Gearing Up for the Holidays with Social Media Marketing
I think it’s pretty safe to say that 2010 will forever be remembered as the year when social media marketing really took off and went on a blitz. And with the holidays just around the corner, social media is once again poised to make a huge impact on our holiday shopping. More people than ever are using Twitter, Facebook and other social sites, which means that now is the perfect time for companies and organizations to jack up their social media marketing efforts to capitalize on this opportunity.
The trend of using social media is confirmed by eMarketer’s report which indicates that 27% of retailers are going to spend most of their advertising and marketing budget on social media networks, an increase from last year’s 18%. In addition, 75% of retailers have also developed their own social media strategy for 2010, compared to last year’s 51%.
As for the top retailer choice for social media marketing—surprise, surprise, it’s no other than Facebook. Twitter comes at a distant second, with other social media sites rounding up the pack.
Indeed, Facebook has become the undisputed favorite venue for retailers. Earlier marketing reports from the first quarter of 2010 show that a staggering 91% of retailers planned to put up a presence on Facebook this year, making it even more popular than conventional customer reviews. Owners of ecommerce sites have also been quick to incorporate Facebook elements into their sites, such as the “like” and “share” features.
For the holidays, researchers say that more companies and organizations will are looking to play catch-up in this social media marketing race. A majority of online retailers have also admitted to concentrate their efforts in Facebook and Twitter.
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