You can even track social media success by using sites like SocialMention.com (see screen shot) to see how much buzz there is in the world of social media about your brand.

Sometimes you may want to have an all-out assertive social media campaign built around a new product launch or other big event, and other times you should keep on with a perpetual social media campaign to keep the drumbeat of your brand going in people’s minds. Social media is important enough that any webmaster should devote regular time and attention to it, just like any other aspect of business. Good use of social media (meaning no spam, ever) can make the difference between a site that has mediocre traffic and sales levels and a site that makes regular, solid progress in those areas. Don’t let your website be left out of the social media revolution.

The first thing to do is sign up for Google Checkout. This is what you’ll use to process orders at your online store. Google Checkout (according to Google, anyway) can help attract leads, have higher conversion rates and protect yourself against fraudulent transactions. The first screen shot shows an example of some of the data you’ll enter to set up your Google Checkout account.

Next, list your products in a spreadsheet in Google Docs. This is where you manage your inventory. They have a template spreadsheet to use: just replace the example inventory with your own real inventory. Setting up the spreadsheet is covered in a step-by-step guide that takes you through all the steps.

Once you’ve done this, you will have a store gadget that you can embed anywhere you want: your blog, Google Sites, or your regular website. This process, too, has a step-by-step guide to help you. The second screen shot shows an example of what the embedded store gadget looks like.