Social media has changed a great deal since its inception. According to business leader Jason Hope, there are many more platforms to choose from and each has more features than ever before. At first, through social media sites, individuals posted about their vacations and their pets and shared family news. They got likes from friends and were happy. 

Today, Jason Hope points out that businesses are harnessing the power of social media to reach out and connect with potential customers and existing ones. Social networking sites, like Facebook and Instagram, can become more important ways to sell products than the company’s website. 

A website offers a one-sided view of a company, but a social networking site has comments and reviews from a wide range of people. When people see someone they know, Jason Hope comments, or at least are connected with, say they used the product and were happy with it, there’s no better form of advertising. 

Hope also points out that consumers are now shopping directly on Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram. These sites have a much broader range than most business websites, giving a company more opportunities to grow their businesses with more sales. According to Hope, individuals are already spending hours every day on social media reading up-to-date news, playing games, and just keeping up with friends. 

What a perfect captive audience. Social media apps make it easy for individuals to catch up with their social media whenever they have a few free minutes. Businesses who can catch them during these times have a chance of gaining a new customer easily. As Jason Hope finally states, there is a lot more to social media now than anyone would have thought of than just a decade ago. Businesses who don’t take advantage of it will lose their edge.