Consumers More Social About Saving Money

With many consumers feeling the pinch of a challenged economy, finding ways to save money becomes all the more important.

One of the ways consumes can tap into better savings at the cash register is by linking up with social media, especially the more popular sites. By simply going to some of their favorite customer’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram pages and more, the potential is there for sizable savings.

With that said, what in turn are companies doing to spread the word about specials and rewards programs for customers, allowing them to socialize the process of buying and selling products and services.

Company Prospective

For businesses, the key is to consistently and efficiently use social media, but do all of them do it?

Of course the answer to that is no, but that does not mean your company can’t or shouldn’t be doing it.

Some ways to be an effective company social player include:

• Plan – Start things off with a solid social plan. Avoid spreading yourself too thin, instead focusing on a few social sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc);


• Consistency – You can’t just tweet or share occasionally and expect to get solid results. Make sure you are consistent in posting to sites, thereby allowing consumers to get regular updates from you;


• Interested – When consumers come to your social sites with questions and/or issues, make sure you respond in a timely manner. Not doing so leaves you open to questions from consumers, the most notable one being how good is your customer service? If consumers see you not responding on social media, can they expect much better with your overall customer service intentions? Take an interest in consumers, especially your valued customers.

Consumer Prospective

From the consumer side of things, shoppers should go to company social pages and look for updates on products and services, specials and rewards for longtime customers, and interaction with other consumers.

Some ways to be an effective consumer social player include:

• Search – Start things off with a search of the companies you use and/or are interested in and view their social networks. More and more companies are aware that they need to be social in this day and age to grab more consumer attention;


• Contribute – Whether you are a consumer looking for Vonage in my area or seeking the best deals on cell phones, use specific keywords to zero-in on information on what you need most. By doing so, you can find out when your favorite companies are going social with plans to offer products and services, deals and more;


• Share – It is also important to be interactive with other consumers who are tweeting, sharing, pinning etc. In doing so, you can find out about deals and other consumer-related news which could benefit you and save you money over time.

From all indications, consumers are using social media to learn more about the companies, products and services they are interested in.

Given that fact, companies and consumers can be of benefit to one another when they get more social.

Photo credit: Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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