Social media networks and blogs are changing the way traditional ads affect and “sell” customers.  Online consumers are more receptive to “word of mouth” advertising which in turn influences their buying decisions. In 2008, there were 184 million people on the Internet who have started their own blog and 346 million people read blogs, noted by Technorati, many of whom discuss their thoughts on particular brands and products. Why not get online with them and increase your chance of positive brand reputation and feedback. Promote what you want about your brand, establish yourself as an expert in your industry, incorporate authoritative backlinks to product promotions on your site, and get those online influencers talking to you, with you and about you.

Why would you miss out on blogging when its a great way to talk to your customers and out maneuver your competitors? If your company is not blogging and your competition is, you are quickly losing the game and are not cognizant of consumer expectations. As a retailer you know there are several types of customers, some like to know everything about the product or brand and have a sense of trust before buying. Others just want to read what others say about a product (aka “people like me”) so they know they’re making the right purchase.

Give your brand a “voice” through blogging and you will see a change — plus you can measure it through web analytics!

Online retail platforms are serving as a convenient, easy way for customers to shop, saving them gas from driving store to store. Cutting down on transportation costs, online retail also benefits retailers by eliminating the use of paper for shopping bags as well as customer service capital expenses. Today, much attention is being placed on going “green” and online retail platforms help support these practices. As traditional advertising budgets continues to fade, the costs saved on paper materials and printing are now being put toward online advertising. With the accurate measurements Web analytics provide online marketers, retailers are able to analyze conversion rates, improve customer retention and validate ROI which is harder to do in-stores.

So with the increased efforts by online retailers, having high organic search rankings is key to stay ahead through the economic downtime. Triangle Direct Media helps online retailers effectively cut costs and stay on top through new media marketing and social media strategies. With high value techniques to increase online exposure, clients begin to see improvement in search engine visibility and are able to compete more effectively being a step ahead in their given industry.

Making up 30% of the Internet’s users, the Gen Y demographic is flooding online channels of communication, particularly social networks. What better way than to reach to them through social media and new media marketing? If you get their email through on-campus promotions during the first week of school, take the extra step to add them on FaceBook and Twitter. Use a blog to share student deals and write about the benefits of what you are trying to sell to them. Connecting to them through these channels will give them more of a personal connection and will also give opportunity for customers to recommend your business to their friends.

Make sure your company’s message that you are sending out through these channels are targeted towards this demographic of consumers. Also make certain that it is well defined and consistently carried throughout online and offline marketing strategies. It is also a good idea to make sure that all of your marketing representatives who visit the campuses that you “hone” in on are carrying out the same message to these students and the coveted Gen Y demographic.

It is important to participate in ongoing dialogues, to help generate good content and a trusted image amongst consumers. Through these you can create a larger conversation to extend the content, especially if it is of good quality, or even to steer it in a positive direction. By keeping customers updated on the latest online or in-store promos, special events, or campaigns through your blog, you can really make money off of creating a retail blog. You take that further step in reaching a whole community of bloggers and you really can increase online exposure and build raptor with your customers. Use your blog to discuss retail trends, marketing ideas, merchandising tips, and other facets of your business or industry to help promote and strengthen your brand.

As a retail business, you want to make sure the content is good and effective, so being proactive in the blogging community is a must. What others say about your brand impacts your business more than what you say about your brand; especially in user generated content circles. You want people to promote your business by blogging about you, your products, and your company without the common sales pitch. While, most retail businesses don’t have the time to comment on blogs and write articles you can find new media and social marketing companies that can integrate these techniques into your online retail marketing practices. These tactics will help deliver traffic to your website as your retail blog will serve as a communication engine, pumping out content to receive higher search engine rankings. It isn’t easy enough for the average, non-tech business owner through, or their staff, so it is best to hand this task over to a company who has the tools to help drive online success for your business.

While many retailers are cutting costs, others have found the economic slowdown as an opportunity to increase market share. According to Internet News, almost half of retailers surveyed have no plans to cut back original budgets, while 24 percent will spend more on their online business than planned originally. Companies that plan to spend more will increase investments in areas of search (80%), e-mail marketing (65%) and social media marketing (60%) to help grow their businesses due to the pullback in consumer spending. Four out of five retailers surveyed said that they thought the web is the best suited channel to survive the recession, with one-third claiming the economic downturn has enabled the capture for greater market share.

