By Mike Bongiovanni

U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!! U.S.A.!!!

Punctuation and abbreviation that works for TMG!
(and it’s the only time copywriting will let me use exclamation points)

By Michael Bongiovanni

It’s 9 a.m., and you’re ready to go. You flipped the sign on the front door from closed to open. All of your products are organized, with the top sellers near the front, mixed with some less expensive items, strategically placed in between for some “sure sells.” You’re well dressed, the outside and inside of your location are spic and span. You’ve gone through the checklist and you’re ready for business. You think to yourself, “all of this attention to detail is surely going to help boost sales.”

A few hours go by, and only a visit or two with no sales. As the day goes on, only a few more people stop in to browse. Now, it’s closing time in an hour, and you stop to reconsider some of the advertising articles you’ve come across.

“What about my website?” you ponder, “I’ve had the same one for years and I’ve done ok.” “Facebook, Twitter what?” you think to yourself, “It’s a fad and it’s not for me. I don’t have any contact info for people, so what’s the sense of that social stuff?”

Ok, ok. You get the point.

It’s time and there’s hope! That website your nephew put up for you just isn’t cutting it anymore. The web is for anyone and everyone, but it’s not just about having the site anymore.

Don’t blow off the new things you may be hearing about, like Twitter and Facebook; it’s really not all that difficult to understand, and the statistics behind them are astonishing.

Check these out:

“Eighty-three percent of online shoppers said they are interested in sharing information about their purchases with people they know, while 74 percent are influenced by the opinions of others in their decision to buy the product in the first place.” (Manage Smarter, September 2009)

“Users put great trust in their social networks. One-half of Beresford respondents said they considered information shared on their networks when making a decision – and the proportion was higher among users ages 18 to 24, at 65%.” (eMarketer, October 2009)

“A March 2009 study by Knowledge Networks, for example, found that between 10% and 24% of US social media users turned to social networks when making purchase decisions about various categories of products and services.” (eMarketer, October 2009)

“Facebook, blogs, Twitter and customer reviews are considered the most effective tactics for mobilizing consumers to talk up products online.” (Etailing survey of 117 companies, September 2009)

It’s starting to make sense to people, and now more than ever, people are talking about products, services and personal experiences. Are they talking about your business and the great products you sell?

Don’t ignore social media marketing; just jump in! Millions of people are already there, discussing new products. Expand your reach, connect with your target audience and boost your sales.