It has almost become something of a cliché to say that the future of advertising in social media. However, there is a bit of truth at the heart of every cliché, and this one is no exception. The statistics tell the same story. Spending on social media advertising is expected to increase nearly tenfold over five years, from $350 million in 2007 to $2.7 billion in 2012. This is a market opportunity if there ever was one.

Here are 3 excellent ways to leverage the increasing power and popularity of social media in order to increase the visibility of your company and attract new customers.

Work the Relationship Side
The ancient Chinese philosopher Sunzi stated in his classic The Art of War that if you know your enemy and you know yourself, then 100 wars will be 100 victories. In a more modern context, this means that if you know your customers, then you will be much more likely to properly understand them, and to understand what they are looking for.
The rise of social media presents an unprecedented opportunity to know your customers, and to know exactly what they are looking for. Take advantage of this opportunity to create an open dialogue with your customers. Provide them with the relevant content that they are looking for, and maintain this dialogue so that it is open 24 hours per day.
With social media marketing, your immediate goal need not be to push products on customers. Instead, you can think about a social media campaign as akin to having an office emails system. It facilitates communication with your customers, and allows them to reach out to you.

By keeping these channels in place and open, you will ultimately see increased traffic levels, and increased business levels.

Social Media Is Not a Stand-Alone Goal
As an ever-changing beast, it is hard to even define exactly what social media is, nonetheless how you can effectively leverage it for success. However, social media is definitely dynamic. This means that your thinking about social media needs to go beyond simply making a Facebook fan page to drive traffic to your website to drive an increase in sales.
Instead, just try to link all aspects of your social media campaign together. So when you write a new blog post, include buttons to make it easier for people to share it via Facebook and twitter. Likewise, create some of your blog posts as videos, and share them on YouTube. By sharing across more channels, you create additional exposure.

Create Great Content (and Know How to Share it)
As it always seems to be, the final takeaway is that great content is king. And as social media is all about sharing, whether you will be successful in your social media campaign depends on whether you create content that is share-worthy, and share-able.

This is all about adding value for your customers. Look at it from their point of view. Don’t just talk about yourself or your business. Make a video or an article that your customers will like, and they will want to share with their friends, and you’ll get all the free promotion you could ever want.

Video marketing has always been a fabulous way to engage consumers, but the price of television advertising has made it something that many small business owners can not afford. The Internet has brought video marketing down to a price that anyone can afford: Free. It is now possible to make video advertisements for a fraction of the cost of television advertising. Online hosting is completely free on your own website or using sites like YouTube, so the only cost is on video production. Many small business owners have mistaken ideas about the costs of online video production. They think that if the video is not professionally produced it will not have the correct response in consumers. This is simply not true.

• Consumers respond better to a video than any other type of marketing. Even when the video is not a professional production, the ability to put a face with a company is crucial to business success. Consumers are more likely to purchase from businesses with which they feel an emotional connection. The key to building customer loyalty is in building long term relationships. When consumers feel like they get to know the people behind the corporate façade, they are much more engaged.

• Professional production is not required. All that you need to create a successful online advertisement or marketing video is a web cam and time. Even a script is not a necessity. You can simply determine the information you want to cover ahead of time and then speak slowly and clearly to the camera. The point is to give consumers a face to go with the information. Of course, more professional productions may get more views, but millions of views do not translate into millions of sales. Focus on providing niche specific information, and you will enjoy increased sales figures as a direct result of your video campaign.

• Free hosting makes it all possible. The ability to put your video up with no cost is what makes this such a successful aspect of online marketing. Since you are not spending anything on the posting, if you want to work with a production company or professional videographer, you may be able to find the budget. The combined cost of production and display spots are what make television so expensive. The low resolution online format allows you to minimize your costs and maximize your return.

Video marketing is not just a great way to build consumer loyalty. It also helps your website with search engine optimization. Video is becoming a more and more popular search result, which means that it is more likely to be ranked higher on SERPs. Because you can create online videos in minutes, with just a bit of editing to make them publish ready, no business can afford to ignore the benefits of online video marketing. Start filming your own video today, and track the responses. You will need to ensure that it is tagged properly so that it is easily found, but watch as the view numbers climb rapidly and you get increased web traffic.

