Yikes–the holidays are quickly approaching! While you may have just finished carving up pumpkins and dispatching the dentist once the kids finished their candy filled Halloween, others are surely plotting out their Black Friday strategy. With Black Friday around the corner, retailers are already getting a jump on luring in customers with attractive deals. Total spending on gifts is expected to rise 2% over last year, according to the National Retail Federation. Nearly 27% of holiday shoppers last year used social networks for clues on what gifts to buy friends and family, according to eMarketer. How do you use social media to get the most bang for your buck this season? These tools will help you along the way.
Create a Twitlist — A handy function for segmenting who you follow on Twitter, your Twitlist can also serve as a Black Friday guide. Here’s how you maximize this function for Black Friday: If you’re starting from scratch, begin by doing a Twitter search of key words such as “Black Friday.†From there you can sift through a slew of Black Friday deal pushers or other consumeristas. Need help starting your list? Here are a few Twitter accounts you should add to the lineup.
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FB Group —Facebook recently unveiled an upgrade to its old Groups feature. The new Groups tool allows you to create a sub-community of your friends to partake in lively discussion. You can also dynamically share information by adding links, video, or holding a live chat. Use this as an opportunity to gather all your budget savvy friends in one place. Your Black Friday group can post spotted deals or insider shopping info. Also, by making this a public group, other bargain-hunting Facebook friends can join in on the action.
App-mania — Face it, there’s an app for nearly every part of your life. From paying bills to mixing cocktails, mobile applications are becoming more integrated into everyday life. Here are a few Black Friday-friendly apps you’ll want to check out.
Black Friday Survival Guide, My Christmas Gift List and BFDeals.