The below preview was originally posted at SocialTrenz.com by Sergio Balegno, senior analyst with the MarketingSherpa Research Group, and lead author of the 2009 study, “Social Media Marketing and PR: Benchmarks and best practices for harnessing the power of the social marketplace”.  Visit http://www.socialtrenz.com for the original posts or click here to buy the book.

In this survey, US Internet retailers were asked if these technologies would increase or decrease the effectivness of ecommerce in the next three years? According to three out of four respondents, social media will increase ecommerce effectiveness more than mobile, email marketing and ads. This is an important finding because many online retailers are itching to explore the powerful and mysterious world of social media marketing. Social media tactics like user reviews and other user generated content are proving to be powerful instruments for influencing the purchase decisions of customers.