Most small start-ups know that quickly creating market awareness can single-handedly determine abusinesses fate, because any strong plan may be crippled without a steady stream of paying customers. So why are small businesses often ignoring the social media aspect of marketing? With audiences that spend increasingly more time on websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube, failing to tap into such a large reservoir of potential customers sounds like marketing suicide. Some of the opportunities you're missing out on include:

Reaching out to new audiences.
While you will always have the people who stick to the traditional methods of reading newspapers for ads, more and more people look online for new opportunities and information about products and services.

Connect with customers.
Social media centers are like the modern day taverns where everyone can hang out, share experiences, and even point something interesting out. Constant input/feedback like this could only have been collected through tedious surveys in the past, and it gives you the chance to collect valuable information.

Keep an eye on the competition.
We all know that running a business is hard enough, but when you throw in some pesky competitors, the pressure to perform is turned even higher. That's why social media is a double edged sword, you may feel free to watch everything your competition is doing, but just be sure you don't post something sensitive to your own business in return.

A chance to be yourself for a much larger stage.
Sure you're a great guy or gal in person, but how often do you get to shine in front of your entire customer base? Social media does a great job of allowing you to present your company's tone and attitude so that customers know just what they're getting into, and so you can make a personable connection from the very first point of marketing contact.