Impacting Holiday Sales with Social Media

IMPACTING HOLIDAY SALESWITH SOCIAL MEDIA

IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR FACEBOOKAND OTHER SOCIAL STRATEGIES

Shoutlet, Inc. 2012 • v12.012 shoutlet.com • facebook.com/shoutlet • twitter.com/shoutlet

There’s no doubt that holiday sales are crucial for retailers. Consumers spent

$471.5 billion between November 1 and December 31, 2011.1 Consider this

revenue in conjunction with findings about how shoppers use social media:

• 57% of consumers used social media to assist in holiday shopping in 2010.2

• Among those consumers, learning about discounts and deals was their

top activity, followed by soliciting opinions from friends about gifts.3

• Sales and promotions influence Twitter users, too: 59% say they

follow retailers on Twitter to keep up on deals.4

• 23% of consumers claimed that retailer Facebook Pages are either

influential or extremely influential on purchasing decisions. Another

32% said they are mildly influential.5

Even marginal improvements in marketing effectiveness can amount to

significant improvements to the bottom line. Traditional marketing often

does not allow the flexibility to make changes or add new campaigns to

the marketing mix. With social media channels, brands can begin major

marketing efforts online late in the season that will have an impact on sales.

IMPACTING HOLIDAY SALESIT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR FACEBOOK & OTHER SOCIAL STRATEGIES

24.3%of 2012 US retail ecommercesales will occur over theholiday season6

Note: n=1,627 who visit retailer and/or consumer products company Facebook pages

Source: Compete, “Spring 2011 Online Shopper Intelligence: Impact of Social Media on Retailing,” June 23, 2011

www.eMarketer.com

1 = EXTREMELY INFLUENTIAL6.2%

16.7%

32.9%

Level of Influence of Retailers’ Facebook Pages on the Purchase Decisions of US Online Buyers, Spring 2011% of respondents

21.7%

22.5%

23% OF CONSUMERS SAID SUCH PAGES ARE“INFLUENTIAL” OR “EXTREMELY INFLUENTIAL”

2

3

4

5 = NOT AT ALL INFLUENTIAL

1 National Retail Federation, via Forbes 2 Sapient Nitro, “Holiday Shopping Behavior” conducted by GfK Roper, via eMarketer3 Sapient Nitro, “Holiday Shopping Behavior” conducted by GfK Roper, via eMarketer4 Compete, “Spring 2011 Online Shopper Intelligence: Impact of Social Media on Retailing” June 23, 20115 Compete, “Spring 2011 Online Shopper Intelligence: Impact of Social Media on Retailing” June 23, 20116 eMarketer, “Online Holiday Shopping Forecast and Trends” September, 2012


TIPS FOR USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO BOOST YOUR HOLIDAY MARKETING

Norwegian Cruise Line noticed that cruisers loved to post pictures from their vacations

to Facebook and other social outlets. This led to the “Cruise Like a Norwegian” campaign,

which included ads on major TV networks. Related to this campaign, Norwegian’s

Facebook page featured a six-day countdown requesting fans to post their favorite

photos to illustrate how Norwegians dine, shop, and party.

MAKE IT SHAREABLE!

Make all your content

shareable, especially gift

items. Include Facebook

sharing, tweet buttons,

and Pinterest pin it tools to

make it easy for shoppers

to share your products.

1 REPURPOSE EXISTING MARKETING PROGRAMS

Retailers no doubt have invested heavily in holiday campaign

development. Maximize those assets by also using them in social

media. Repackaging holiday marketing campaigns streamlines

brand messaging across channels and also helps with holiday-

themed content generation. Brainstorm ways to branch out

from the primary holiday campaign through status updates and

tweets that play off its themes, or with contests and giveaways

that spin off from the main campaign.

Don’t forget to update your social media presences for the

holidays. If your company adds holiday imagery on its website,

for example, stay consistent and do the same with your Facebook

Timeline cover photos, Twitter backgrounds, Google+ images,

YouTube channels, and Pinterest accounts, where possible.


