As a small business owner or entrepreneur, you’re constantly looking for ways to one up the competition. If your opening a coffee shop, one of the first questions you’re going to ask is, “How do I compete with the Starbucks’, Caribous’, & Dunkin Donuts’ on every corner”? The answer? Offer something unique, do something better, find your niche and run with it.

Social Media can play an integral part in your competitive marketing mix. It’s low entry barriers makes it easy for anyone to jump on the bandwagon – allowing for a direct line of communication between you, the business owner, and your consumers. Big businesses are starting to catch on, but they’ll still never be as successful at the medium as you CAN be. Here are three steps that will ensure you are getting optimal results, and maximum ROI to the bottom line.

Blur the line between personal and professional

You’ll hear some experts tell you that there needs to be a clear defining line between your personal and professional persona’s. There are other gurus who will tell you to not worry about distinguishing between the two altogether. In truth, or at least in this “experts” observation, you need a mix of both to be most successful. Big businesses are trying to catch wind to this mix by getting more conversational, but for the most part, they miss the mark. You, as a small business owner, have an opportunity to really LISTEN (one of the most important tools in your Social Media toolbox). Listen to what the community is talking about, what your competition is saying, and then jump in to the discussion, interrupt conversations, and above all, be yourself. Be a friend first and a seller second. Once you’ve established a rapport with a potential customer through the Twitter streams and Facebook status updates, invite them in for that cup of coffee, give them a heads up on the products your selling. Odds are, they’ll be much more willing to listen when you’ve taken the time to establish trust.

Be more engaged than your competition

Time is money, right? One thing many corporations are not allowing is the time neccesary to monitor and execute a consistent and effective Social Media marketing campaign. As any of us who are well versed in the medium can attest to, blogging and Social Media management is a real time investment – and when you half ass it, your results will reflect as such. Use third-party tools like TweetDeck and Hootsuite to monitor and schedule your Tweets when you’re away – be present and aware as much as possible – and when someone asks “Where should I grab coffee in Chicago this morning?” – be the first one to say, “Why don’t you give us a try”?

Include Social Media as an integral part of your marketing mix – and measure!

Social Media is a tool – one of many in the toolbox. The trick is to figure out how and when to use it. I’m here to tell you that, at varying levels, there IS a benefit of including Social Media into your marketing strategy, yes, any marketing strategy. Whether you’re running a coffee shop, selling cupcakes, or manging Real Estate, there is something to be had for anyone and everyone who will give Social Media the attention it deserves.

Lastly, and most importantly – measure everything you do. There’s a common misconception that Social Media is not measureable. When in fact, the click-through’s, page views, retweets, comments, and so on make Social Media one of the most measureable mediums out there. Set goals and benchmarks and strive to meet those through measurement.

Running and owning a small business is no easy task, but Social Media is enhancing the way small business owners can compete with the corporations of the world.

How are you one-upping the competition? What are some examples of small (or big) businesses who “get it”?

Matt Cheuvront is the mastermind behind Life Without Pants. Take the next step by saying hello on Twitter and subscribing to his blog today!

Tags: Facebook, Matt Cheuvront, Social Media, Strategy, Twitter