To help optimize business strategies for retailers, new tools are making their debut in the industry. In order to withstand the recession, online retailers are learning to make smart spending decisions by doing more with less and taking advantage of new, innovative tools and techniques that have made their debut into the industry. New, innovative tools and techniques are launching to help retailers come out of this recession in a positive manner and effectively tap the power of social media, tribes and networks. The current goal for these online retailers right now is to get their hands on these tools to help accelerate sales, better resonate with prospective customers and thrive in a down market.

With so much information available now on the internet revealing prices offered by different stores, there is limited information bias, and retailers have to offer competitive prices in order to survive. This is especially relevant for retailers that sell goods that are exactly identical to those sold by other stores, such as electronics.

According to a May 2008 Nielsen Online survey, even most of those who end up buying in a brick-and-mortar store check the web first. They found that eight out of ten consumers in the survey that had recently purchased electronics in a physical store had checked the retailer’s website beforehand. Consumers don’t need to drive around town to find out price differences. It seems that even if they are planning to stop by their local store, they check the website first to see what’s available, so they don’t waste a trip. With children now growing up surfing the web, we can expect to see this trend increase, and for shoppers to be more and more informed about competitors’ prices.

Audio can be the difference between making 1 sale or 10, and it does add a ‘wow’ factor, for your customers.
I agree with all of their 8 points whole heartedly.
As a consumer, if I can listen to a retailer describe the benefits of their product to me instead of just reading a lengthy list of pros’, it has helped me make my decision to purchase or not.
Here’s a few of those 8 things that I feel are the most important, but make sure you read them all after you finish reading what I have to say.

1. Customers remember what they hear more than what they read. Did you know that people remember only 20% of what they read while they remember an astonishing 70% of what they hear? That’s three and a half times more! Your audio message will help you to stick into the minds of your customers longer.

3. Audio keeps customers on your site longer. Audio can keep customers on your site longer and you give you more time to make the sale. It can be used as an additional resource or tool for customers to familiarize themselves with your product or service while browsing your site.

6. Audio puts you light years ahead of your competitors. Using audio successfully on your site gives you a competitive advantage. Most internet businesses overlook using this effective marketing tool so be sure you’re not one of them!

7. Audio is easy to use. Being able to put audio on your website isn’t limited to just techies – anyone can do it! Many of the programs available don’t even require you to know HTML or flash. They’re designed to be user friendly so you shouldn’t have any problems taking your website to the next level.

See there in reason #6, where I italicized part of it?
I wanna tell you how to use it successfully, from a customers point of view.
This is so important.

Do NOT set your audio sales pitch to auto play.
Ever.
Do place your audio or video player above the fold, so customers can find it easily, but never set it to auto play.

Auto playing audio or video players are an immediate sales closer, meaning the customers leave the site without you closing the sale.
If you have your audio or video player above the fold, right near the top, and tell your customers in a short paragraph, that they can watch or hear more about your product by clicking play on the player, most customers will choose to watch or listen.

If it auto starts and the customers can’t find the player because it’s at the bottom of the page, or not even visible to customers to turn it off, customers end up leaving the site without listening or watching, and without reading anything on your site, and without making a purchase.

Give your customers the option of watching or listening to more information about your product, and they will.
Force it on them, and they will leave your site, with their money still in their wallets.

Amazon.com and Ebay are frequently visited sites, especially during the holiday season. If you do plan on buying online, here are some tips you should keep in mind.

1. Know who you’re dealing with. If you’re buying gifts on an online auction site that provides a feedback forum, check the track record of the seller before you bid.
2. Look for signs that online purchases are secure. A lock icon will appear on the website telling you the transaction is secure.
3. Pay the safest way. It’s best to use a credit card, especially when you’re buying something that will be delivered later, because under federal law you can dispute the charges if you don’t get what you’re promised.
4. Keep documentation of your order. Print out the confirmation and keep it handy in case you need it later.

You should also make sure to check your credit card and bank statements carefully and call your bank or credit card company if you notice any charges you didn’t make.

The National Retail Federation says shoppers are expected to shell out nearly $800 each this year online.