2 PLAN FOR YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE WITH THE TIMELINE IN MIND

2012 is the first official holiday with the Timeline officially rolled out, and while many

of the same strategies apply, there are new opportunities for brands this season.

Tactics to explore this holiday season on Facebook:

CONTESTS AND GIVEAWAYS

Still a popular campaign choice, Facebook contests or sweepstakes tailored to a holiday

theme get fans involved and helps attract new fans. Launching a holiday contest or

sweepstakes is a great way to generate interaction on your Facebook Page. It creates

engagement with current fans, but also attracts new ones that can continue throughout

the new year. Remember to keep your contest simple. The holidays are one of the busiest

times of the year, so keep that in mind as you choose which type of contest you run. For

example, opting to run a simple sweepstakes instead of a user-generated video contest

might encourage more participation during this season. Other audiences could be more

receptive to uploading photos to a photo contest, for instance.

Remington offered a sweepstakes throughout

the holiday season on a Facebook app. It gave

away a free styling or grooming tool each day

to a selected winner.

Taste of Home magazine hosted a sweepstakes

on its Facebook Page in 2011 that awarded a

Kitchen Aid® mixer for holiday baking.

Revolve Clothing asked Facebook Page visitors to submit a photo of

themselves in their ugliest holiday sweaters. Users voted for the winner,

who received a $100 Revolve gift card to buy a replacement.


SOCIAL SHOPPING APPS ON TIMELINE

Other types of custom Facebook apps that help customers find the perfect gift and

share items with friends can help drive traffic to your e-commerce site.

This holiday season, customers will be recommending products and researching gifts

online more than ever. And if they’re fans, they are more likely to purchase and spend

more. Facebook users are 51% more likely to purchase after becoming a fan7, and fans

of a brand on Facebook spend 117% more compared to a non-fan.8

If you’re an e-commerce retailer, you can easily turn a Facebook custom app into a

social shopping experience and make it simple for visitors to discuss your products

by launching a Facebook storefront.

Or, build a Facebook app that shows

gift guides for key segments of your

target audiences.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE

TIMELINE FEATURES

Timeline offers new ways to brand the

Facebook Page from 2011. The cover

photo offers a unique opportunity to

add holiday imagery to your Page,

and highlighted posts offer a way for

important posts to stand out for visitors

on the Timeline itself. Vibrant, easy-to-

spot app thumbnail images are all part

of your Timeline’s branding and help

persuade visitors to click into your

custom apps. Also, use pinned posts

strategically to highlight important

holiday events, promotions, and

shopping deadlines.

Dearfoams Facebook storefront,

powered by Shoutlet Shop & Share™.

7 Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies, February 2010. http://blog.cmbinfo.com/ press-center-content/bid/46920/Consumers-Engaged-Via-Social-Media-Are-More-Likely-To-Buy-Recommend

8 Via Social Commerce Today, http://socialcommercetoday.com/f-commerce-statistics-roundup-facebook- commerce-by-the-numbers


3 FOCUS ON THE NEWSFEED

Incorporating holiday campaigns into your Facebook Timeline is important, but the

majority of Facebook users who interact with your Page will do so by first seeing posts in

the newsfeed. By helping ensure more people see your posts in the feed, you’ll see your

content get more interaction and possibly more referral traffic to your e-commerce site.

Get more exposure in the newsfeed by using Facebook EdgeRank to your advantage.

The more visibility your holiday content has on Facebook, the better. Facebook EdgeRank

is the algorithm that determines which posts make it into user newsfeeds. Knowing

how this algorithm works and optimizing your content can improve your visibility.

10 TIPS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF EDGERANK

1. Post Photos: People love rich media content. And while no one is completely certain

of the specific weight value of various post types for EdgeRank, it seems photos are

heavily favored by the algorithm.

2. Post Videos: Just like photos, videos

appear in the newsfeed as thumbnails and by

their very nature, entice users to click

on them.

