Online Shopping Gives a Traditionally Local Business a National Customer Base!

Online, November 29, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Ranchos de Taos, NM- - At one time, taking up a crafty hobby such as scrapbooking or paper crafting meant having to rearrange your schedule and invest a lot of valuable time. To pursue the hobby, you had to go to someone's place of business for classes. That meant you also had to find additional time for travel, adjust your day to meet someone else's schedule AND possibly spend even more money on babysitting.

It also wasn't easy for the scrapbooking business owner! You could only fit so many people into your class space. Different times and days didn't work for everyone. And your customer base was generally limited to the local population.

However, this once traditionally face-to-face business is finding new life, and millions of new customers, thanks to the internet. As social media becomes a routine part of people's lives, it needs to become a routine part of the small business owner's plan as well. With approximately 40% of social media users accessing their accounts through mobile devices (according to a Nielsen survey), it becomes even more important to have an online presence.

The rise of social media and e-commerce has allowed these businesses to reach a larger audience geographically AND make things easier for their customers by providing education information and products on a convenient, 24/7 basis!

Social Networking sites like Facebook and YouTube allow businesses to connect to their customers on a whole new level! Business owners get to share their information with a wider audience, and customers get to consume that information on their schedule. It's a win-win situation!

Additionally, customers can shop when it's convenient. According to an IBM Coremetrics Report, Cyber Monday's online sales were up 30% over 2010. And, 11% of these consumers used mobile devices to make their purchases.

New Mexico business owner, Monica Weaver, has utilized social media and e-commerce to dramatically expand her reach... and her bottom line! Her customers have grown accustomed to finding her information easily and when it's convenient for them!

Monica's website, http://www.addalittledazzle.com, contains tons of information for those interested in paper crafting.

Monica is also available for media interviews to discuss how social media and e-commerce are valuable tools for small business owners. Please use the contact information provided to schedule an interview.

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Liz Sanpietro
SIMB PR
646-229-4605
liz@simbpr.com