ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN 2013

Ever since the first time someone sold something on-line , this idea has been spreading, and, as we all are aware by now, e-commerce is a “thing” now, and more and more people are becoming aware of that. Take a look at the following numbers:

• By the end of 2012, people will have sold about $1 trillion worth of products.

• In 2011, the number of internet users was about 2 billion. Now, it’s about 3.5 billion.
Now, these numbers are very approximate, but, nevertheless, we are talking about extremely high figures. Who would have thought, about 30 years ago, that half the world will be able to communicate, share information, find information, and even shop by sitting at home and clicking on some device, or, better yet, by taking a small device out of our pockets (mobile phones).

Another important thing to note is the fact that the number of social media websites as well as the number of people who use these websites is increasing very rapidly, and with a geometrical progression. Some even have profiles on more than one social media network because different networks offer different options (logically). One can predict that very soon, when you start the computer, the first thing that you will have to do is to create a social media account (I am exaggerating).

These social media websites, apart from enabling you to talk to your relatives that are far away on a daily basis, give almost every business the opportunity to advertise its products on-line. There are businesses that have realized this, and that even now have personnel that are trained, specifically, to do social media marketing. Yes, it is that big a deal. Although there are some products that people, simply will not purchase on the internet (like food and clothing), there are loads of products that are salable  and these unsellable products can most certainly be advertised.
Now, we all know that you cannot use some very popular social media networks to actually sell something, but no one forbids you to use them to get people to your online store, or simply to share information that is relevant for selling whatever it is you are selling.

Note that, for the reason stated above, you will have to have a well-organized and optimized web-site, because, without that, you are next to nothing in the internet world. If you don’t know how to do this, make sure that you have done sufficient research on the matter. Some of your main focus points should be that your website
 . Is attractive;
• Is user friendly;
• Loads fast;
• Is filled with quality content (text, images, video);
• It fits different screen sizes (responsive);
• Has different options for payment (not every country has PayPal
1 Know Your Audience
2 Organize Your Profile
3 Build Your Profile
4 Explore Your Possibilities
5 Be Active