Social media is great for checking out your ex’s profiles and your neighbor’s vacation pics, but its real power lies in saving you money. You can find coupons, deals, and even negotiate with companies directly. Here are some easy ways to leverage these connections to save money on everything from everyday purchases to your monthly bills.
Use Hashtags (No, Seriously) to Find Deals
The hashtag (#) is used on all popular social media platforms as a way to quickly search specific topics. But when it comes to using the hashtag to find deals and coupons it is often used incorrectly. While Twitter is the gold standard for finding deals by hashtag, you’ll also have decent results on Facebook.
Here’s what you want to search for:
#(Product Name) #Deal or #Coupon: This will yield much better results than combining the two hashtags into one. For example, many users will search #GuitarCoupon, find very little and give up. But if you break it into two separate hashtags (#Guitar #Coupon) you’ll find a plethora of coupons and deals.
#(Store Name)Deals: This search will typically give you results tailored toward in-store purchases. For example, a quick #TargetDeals search on Twitter brings back a ton of great current deals and coupon matchups for your next trip. Coupon matchups are when bargain shoppers do the work for you and inform you what products are on sale and have a coupon available to bring the price even lower.
#(Store Name)Coupon: This search is equally geared toward in-store and online shopping. It can be a bit hit-or-miss, especially with lesser known retailers.
Also use seasonal hashtags when appropriate. Hashtags like #BlackFriday #BestBuy will net you deals from the retailer in question along with bargain bloggers who have done much of the work for you.
Negotiate Your Bills via Twitter
Many companies hire community managers to scour social media platforms looking for users that are either upset or have questions about their company. This became clear recently when I was responding to a fellow blogger complaining how expensive his Verizon bill was. I chimed in with my sympathy, and within minutes I had a Verizon rep tweet back at me offering to help lower my bill. Use this to your advantage—it’s a great tool to start the conversation when attempting to negotiate a lower bill.
Here are a couple strategies to make this work:
Say the service is too expensive: By sending a direct tweet to the company, stating that you’re considering switching to a cheaper competitor, you’ll typically get a quick response. While the rep may not always have the authority to negotiate your bill directly, they’ll give you the direct number to the retention department who does have the power.
Join an existing conversation: Search for an existing Twitter conversation about a service you’d like to get cheaper and chime in with your opinion. Be sure to include the companies Twitter handle in your tweet. Be careful you don’t co-opt the conversation, though. Instead, use theirs to start your own. That way both of you get the help you need.
To ensure a positive response from the company, be respectful and stick to the facts.
Search Pinterest Boards the Right Way
Because Pinterest is a very visual, static platform, it requires a different strategy when finding deals. You can search hashtags but you’ll often find very old pins that won’t help much. Instead, you’ll want to search “boards”, which are a collection of pins, for coupons and deals as they always list the most current offerings.
Also consider creating your own board on Pinterest for coupons and deals. By updating it regularly with useful content you’ll attract and network with like-minded deal hunters. It’s also a great way to categorize your bargain finds for later use.
Ask for a Coupon in a Facebook Message (or Live Chat)
Inevitably, there will be times when you look under every rock and still can’t find a coupon code. Next time this happens, fire up to Facebook Messenger on your phone or desktop and simply ask the retailer directly if they can help. You simply click “Message” from their official Facebook page and send them a direct message. Whenever I try this, I usually get a response in less than 15 minutes.
Many store reps are waiting to hand out exclusive online coupon codes to those who politely ask. Some of the more popular stores who regularly do this include J.Crew, 1-800-Flowers, Gap, JCPenney, Lands’ End, and Michael’s. It might be free shipping, a percent off your total, or something else—but no matter what, you stand a good chance of scoring a deal.
Another tip is to hit up live chat directly from the retailer’s website and ask for a coupon. Most popular retailers these days have live chat operators standing by to help with your order, and they are often armed with coupons. Politely start a conversation and say, “I’d love to complete my order today, but the shipping charge is more than I expected, any chance you have a coupon I can apply to my order?” Once items are in your virtual cart, retailers don’t want to lose your business and will often sweeten the pot if you ask.
Check Out Instagram Descriptions
Instagram is driven mainly by images, making it trickier to navigate for deals and coupons. But it absolutely can be done. You’ll need to use Instagram from your smartphone, though, since the web browser version is very limited.
Here’s how to make it happen:
Search the retailer you’re interested in. Tap the magnifying glass and type in their name to find their page.
Once you’ve navigated to their Instagram page, tap the 3 horizontal lines in the corner to bring up the picture-by-picture view with description.
The text description is where retailers drop the goods on exclusive coupons and deals. Simply scroll through them looking for coupon codes and exclusive deal info.
Fridays are typically a great day to hit Instagram looking for deals as many retailers post in an effort to entice weekend shoppers.
The key takeaway from all of these ninja producing tips is to be proactive. Don’t sit back and wait for a retailer or company to help you save money or offer to lower your bill; you’ll often be waiting a long damn time. By initiating a conversation with a retailer, or negotiating a bill via Twitter, you’ll start to see how these tools can work to save you substantial money in everyday life.
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