3. Include Links: Links are great to include

in your posts because they require interaction -

users must click on the link to view the object.

While not as heavily weighted as photos and

videos, they are thought to have a more

significant “edge” than other types of posts.

4. Ask Questions: Asking questions

encourages comments on Facebook posts,

which increases the chance that more fans

will see it.

5. Put your Fans in Charge: Show your

fans that you care about their input. Solicit

feedback from them, and they’ll be more

likely to respond.

6. Reach Out on a Human Level: Facebook

is an ideal platform to show your brand’s

human element. It is up to you to take

advantage of that opportunity and add

some life to your posts. For instance, thank

your fans for their posts, comments, photos,

and likes. Wish your fans well during the

holidays. Don’t treat them like just customers,

interact with them like friends!

IMAGES HAVE BEEN THE STAR OF 2012

Pinterest’s skyrocketing growth and Instagram’s

sales to Facebook have illustrated the need for

quality, engaging photos as part of social media

content plans. Take advantage of the visual

appeal of the holidays and invest in photos

on Facebook and other social media sites.

NFO: News Feed OptimizationEdgeRank

- affinity score between viewing user and edge creator

- weight for this edge type (create, comment, like, tag, etc.)

- time decay factor based on how long ago the edge was created

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7. Target your Posts by Time, Location and Frequency: Relevancy is a vital component

to making sure your fans remain engaged with your brand. Post at times your audience

is more likely to be active on Facebook. (70% of Facebook interactions occur within 60

minutes of the post, so this is critical.9) Also keep frequency in mind: Too many posts are

a nuisance, while too few are missed opportunities.

8. Use Web Apps: Like links, photos, and videos,

web apps are a great way to attract people to

your content. There are a variety of types of

interactive components you can publish to

the feed like sign-up forms, video players,

slideshows, podcast players, coupons, and

others. These unique pieces of portable content

can be created through the Shoutlet platform

and then instantly published to Facebook.

9. Find Your Brand Voice: Finding your voice

allows your company express itself in a way

that is truly representative of your brand.

This will help connect with fans and boost

interaction rates.

10. Ask for Likes and Comments: The more

interaction a Facebook post has, the better

in terms of EdgeRank. Asking for a Like gets

a 216% higher interaction rate10, so be sure

to occasionally include calls to action to

encourage feedback.

GET MORE EXPOSURE IN THE NEWSFEED WITH PROMOTED POSTS FROM FACEBOOK.

For Pages with at least 400 fans, adding this paid option can

boost exposure and put your posts in front of more of your fans.

9 AllFacebook.com, http://www.allfacebook.com/surprise-timeliness-boosts-facebook-engagement-2011-06910 Momentus Media, http://momentusmedia.com/blog/?p=819

ASKING FOR A LIKE GETS A 216% HIGHER INTERACTION RATE


WALKING IN A MOBILE WONDERLAND: Ways to Make Mobile/Social Users HappyMobile adoption continues to grow, and more users are accessing Facebook’s app and mobile

site than ever before. Make sure that the holiday content you’re offering on Facebook doesn’t

impede mobile users. Here are a few ways how:

PROVIDE MOBILE-FRIENDLY VERSIONS OF FACEBOOK APPS

Visitors to Facebook Pages in the Facebook mobile app and mobile site aren’t able to access

custom apps. Photos, Events, and Likes are available, but any custom apps you create aren’t

visible. Make sure that mobile-accessible versions of apps are linked from posts. By offering

links to both the Facebook app and a mobile optimized app, this helps make sure no customer

encounters a poor customer experience.

Shoutlet’s Social Canvas design tool makes it simple to create Facebook apps and web pages

that can be designed for mobile devices. Plus, Social Canvas designs are HTML5 compatible,

which is viewable on all major platforms, including iOS.

