The Advantages of Social Commerce

With recent economic tightening and uncertainty, many businesses are looking to cut corners and find less expensive ways to reach their customer base. In today’s world, where much of our business seems to be more and more online, the rise of social commerce is meeting many of these companies needs.  Social proof companies like Shopper Approved can give online businesses a open look as to their business’ online effectiveness.

For the most part, online advertising is much less expensive than advertising on television, radios, newspapers and magazines. In fact, businesses are able to build virtual store fronts on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, and others without any monthly rent or lease program. Just build the page or profile and you can stay for free.

Of course, to advertise on these sites and search engines, there are fees. But most are relatively inexpensive. Placing ads on social media sites is a cheap alternative to standard advertising and it’s growing more popular as more and more people realize the popularity and easy access to social commerce consumers. Since there are millions of consumers online daily, it makes sense to use a percentage of your business’ marketing dollars for online networking and advertising.

The advantage of advertising on social media sites is that ads can be assigned to show up based on a user's profile preferences. Basically, social commerce is a form of indirect social media marketing that allows you to make more money online, without having to waste money purchasing television time, or a spot in the New York Times. But it is also a good location to build upon advertising money spent on TV commercials, for example. A TV commercial placed online has the potential of being seen millions of times for free.

Social commerce rating and review programs like Shopper Approved are also advantageous because they give businesses insightful information on their consumers’ responses to products, service, and overall buying experience. So if you’re business doesn’t have an online presence yet, it’s time to get with the twenty-first century and start taking advantage of all the financial benefits e-commerce has to offer.

The Importance of Social Commerce

A friend of mine wants to start up his own online business. Last year he attempted to start his own clothing line, but the profit he made was not worth the work he put in. So now he wants to do something simpler and only work online. Before he gets started though, he needs to understand the importance of social commerce.

But what exactly is social commerce? Social commerce is those sections or divisions of business that uses 

social media sites, directories, and other online sources that support social interaction of customers, business owners, and collaborators. It increases traffic generation and creates a larger potential for profit for online businesses by marketing to interested consumers.

If you are an online business owner, make sure that you are utilizing online marketing and social media optimization tools to accurately and prominently display your business. Here are some of the best ways to increase your potential for online profits. 

1. Network, Network, Network! With social commerce and social media, you have to be seen online. This means, among other things, using article and submission sites and increasing your page rank with Google and other search engines. It means using fun, entertaining, and enthralling means to capture the attention of online visitors. The more you are seen online in a positive, memorable manner, the more money you will make.

2. Value your customers! Customer feedback is essential to obtaining customer satisfaction with an online business. Review software like Shopper Approved generates customer satisfaction surveys that can drastically increase online sales through improved communication with customers while creating customers out of visitors through testimonials and high ratings. Customer surveys are important with every online business because they give your customers the chance to critique your business as well as provide positive testimonials to promote your company.

3. Post Positives! When ever you receive a positive customer testimonial that promotes your business put it online! Customers trust other people’s opinions more than your own, so show off to the world the great things your customers think about your business and your sales will sky rocket. 

Understanding and performing social commerce will increase your online sales.