Many of the major brands that normally air commercials during the Super Bowl are turning to social media as an advertising channel for this year’s championship game. In fact, Pepsi, a regular advertiser for the NFL’s big game, skipped out entirely last year in favor of a huge online marketing campaign with a strong social focus. The shift is not all that surprising when considering what a major force the social web has become. If you are a small business, you will want to read this article to learn how you can leverage this powerful channel to make an impact during the Super Bowl.
Encourage Interaction
Several of the major brands are leveraging social media to boost engagement and interaction leading up to the Super Bowl. A small business can easily do the same. For instance, you could ask your MySpace friends which items they would like to see included in your Super Bowl sale, and then encourage them to share those opinions in their communications on the network. Use your website, email campaigns, and other channels to get the word out. When executed with precision, this strategy could encourage interaction and help you grow your audience in the process.

Hold a Contest
Foreign automotive company Mercedes Benz recently announced that it would be creating a social media campaign based around the Super Bowl. Dubbed as the “Twitter-Fueled Race” the campaign has been designed to encourage teams of users to pump up the brand through Twitter and Facebook leading up to the Super Bowl. The team that accumulates the most Tweets and Facebook likes will be rewarded with a brand new Mercedes Benz. A small business can do
something similar with a contest that ties into the game. For example, you could encourage your Facebook followers to provide commentary during the Super Bowl on their profile and let them know that the person with the best insight will win a prize. Who wouldn’t want to win something nice? 

Create a Viral Impact
As the Super Bowl draws closer, more internet users are huddling up in online video sharing communities to view clips of their favorite teams, and watch the hilarious commercials of yesteryear. The users are there, so why not join them and present a video of your own? A good idea would be posting a fun video that acts as your very own Super Bowl advertisement. If your video is engaging enough, it could result in a viral effect that sees your content shared across the web. Something like this will only cost you a fraction of what you would have to pay for online advertising. 

The prevalence of networks such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter make social media a viable channel for Super Bowl promotions. It offers a way from brands and consumers to interact in ways that were not possible before. Execute your strategy precisely, and this type of campaign could have people talking about your business across multiple channels.