Over the past few years the internet's seen revolutionary changes to the way brands and companies reach their customers.

Web savvy businesses are increasingly realising the vast array of opportunities that social media and networking websites are providing them with.

What is social media and social networking?

People are often unsure of the difference between social media and social networking, although essentially they refer to the same subject. Social networking refers to the act of communicating with others, whether with work colleagues via instant messenger or Skype, communicating with like-minded people in web forums or keeping in contact with friends and relatives on Facebook.

Social media itself refers to the technology we use to network with each other. The media allows us to transmit and share our information whether it be our thoughts and ideas on Twitter, articles distributed via RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, diary entries on blogs or perhaps videos posted on YouTube.

Utilising Social Networking for eCommerce

For eCommerce businesses social networking provides an opportunity to engage not only with existing customers but also with a wider audience on a uniquely personal level. It enables you to communicate on a customer level, to find out their needs, identify trends and even find out what they think of your brand.

For example if you're perhaps a buyer for a clothing company, the ability to be able to communicate directly with your customers via perhaps fashion forums or Facebook groups provides you with a gold mine of information, all of which is completely free and as up to date as possible. Furthermore communicating in this way gets your brand out there in such a way that customers don't feel their being given the hard sell, in fact it gives them the opportunity to get involved with the companies they regularly buy from... How best to increase customer loyalty than to make the customer feel they're involved in the way the company makes decisions.

The businesses that profit most from social networking tend to use an individual person to represent the company. This makes for a more intimate relationship, the customer feels valued, that they're connecting on a personal level as opposed to feeling as if the brand is simply trying to sell their services and products.

Networking with your customers relies upon finding out where they hang out, what sites do they visit and where can you get their attention. As well as the social networking giants like Facebook, Bebo and Twitter it's well worth targeting networks specific to your industry. Try searching for the terms ‘forum', ‘network', ‘group', ‘social networks' followed by your industry sector in Google. If your business has been trading online for sometime it's highly likely that customers have already commented on it, in which case enter a search for your own business name in Google to see where they've done this.

Ultimately the key to successful social networking is keeping your target audience engaged, to this end it's crucial that you give them a reason to keep participating in your network, say a company blog or Facebook group. See below some tips on how you can utilise and maximise the effect of social networking for your business.

• Provide advice on the products that you sell, for example fashion if you're a clothing retailer
• Upload ‘how-to', ‘tips' or tutorial video clips on the products and services that you offer
• Provide the latest industry news via a company blog, where your special offers can also be promoted
• Entice new customers with competitions where they can win vouchers redeemable on your website
• Post pictures on photo sharing websites related to products or services that you offer
• Promote upcoming events, perhaps conferences that your company is attending
• Gauge consumer opinion and compile feedback on your products and services
• Identify new trends by participating in online forums and Facebook groups
• Ask your customers what they want to see on your social networking profiles!

Written by Geoff Jackson