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THESE days retailers understand that successful sales must co-exist with social media marketing. It is just a fact whether we like it or not. Social media will become a $100 billion market within the next year, up almost 30% from this year. This presents marketers with a huge opportunity if they play it correctly.

THE biggest question is how to capitalize in this quickly changing market. Social media is no longer just for connecting to one another socially. It has become a real experience for users and one that is also driving merchandise sales. TikTok, while complained about constantly, has over 1 billion users and marketing companies have taken notice.

SOCIAL media sites still have a distance to go as most people are not going on their sites to make purchases. When an influencer on a site promotes a product and it is done with sincerity (although doubtful), sales can increase as much as 50% or more. While purchases are not expected on these sites we are seeing that Meta and TikTok are aiming their sights at changing that dynamic. The way they are improving the experience is by providing seamless transitions from the posting to the purchasing. These social commerce sites are also able to disseminate statistics on buyers much better and more accurately than any other platforms.

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TIK-TOK aims to reach $10 million in sales a day by the end of this year. Yes, I wrote a DAY! This is an incredible goal and from the growth they are having daily it appears to actually be achievable.

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THIS year you will see many social media platforms gearing up more towards retail sales and connections. Your company will need to be part of this revolution in order to reach the younger buyers (if that is your market). This will be accomplished by providing specific experiences to the users and then integrating your products.

Well, here is something I think will be of interest to many business owners. If you are a boss and your staffers vent on social media about their jobs – you have no recourse.

The law says that employees are allowed to vent and the government protects these workers’ rights to say almost anything they want about where they work even if it is mean-spirited or insulting. It is illegal for an employee to be fired for a post about working conditions, whether it is regarding to pay, hours, tasks, difficult supervisors or any other issue.

Social media proves that it can be a boom or bust to a business. Employers have very little rights under the law when it comes to protecting their businesses against the wrath of angry workers.

One of the few times an Employer is protected is if the poster is giving out trade secrets, financial information or posting about clients or customers. Employees can be fired for postings that are racist, homophobic, sexist or discriminatory. But, calling their supervisor out is not grounds for firing.

Has freedom of speech gone too far when the employee is protected as they bash you or your business? What do you think? Share with us.

Also, one thing I will remind business owners of: If your store is not unionized your workers are considered “at will” employees. They can be dismissed with no reason whatsoever in most cases. Hint, hint!