Social Media Series: Why Do We Need Social Media Sites?

Wouldn't it be fabulous if images of your products were automatically posted all over the internet as you listed them? If customers were automatically emailed after the start up of your shop? Unfortunately, that is not a reality for those of us who have online businesses! Selling becomes a bit tricky when someone can't stop in and physically handle one of the products that are so lovingly planted on display. Marketing becomes a never-ending job that doesn't typically consist of mailing lists, newsletters, etc. Especially when you have just opened up and have no customer base!

To get your business and your name out there to the masses, you must find a way to speak to them in places online where they already frequent. That's right, social media sites! Not only is it a way for you to keep in touch with your family and closest friends, it is also a great avenue for your business. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and several others, get your products to an audience that isn't going to just show up to take a look at your goods at home, unannounced.

As an Etsy and Zibbet shop owner, I find that it is almost impossible to get my products into the ether without using these sites. Some of them are extremely tedious and demand a lot of attention. Others have very simple steps and only take minutes. However, I can tell you that when I view my shop stats several times throughout the day, I can tell if I have not sent any information to my potential customers and fans via social media. The difference between one tweet on twitter, or one post on Facebook, can make the difference of several item or shop views. It is amazing what a few minutes out of your day can do! I even find myself tweeting and pinning products from my phone during my lunch hour!

Now that you are listening, I want to invite you back to this blog for more details on social media sites and how to make them work for you and your business. In future posts, I will be delving one by one into the many sites that I use to get views. So, don't miss out on the information that could cost or make your next sale! Until next time, happy sales!

Natalee