It might be a hard truth for retailers to swallow, but most people spend exponentially more time socializing online than shopping online. However, this doesn’t mean that you are forbidden from participating in the fun. Social media users want the brands they love to participate with them and enhance their experience in this new social environment. If you do, you’ll foster a level of brand loyalty that was simply unachievable in the traditional one-way monologue of brand promotion.

According to the Opinion Research Corporation, 85% of social media users thought that companies should interact with them through social media. Considering the growing populations of networks like Facebook and Myspace, that 85% is just too large to be ignored. We are constantly scanning the horizon for new ways to engage your customers online. When it’s done right, social media can become not only a tool for reaching your existing customers but a means for them to virally spread their enthusiasm for your brand and products throughout their network.