For companies that want to stay ahead of the competition, now is the time to streamline departments and open up the lines of communication between employees. Formerly, this would be dependent on computer and internet access, expensive programs, and other pieces of costly, unitasking technology. Now, there are Dell IT solutions in the pocket of nearly every employee, the smartphone. These devices are not just for texting and calls, they offer companies a chance to utilize custom apps to take profits, efficiency, brand awareness, and a company's identity to a whole new level.

App markets for the Droid and iPhone are astonishingly large, with hundreds of thousands of options for everything from streaming videos to planning business trips. Companies now have the option to utilize preexisting apps, alter current apps, or create custom apps specifically for their business. One of the key sectors that apps have revolutionized is the accounting department. Mail, taxes, faxing, payroll, and other
financial programs have all gone mobile. Apps such as Intacct and LessAccounting integrate with cloud memory systems to keep track of taxes, expense reports, inventory, and purchasing. Management can regulate employees with tiered access to data, ensuring that sensitive information reaches those that need it and no one else.

Whether companies are offering goods and services around the world or are focusing on a local demographic, real-time information is the key to success. When it comes to customer transactions, most businesses have been relegated to desktop programs, dedicated cashiers, or outsourcing the work to off-site partners. With a smartphone and a handful of apps, companies will be able to do away with these extra costs and boost productivity.

Nearly every financial institution offers ready-made or custom apps for smartphone
owners. Employees that are working off-site will be able to print out an > estimate, order required parts, and even scan the client's check or credit card. All of this information can then be sent to the transportation department, management, human resources, or any other party that needs the information.

Offering company smartphones to employees has taken on a whole new meaning. Management will find themselves with secure information any time they need it. Employees will have access to the programs they need anywhere they go. Best of all, these customized or preexisting apps cost just a fraction of their desktop counterparts and were built with the competitive company in mind.

Consumers are constantly on the prowl for the best price on the top of the line items they are looking for. Sites like Groupon and Living Social offer an opportunity for businesses to connect with thousands of local customers, and possibly gain a new following.

What are Social Buying Sites? Groupon and Living Social are both good examples of social buying sites. They contact local businesses, or local businesses contact them, and provide incredible discounts on sought after services. Restaurants might offer a fifty percent off coupon through one of these sites, or local spas might offer a day of beauty for a fraction of the regular price. But the question remains: does offering these incredible bargains actually help the business?

Coupons are a Risk, but the Math Works! Businesses are often reluctant to offer the deep discounts required by sites like Groupon and Living Social, because they will lose money on those offers. However, both of those sites allow the business to place strict limitations on the number of coupons to be sold, and in many cases they offer the opportunity for a runner-up offer. For example, a person goes to buy the sixty percent off coupon being sold on Groupon, but only five hundred were offered. They are already sold out, so instead the social buying site offers a free or very inexpensive coupon that gives twenty percent off. While the second coupon is not as great a discount as the first, a business can offer more of them without worrying about losing money. The offer also lets small businesses market directly to a local audience for practically free. The startup cost is negligible and the social buying site only takes a percentage of the sales for the coupon.

What Not to Do to Customers that Use Social Buying Coupons The first thing to remember is to never treat them differently from full paying customers. The only way you can show them how great your business truly is, is to treat them like a regular customer. Yes, the business may lose money on the five hundred coupons they sold. However, some of those coupons will never be redeemed, and some of the people that use them may become regular customers. If a business manages to generate repeat business from only five percent of the coupons sold, over time the promotion will pay for itself. Yes, the business experiences a temporary loss, but in the long run it is good for business. It brings a small business to the attention of people that had never tried it before. Stand by your product or service and don’t be afraid to offer it at a loss occasionally.

When you have a solid product, getting people to try it is the hardest part. Once you have the opportunity to show consumers how great you are, repeat business is just around the corner. Don’t offer coupons constantly, but strategic offers designed to bring customers in during an otherwise slow season can be a great way to open new revenue streams and help with cash flow.