Today, much of what we do as business owners to market our products is online. On computers, phones and IPads, almost everywhere you turn the internet is flowing. People everywhere are talking online through social networking and media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Hubpages, StumbleUpon, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Skype, etc. With this much online interaction, it is nearly impossible to avoid using social media marketing and still run a successful business.
Steve Rubel, one of the founders of social e-commerce said that its purpose is three fold:
- Get advice from trusted individuals,
- Find quality goods and services, and then
- Purchase them.
Social commerce is a subset of social networking and online systems that can either make or break your online business, depending on how often you utilize the power behind it.
One of the most effortless and imperative ways to use social commerce is by investing in customer ratings and review software.
Online testimonials and word of mouth is the best way to create new customers and hold on to your current customers. People trust people, and if a customer likes what you have to offer and they like the way that you serve them, they are going to tell other people. Of course, this works in a negative way as well. If people don’t like the service they receive, then they will often tell more people.
Online review and rating software, offered by companies like Shopper Approved, give business owners the chance to learn about and then meet the needs of their customers. Companies that do not want to be included in the statistics that say that 75% of all small businesses fail within the first 5 years should consider using online review and rating systems.
This is because rating and review systems dramatically increase the success of social commerce and online marketing.
Another rather obvious way to utilize social commerce to increase sales for your online business is by interacting on social media sites. Create a Facebook business page and start getting fans and friends. These fans, friends, and customers will post comments and testimonials on your website and give you free advertising.
Everything that you do for your business should focus on customer satisfaction. Here are a few examples of social marketing to current and past customers:
Send your customers thank you cards.
Offer them free digital products.
Send them periodic relevant newsletters.
Look into their businesses and see what you can do to help them succeed. It might be as simple as connecting one of your clients with them. After all, if they succeed, you will continue to succeed as well.
Social commerce is one of the best ways to communicate, advertise, and discover what customers want. Use rating and review software to understand the needs of your clients, and you will be successful.
