The latest trends in ecommerce will help you to market your goods and services through the power of the World Wide Web – if you’re interested in utilizing the newest, hottest techniques and tips, we have all of the information you need to get started. The first thing you need to know about modern ecommerce is that it moves quickly…sales, promotions and special offers are now shown off to potential clients through social networking apps that expose ideas and inventions to a global audience. To sell more of what you produce, use the coolest apps – such as Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, Foursquare and LinkedIn – to draw interest to your company, and to direct people back to your virtual storefront. At the moment, Twitter is a super-hot method of making contact with potential clients from every country on the planet. By logging into Twitter and setting up a user account, you can begin to increase brand awareness within minutes. This rapid-fire, real-time social networking app allows users to “tweet” short messages that are under 140 characters. It also allows users to post pictures (via Twitpic) and links to their own business websites and promotional blogs. At Twitter, a mixture of friendly chatter and business promo is de rigeur, so dive in and begin to interact with followers. To find the right followers, use the Twitter search function to look for people who display interests that gel with your business. For example, if you’re selling car parts online, search for usernames with “car” in the title, and then add these people as followers. As you get deeper into using Twitter, you’ll make tons of new connections – some of which may turn into invaluable business connections that grow your sales and ecommerce reputation. At this point, almost every big company in the world is represented on Twitter, and plenty of successful mid-range and small business websites are also building their brands through the service. Facebook and its new competitor, Google Plus, are the most popular social networking “worlds” on the Internet. However, Facebook is far more established, and many people are quite comfortable staying there, even though Google Plus offers a few more bells and whistles to users. To get the most benefit from your online marketing, create profiles at both of these services and add everyone you know to your friends and social circles. By customizing your Facebook and Google Plus pages, you can create fascinating supplementary web pages for your business. Promoting is a breeze through these services – every status can be a subtle or obvious plug for your online ecommerce website. While flat-out “hard-sell” is usually a mistake on these social networking platforms, it’s totally acceptable to create fan pages for your business. Running personal accounts in tandem with business fan pages is the best way to create synergy across your social networking accounts. By showing an interest in others and meeting new people via chat, status update comments, and your fan pages, you’ll build your brand and attract prospective clients. These services are free to use, and they are important weapons in your ecommerce marketing arsenal. Foursquare requires a real-life storefront, so it’s only a workable marketing option when you run a bricks-and-mortar operation; however, many ecommerce entrepreneurs do also have a business presence in their own communities. Foursquare rewards users for “checking in” to venues, offices, restaurants, and other real-world locations – every time someone stops by your business and checks in through the service, their activity shows up in their news feed, where their contacts can also see what they are up to. Obviously, these free “ads” for businesses and services are important facets of modern ecommerce. If you’re running real world and ecommerce shops, double your impact by signing up as an official Foursquare location – you’ll need to fill out an application at their main website. Doing ecommerce through LinkedIn is an excellent way to round out your marketing and networking approach on the Internet. LinkedIn has a different focus than Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter – at LinkedIn, it’s all about work and professionalism. People use LinkedIn in different ways; for example, people may post their credentials and work achievements on their profile pages, in order to attract potential employers or team members. However, the service also works as a handy way to share work-related news with a series of old and new “connections”. Show off your ecommerce acumen through this trendy Web-based service – it’s free, it gets you noticed, and it may even help you find the perfect investor, partner, or employee. Social networking can be time-consuming, so streamline your efforts through services like SocialOomph, Tweetdeck, and/or Hootsuite. By sharing updates, links, and photos across different services, you can save time and still get the exposure you need to build your ecommerce business worldwide. Without social networking, you’ll be missing out on the most current and trendy aspect of online buying, selling, and networking. Find out more – Ecommerce Solutions
December 6th, 2011