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Twitter, like social media as a whole, has become a ubiquitous part of everyday life. It has a unique distinction, however, with its short, text-based format, which results in it moving at a faster pace than Facebook, TikTok or Instagram.
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Of course, businesses, retailers and brands are aware of this and use the micro-blogging platform to their advantage, often driving some seriously good money-saving deals. If you’re already a Twitter user, or curious to get started, there are ways you can use the social media giant as a money-saving tool. Take a look.
Follow your favorite sellers
The first way you want to look for deals is by following brands and retailers of interest. It’s not exactly predictable, but these accounts will occasionally post deals, coupon codes, and other deals exclusive to social media. Given the speed at which Twitter typically moves, the window for savings like this doesn’t often stay open for long.
On the other hand, you can tweet directly to brands, which can translate into some savings opportunities. If you’re looking for a particular high-value device or similar item, tweet the manufacturer or distributor and ask if there’s a discount available and wait to see what they might have to offer.
Follow coupon accounts
Similarly, there are Twitter accounts out there dedicated solely to posting and promoting consumer savings wherever possible. Some retailers have their own Twitter accounts, such as @AmazonDeals. As for brick-and-mortar retailers, @RetailMeNot offers the same kind of deals on Twitter as it does on its app.
If you’re feeling a little more adventurous in your money-saving quest, check out accounts like @DealNews, @JustFreeStuff, and @FswsFree for out-of-the-box deals, like free samples given in exchange for reviews.
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Search Hashtags
As different retailers, distributors and brands are competing for the consumer’s attention (and, ultimately, their money), hashtags can become a valuable resource when hunting for bargains. Basically, a hashtag is a word or phrase joined with a hash sign (#) at the beginning, which then links it to every other use of that hashtag on the platform.
This means hashtags like #discount, #coupon and #voucher are worth searching regularly, as well as more specific terms like #freebiefriday or #winwednesday. These searches can be combined with non-hashtags to help narrow your search to something you’re in the market for. So you can search for “oven # discount” and have some slightly simpler search results.
Don’t hesitate to try other savings-related words and phrases like hashtags, and keep experimenting until you find a process that works for you. Due to the volume of users, you should be aware that many of the search results will have nothing to do with saving money.
Get seasonal
Like most things, savings tend to be cyclical. Any seasoned bargain hunter already knows how to pick up their shopping habits around Labor Day and stick to them through the rest of the year, which includes Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the day after Christmas. This also applies to bargain hunters on Twitter.
As shoppers begin to shop more aggressively as the year draws to a close, retailers are looking to get rid of any old inventory to make room for next year’s new and improved product line. Many of these potential savings opportunities end up being advertised on social media. This is a chance to use all aspects of this list. This is where stalking bargain accounts, retailers, researching hashtags, and deleting the barrage of no-coupon posts will come into play.
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Look beyond retail
While saving on the everyday items you need has obvious appeal, the savings aren’t limited to retail items. Accounts like @ScholAmerica tweet information about scholarships, grants and other types of financial aid available, and @529forcollege posts tips about saving for college.
Just about anything you’re looking to save money for likely has at least one active Twitter account dedicated to it. By being diligent and searching for accounts, hashtags, and keywords, you should be able to find some money-saving options.
Be eager, but careful
Of course, this being the internet, there will be no shortage of scams and empty promises out there. No matter what you’re looking for, stay alert and remember the old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
While there are plenty of opportunities for sales, coupons and free samples, airlines aren’t giving away tickets and furniture stores aren’t giving away entire room sets in exchange for tagging a few friends. Given that the volume of content itself can be overwhelming, it can be easy to overlook an obvious red flag in a scam. Keeping all of your bargain hunting as part of a separate list from your main feed can help separate the wheat from the digital chaff a little easier to handle.
Most importantly, don’t give any sensitive information like credit card numbers to any outlet or entity that looks suspicious. Sites like URLVoid can help you determine if a particular site is a scam as well, so be careful before giving out credit card information.
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