Like most people watching the World Cup I was frustrated to see that two goals the USA scored were not allowed.  Video replay clearly showed that there were no offsides in one case and no foul to be seen in the other. I had to wonder why, in the case of a goal scored or disallowed, video replay isn’t used? In the US, we have replay review for football in the NFL; likewise, the NHL allows for every goal in hockey to be reviewed.

During the recent German vs England elimination match, a goal by England (that would have tied the score up at 2-2) was disallowed! Watching the footage, it can clearly be seen to have been a legitimate goal by several feet.

FIFA continues to pull the actual video from Youtube so the recreation above will have to do for now

You do not have to be a ref to see from the video that the ball crossed the goal line.  Now, it is not like lots of goals are scored in soccer.  How much time would it take to review a goal (or disallowed goal) in a match?  The answer: not all that much.  Isn’t it worth making those calls right?  Heck, the refs could have looked at the stadium monitors to make the call on that goal!

What am I getting at?  Don’t be like FIFA and refuse to use proven technology that is widely available.  I’m talking about Facebook, Twitter, and Google Product Search.  Facebook has over 400 million users, Twitter has over 75 million, and Google Product Search is the top comparison shopping engine online.  Best of all, there is currently no fee to use any of these services!

The effort to use Facebook and Twitter is minimal.  All you would need to do is give your fans and followers a weekly post with a coupon, product special, or just an announcement of a new product you were carrying.  Likewise, Google Product Search is integrated into ShopSite Manager and Pro so you can quickly list your products with Google.  If you are using ShopSite Starter you can manually list the handful of products that you are carrying.

Some of you might ask, “What about blogging?” Good question! A blog is a great marketing tool, but it comes with a rather important caveat – it takes a lot of work. For many people, it can be difficult to come up with useful content just once every week.  But, if you have a knack for writing (and a wealth of relevant information for your blog readers), then you should definitely blog. That being said, Facebook, Twitter, and Google Product Search really are the low hanging fruit that anybody can (and should) grab.

Sometimes like FIFA we can get stuck in a rut and forget that we need to continue to improve on the products and services that we offer.  Like using the instant replay of goals to make better calls, it is a no brainer to utilize Facebook, Twitter, and Google Product search to drive more shoppers to your store.