Ten Ways: Small Businesses Can Become Savvier and Reach their Consumers in 2012

1. If you are a small business and have not created a presence on Social Media outlets like: facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, you need to do so today! According to a recent report by Social Media Examiner, Small businesses get the most ROI from social media effort's performed in a constant consumer forward model.

2. Small Businesses get Local and Get Mobile! Mobile shopping is growing exponentially and showing no signs of slowing down according to recent Forrester Research Statistics and Survey's.

3. Send out a Newsworthy Press Release, For Example: Discuss topics related to a news event that ties back to something your business offers as solution, and find all the free press release sites on the web and resubmit to those! Also very important to also socially bookmark your release to all the top 100 bookmarking websites.

4. Add a facebook “like” button on your website/blog to encourage viral social sharing.

5. Create a contest or giveaway and talk about it on your social media channels and announce on your blog.

6. Sync, Sync, Sync your social media, tie your twitter account, add a coupon or PDF whitepaper and Sign up box to your facebook wall.

7. Sign up for a social media platform such as Hootsuite.com, to coordinate all your social media sharing in one place. Saves Time. Done properly posting on your social media should only take 15-30 minutes a day! Best way to ensure that is to plan and schedule your posts ahead of time.

8. Perform a Poll or Survey and share it everywhere, ie. Newsletter, Social Media, etc. (Like Polldaddy.com or Questionpro.com)

9. Join a forum and give advice to people looking for answers; this positions you as a thought leader in your industry. Quora.com is a great one!

10. Read business industry magazine’s to keep up with the trends, take 30 minutes a day to read a business blog and or trade magazine talking about the latest news in your industry.

Racheal O. Macks' strong conclusion is that, "Businesses are going to have to get more creative and savvy themselves in order to stand out in front of competitors and expand their offerings in the new media landscape."

A great source for more social media news and advice: Social Media Examiner.com

Recommended Book By Dave Kerpen Called "Likeable Social Media"