Steroids. Cocktails. Social Media Marketing.

How did you hear about your doctor, lawyer, or financial advisor? How did you decide on a restaurant, hotel, or car service? Social media marketing is a cocktail party on steroids, and people are talking about your company on social platforms and review sites. Word of mouth has been one of the most credible forms of marketing for small and mid-sized businesses, and a consumer's opinion is strongly based on the influence of others. Below are a few reasons why to consider engaging these online customers instead of being a wallflower.

Trust. Customers share content with their friends on social platforms and those recipients see the content as coming from someone in their network. They are influenced by others and are less likely to dismiss it as a simple marketing message.

Speed. You’ll know almost instantly if one of your messages resonates with users and starts to pick up a stream. All social media platforms have third-party tools that track mentions about your business, allowing you to engage and respond in quick fashion.

Authority. The ultimate aim is to become a trusted source of information and content within your area of expertise. Building a community of contacts who trust and respect you as a source will influence others to connect to your community - from there, your momentum can only grow.

Cost. Coming up with content users want to share is the most important variable in social media marketing. Once the message is out there, it costs you nothing when others share the content.

Responsiveness. Social media is not a one-way street. You can respond to customer inquiries, recommendations, and suggestions. Social media acts as customer service and an image management tool, too. Why wait for a PR company to craft a message and shake hands with news agencies when you can communicate with your audience directly?