Social media sites save consumers during holidays

Season's twitterings? For this gift-buying time of the year, let social network sites help you save on your holiday shopping.

Social media sites like MySpace, Facebook, and now Twitter, help the masses maintain connections with friends and family. Why not let social media help you save big on your holiday shopping?

This year, almost 50 percent of big retail chains are using sites like Twitter to reach out to consumers, building customer loyalty with each holiday discount they post.

Rachel Holland, a mother of three, a deal seeker and a Twitter fanatic reports in an ABC News report, "I got all of my kids Christmas presents at 75 percent off and I knew exactly when the sale started because of Twitter." She continues, "I feel great about the savings this Christmas, the holidays aren't a burden on it, and it's been wonderful."

Toys "R" Us Facebook followers learned of Black Friday deals before anyone else. Barbie Dolls that were half off, $4 DVDs and 80 percent off select children's toys. Facebook followers of Staples were offered $40 off Bluetooth headsets on Black Friday, and $130 off select GPS units.

So, when your anti-social media friends ask you why you enjoy Facebook and Twitter, be sure to alert them of the holiday-saving benefits.

In the United States, 45 percent of internet users will use social networks to compare products, research items and search for offers according to an ABC news article. If you don't have Facebook or Twitter but are ready to get started, simply go to each Web site and sign up for a free account. Once you are a member, type in your favorite stores in the search tabs of both Facebook and Twitter, and friend them. Voila! The stores will begin to send you tweets or notices about holiday discounts and secret sales.

Consumer savings sites are here to help all over the internet. Loren Bendele, CEO of Savings.com, an up-and-coming site states, "It's a community of people, it's a social network coming together to help each other save money, building that social network around deals, discounts, coupons and promotions, seeing people take off and leveraging all the new media like Twitter, we believed it would happen, but we didn't know it would happen this quickly."

Follow Consumer United on Twitter here.

Businesses use Twitter to tweet cheap deals

From freebies to financial advice, a rush for Twitter-exclusive deals has the micro-blogging world all in a flutter.

Twitter.com is a social network where users can send 140-character messages or "tweets" to friends, family, and followers. Twitter is being used to communicate about one's day, and to keep up to date with social relationships.

However, the benefits of Twitter don't stop there. The service is also used to find or promote deals, coupons, and savings for consumers.

David Erickson, director of e-strategy for Tunheim Partners in Bloomington says, "When you offer extraordinary value, people will spread it. They'll do the marketing for you. They'll retweet (share the discounts with members of their social network) the deals on Twitter and share the deals on Facebook."

Many local companies use Twitter to connect with the neighborhood and promote their company's deals. To find and follow a business on Twitter, simply log in (or sign up) and search for the company's name. Then click follow. Your Twitter screen will show their updates and promotions from there on out.

Consumer United is currently using Twitter to promote samples and coupons for consumers as soon as we come across them. Follow Consumer United on Twitter for daily savings and updates!

Looking to score an incredibly cheap flight? JetBlue currently offers $9 flights. Check out United Airlines and JetBlue on Twitter.