I love the holidays. Tis the season for good will, merriment and nowadays, a freebie. On Facebook consumers are eating up special offers and promotions as companies continue to strive to establish a one-on-one relationship with people who “LIKE” and want to “SHARE” information about their products or services. By offering prizes, gifts and promotions, marketers give consumers a reason to come back for more to see what’s new and share information about their latest life experiences. I love the holidays. Tis the season for good will, merriment and nowadays, a freebie. On Facebook consumers are eating up special offers and promotions as companies continue to strive to establish a one-on-one relationship with people who “LIKE” and want to “SHARE” information about their products or services. By offering prizes, gifts and promotions, marketers give consumers a reason to come back for more to see what’s new and share information about their latest life experiences.

This holiday season a few of my favorite Facebook promotions are:

Chick-Fil-A
Free 2012 Trail Grazers Calendar – Fill out a simple form and get a year’s worth of clever Chick-Fil-A cows’ humor.

Hallmark
Merry-Okee – Send a free holiday wish, record your message and sound like an elf!

Kraft
Cookie Brawl – Play a game and get delicious ideas for December!

Shutterfly
Holiday Photo Contest – Win a year’s worth of cards.

As marketers, we’re thrilled about the genuine nature of these promotions that offer more than just information about a particular product or service. Instead, the marketers shown above are entertaining consumers whilst inviting them to use the products and services provided by each.

As we review recent Internet and social media usage statistics published by Hubspot, we see that the marketers that put forth the effort to connect via Facebook are right on. Check this out:
- 1 out of every 8 minutes online is spent on Facebook.
- 64% of Facebook users have become “fans” of at least one company.
- 67% of B2C companies and 41% of B2B companies have acquired a customer through Facebook.
It’s no wonder that when companies seek to connect their unique, current, and relevant messages (link to TWELVE) with eager consumers they are opting for social platforms, particularly Facebook. The shift to marketing “socially” is enormous and the cost to execute is manageable, providing a two-way platform which is quickly becoming the norm.

Posted by: The Optimist (Megan Zweig)