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According to a study by the e-tailing group and PowerReviews around 50% of Internet users now routinely use the web to research products and services before deciding what to buy.

E-marketer reports that even when the customer buys offline, the web often plays a fundamental role in the purchasing decisions that they make. Respondents to the survey said that online research saved them time and made them more confident about the products and services they were buying.

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According to a report by The UK Online Measurement Company (part of the Nielsen group) UK internet users spent 65% more time online during April 2010 (some 884 million hours) than they did during the same period in 2007.

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Facebook, twitter, blogs, reviews, forums, online video… the web’s gone all social and interactive.

Amongst the legions of fans, followers and friends on social media sites across the web you’ll find your customers.

Do you know where they are, and what they’re saying about your industry, your business, your brand?

Connecting with people through social media can be a great way for your small business to add value and engage in positive, mutually beneficial dialogue with your customers.

From offering insight into consumers’ wants and needs, to pro-active product support to finding new business and referrals, social media channels have a lot of potential for smaller Irish businesses who choose to engage.

Here are just a few of the reasons we think it makes sense to explore the potential of social media for your business:

• With or without you: social media doesn’t go away when you ignore it. People are talking. The conversation is happening, whether you choose to get involved or not. Far better to be an influential player in the game than a spectator on the sidelines.
• Go where your customers are: instead of waiting for your customers to find you on your website, social media gives you a great opportunity to pro-actively take your brand to them where they choose to “hang out” online.
• Your finger on the pulse of your market: ever wondered how you could tweak your product or service offering to deliver more of what your customers really need? Social media lets you tap in to the collective wisdom of the crowd without costly market research and focus groups.
• Build reputation, authority and influence: by pro-actively answering people’s questions, solving problems and offering real value online you can quickly establish a positive perception of your brand in your field of expertise. The next time people need your product or service, guess who they’re going to think of first.
• A bit of personality goes a long way: people do business with people first. Social media gives you a great opportunity to let your customers get to know the personality behind the brand.

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Here at LetsHost we’re always keen to hear from our Web Hosting customers.

We work hard to offer one of the best web hosting deals in Ireland, with a great blend of features, space and bandwidth at what we consider to be great value. But more than that, we strive to make the experience of hosting your website with us an enjoyable and productive one.

We want to hear from you

Your feedback is very important to us. It helps us to fine tune our service to fit your needs.

We love to hear your success stories: how well your website is doing, and how your LetsHost hosting account is helping you to get great online results for your business. But equally we want to know where you think we could do things a bit better, so that we can keep improving.

One of the main reason’s we started this blog, and the LetsHost Twitter Account was to listen to what you have to say, and to make information and advice about your hosting account that much more accessible.

On the blog we’re aiming to deliver valuable content on web hosting, web design, and online marketing that will help you make the most of your LetsHost hosting account. We’re picking article topics that we feel are relevant to you, but the whole point of a blog is that its a two-way-street. You can tell us what you think through its built in comment system.

What hosting and / or website related topics do you want to read about? Drop us a line with your suggestions / questions in the comments below, and we’ll address them in future posts. Let us know what you’d like to see happening on the blog.

We’re looking forward to your input.

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Social Media has been the darling of the digirati, online early adopters and web2.0 advocates for a while now, but 2009 was the year when explosive growth took social media into the mainstream.

Research by Nielson group for the year to May 2009 revealed the following statistics:

• An 82% increase in the total time spent on social networks and blogs in the year to May 2009.
• A 62% increase in the average time per web user spent on social networks and blogs in the year to May 2009
• Traffic on Twitter, the “poster-boy” of Social Media in 2009, grew by a staggering 1,448%

What does the rise of social media mean for you, your brand and your website?

If your peers, your customers and your prospects aren’t already using social media, chances are good that they soon will be. Getting involved in the same online social circles offers you the opportunity to engage in a meaningful dialogue with them.

There’s a global conversation going on, through blogs, social networks, forums, “micro-blogging” platforms and other social media platforms. Here are just a few ways you can harness the power of social media to benefit the online presence of your brand:

• Get and give help and advice: learn what peers and thought leaders in your industry are talking about, and gain insight that can help you in your business, and help others in return.
• Build a community around your brand: people like to feel a connection with the products and services they use, and to interact with the human beings behind the logo.
• Monitor, respond and influence: there’s a conversation going on out there, with or without you. Far better to engage and foster a positive perception of your brand from the outset than to sit on the sidelines.
• Foster ongoing, mutually beneficial relationships: it’s far easier and more profitable to retain existing customers than it is to chase new ones… social media tools can help you to build stronger relationships with a much wider network of people.
• Word of mouth: good news travels fast online… social media offers a wonderful opportunity for people to spread the love about your brand.

Exactly what opportunities social media can offer you depends very much on your business, where your customers congregate online and what you want to get out of it. The best way to find out is to dive in and start exploring… to get started why not try following @LetsHost on Twitter, or post a comment on this blog post?

We’re looking forward to hearing more from you and your business online!