As everyone knows, Black Friday is a savvy shoppers mecca, but this year, online deals seem to be just as popular as showing UP at your favorite store at midnight. Social media has played a huge part in this and many businesses have used this as an amazing way to reach out to consumers. Did you know why they call it Black Friday? The name comes from the accounting practice of marking off profits with black ink, and the Friday following Thanksgiving usually marked the first day that retailers went into “black”. Now, alongside the traditional name, there are new ones, such as ‘Cyber Monday’, springing up which describe the great deals available online over the weekend and into the first of the week following Thanksgiving.

In order to utilize social media to their best advantage, marketers have had to change their traditional secretive methods. Deals are normally kept quiet up until the last minute, but in order to create a viral buzz and out-do competition, many retailers have leaked out details of their special deals early. With almost 140 million shoppers expected during this yearly event, it only makes sense to try to funnel some of them into stores by advertising oh social media sites.

Some great examples of companies using social media include offering gift cards or prizes in return for online check-ins. For example, Sports Authority is offering a $500 gift card to people who check-in to their stores on Foursquare and post it on Twitter. They will then choose a winner who will enjoy the prize. Offering incentives is a great way to further brand exposure and encourage consumers through the door.

It is an exciting time to be involved in the marketing world, as things are changing in a permanent way. Cyber deals are the way to go moving forward, and because of this,Shiny makes it more simply .