Blog: Social Business Made Simple

Jon Henderson, SNAP Newspaper Group COO

As local community marketing specialists SNAP Newspaper Group spends a great deal of our time speaking about the benefits of hyper-local marketing and targeted social media. We talk about return on investment, community engagement, cyber-networking, clear communication and win-win promotions. As experts in the hyper-local field, we often hear “All this interconnectedness and community support sounds great, but how do I make more money?” Our response: social commerce.

Social commerce is a new arm of social media and you can bet your bottom dollar that if you’re not addressing social commerce now you are sure to be left standing in the dust. This form of commerce has been building staggering momentum and is about to break free. For years we’ve all been going on and on about the power of the “world-wide-web” as it relates to connecting with one another, in groups and within communities. The social media phenomenon has caused us all to get a glimpse at this power first-hand, but few experts know how to move cyber-friends into engaged, loyal customers.

The simple fact is we have to start realizing that our cyber-friends are not all that dissimilar from our physical friends, especially when it comes to how we interact. We are all just social beings and more than ¾ of us will believe strongly in the recommendations of a friend. We’d rather have our friends suggest something and simply tell us what the “best” product is, and this recommendation holds far more weight than a TV commercial. Well – cyber-friend or next-door neighbor – market research is starting to prove the distinction between the two is rapidly diminishing.

Make no mistake - social commerce is coming, and coming fast. Let our team at SNAP Newspaper Group help show you the way.