Online Retailers Branch Out

While the "R" word looms over retailers' heads and worried whispers about the economy are heard more and more often, online shopping is predicted to grow this year. It's good news for online retailers, who are branching out of their email marketing/paid search groove.

From MarketingVox: According to Forrester, 65 percent of retailers will look into placing ads on social networks in 2008.

Bravo, online retailers! This is a smart move. Although email and paid search are the traditional cash cows, there's a lot to be said for promoting directly to your target, rather than advertising to everyone and hoping your customers will float to the top. Social networks can be a goldmine -- there's lots of people who are passionate about a subject, reading and conversing in one location online.

No matter what you're selling, there's bound to be a social network filled with folks who are always interested in what you sell - not just those who happen to be on Google searching for a product at that moment in time. Why wouldn't you take advantage of these hot spots on the web?

So while your brick-and-mortar friends bite their nails, you'll be welcoming new customers - fresh from the social networks...