It’s 2020 and unfortunately, the social media giants still haven’t given the Caribbean the full versions of the social media platforms that they have given to other markets. Key features are missing for us to really push e-commerce on social media and this is why Caribbean businesses need to be relevant on Google.

Simple things like being able to tag our products on IG, so that clients can begin the buyer journey, without having to read a paragraph of your sales info or clicking a link in bio. That feature alone is one of the key reasons why social media marketers, swear up and down by social commerce and yet, we don’t have access to it.

So why must Caribbean businesses focus on building their Google presence? We have everything we need need to build e-commerce on platforms like WordPress and now with payment processors like Wipay, it is the big push that we need to build online.

It’s 2020 and here in the Caribbean, the conversation is still being had about whether your focus should be on digital assets or social media. Many people still believe they do not need assets like having your website, email list, notification list, etc and that all they need to do is have a popular social media.

The biggest misconception for this is that people associate building these assets as too expensive and since social media is free, it is the better option. Social media may be free to sign up and free to use but don’t get twisted, social media is expensive.

Organic reach is dead and this is why TikTok is being highly touted right now because of its insane organic reach, which is something we haven’t enjoyed in years. Remember when you would post things and your list would actually see it? No, me neither, it’s been so long.

I know some of you are reading this title and are thinking “blasphemy” lol…But, there is a lot of truth in the headline. Many people in the business community are struggling to grow their presence online and believe (because many “experts” say this) that all they need to do to increase sales and engagement online, is to beautify their IG feeds. The reality is, manyyyyy of you are wasting money on pretty IG feeds.

In the age of online business and social selling, we know that we need to have a proper online presence in order to build an engaging community around our products and services. The best businesses know that they can generate awareness and sell online if they build their digital footprint on top of having a great business and systems that allows them to serve their clients.