Five Key Ways to Strengthen Your Business with Social Media

Quick - how many social media platforms does your business use in an average week? Two? Four? Which ones are the most active for you, and how can you capitalize on the activity there to drive more sales, more brand awareness and more customers? More importantly, what works best for your company on social networks?

It's a big step for many businesses to get the right kind of traction on a variety of social networks. The truth is that over the past 18 months, each social network has created its own unique identity. This growth in a particular social network personality is thanks to the people populating the site at different times of the day, according to Business Insider. Because of that, companies need to look at social media as a universe of different countries, each with a different strategy to approach.

Choosing the right strategies and right messaging for each social network are long-term considerations for your firm. Some skeptics still question whether or not social media in B2B circles works, as Business2Community explains. "Where's the ROI?," they ask. Try telling that to giants like AmericanExpress.com which takes its B2B social media to new levels. Being social may not provide an immediate shot in the bottom line, but track the progress over time and see how far your business has come.

With billions of people online, it's time to get you started with social media methods. Here are five key ways to leverage social media to market your business - let's go!

1. Show, Don't Tell: Fans and followers want to see what your company does. Show them! Shoot and upload short videos with engaging employees and show off your products and services. Start to use mobile social networks like Vine and Instagram to give quick video peeks inside your offices, plants and activities.

2. Demonstrate Expertise: Ever see the presentation and video-sharing platform Slideshare? Use this network to show off your company's presentations, CEO interviews and more. Demonstrate what makes your company great.

3. Interact With Fans and Followers: Your social media team needs to have a clear voice of the company in its dealings with fans and followers on Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Pinterest and YouTube. What's the right messaging in replies and info gathering? Consider much training for the team before letting them loose in the field.

4. Pictures and Video: Forbes writes that image-centric social networks will be among the big stories in 2014. To get your company ready for this, get high quality images and videos of nearly everything you do, and have it ready for a social media blitz with Instagram, Vine, Pinterest, YouTube and other visual networks.

5. Make Social Connections: Social media is not a one-way street. It goes two ways, and your business should be doing as much liking and giving as you are taking in. Search out industry influencers, show them what your company is doing on social media and be consistent in your praise of some of the better performers in your business sphere. You'll notice the change that it brings to your organization.