WATCH FOR CALLS TO ACTION THAT ASK FANS TO “SHARE”

There is no share option for Facebook posts when viewed in mobile apps and on the Facebook

mobile site. Users can Like and comment on Facebook Page posts in their mobile newsfeeds,

but there is no option to share. Keep this in mind when writing calls to action over the holidays.

KEEP IT SHORTER FOR EASY READING

Facebook posts often get truncated for length at 160 characters

when viewed on mobile devices, so be brief when you can to

ensure easier interaction for mobile users.

TIE IN-STORE SHOPPING TO THE ONLINE SPACE

By promoting check-ins on services like Foursquare, you can

reward customers and help them spread the word about your

holiday offerings in social media. Reach new visitors and regular

customers with Local Updates, and run Specials to reward

customers and attract new shoppers. Foursquare’s Promoted

Updates are a paid option for reaching new customers over

the holidays.


4 READY YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSE TEAM

Addressing customer service issues via social media is becoming more common. Customers

are turning to Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms to express opinions and interact with

companies. During the holidays, customers’ questions about products, shipping,

and deals will inevitably arise.

The lack of quick, helpful responses to questions and comments on Facebook and Twitter

can mean lost sales online. Treat your social presences at the holidays like your brick-and-

mortar stores, which stay open longer and employ more staff.

Recent studies have found that when brands do respond to customers, it’s overwhelmingly

positive. More than 80% of those who made complaints on Twitter and received a

response from a company said they “loved” or “liked” it, with 74% of them satisfied

with the response.11

5 MAKE YOUR CAMPAIGNS MORE RELEVANT WITH SCHEDULING FEATURES

Customers aren’t the only ones who are busy this time of year. Social media teams are

juggling tasks, too. Use social media management tools with scheduling features to help

free up time you can devote to other social media efforts, including real-time response

to social conversations and customer questions. Forrester Research’s report, “Become

Responsive Through Push And Pull Social Media Marketing Strategies,” highlights this as

a key strategy for becoming more responsive in social media.

Add relevance to your holiday campaigns using tools like Shoutlet’s Social Switchboard™,

which lets your team build social campaigns in advance. Each piece of content publishes

based on triggers you select. For retailers during the holiday season, this means creating

campaigns driven on community behavior. When your Facebook Page hits a new level

of Likes, a holiday offer is published, for example. Or, when your holiday video reaches

10,000 views, you release an outtake video to YouTube and Twitter.

6 GET PERSONAL AND USE TARGETING ON FACEBOOK

Help the right customers see the right posts with Facebook Page post targeting options.

Currently Facebook posts can be targeted based on language, country, state/province,

city, gender, age, relationship status, interest in men/women, education level, work and

college networks, and year of college graduation. Combinations of these filters can be

implemented as well.

During the holidays, use these filtering options to reach specific groups of fans with

content that matters for their holiday season. Promote holiday events in individual cities

or share tailored holiday gift guides and ideas.

11 Maritz Research and evolve24-Twitter study, September 2011, via Read Write Web http://www.readwriteweb.com/ enterprise/2011/10/stop-ignoring-your-customers.php


It’s not too late to wrap social media into your holiday marketing plans. Take advantage

of the flexibility of social media by incorporating these tips into your plans during the

holiday season. You will provide your customers with helpful information, alert them

to sought-after deals, and drive holiday sales. Perhaps most importantly, you will be

strengthening the relationships you have with current fans and followers – and creating

new connections that your company can nurture throughout the year.

ABOUT SHOUTLETShoutlet is a leading enterprise social marketing platform. It includes Facebook,

Twitter, and YouTube management, Social CRM, trigger-based social publishing

features, HTML5 web app building, and analytics, in addition to tools designed to

help global brands manage and measure social media programs for hundreds of

locations, franchises, branches, or agents.

More than 500 top brands and agencies have chosen Shoutlet as their social

media management system after conducting comprehensive reviews of companies

in the industry. Learn how they are using Shoutlet and see how Shoutlet can support

your social media program at Shoutlet.com.

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Impacting Holiday Sales with Social Media