears) recent ads.
I am encouraging the client to harness this social energy!
