The recent defeat of Brazil vs. Germany in the 2014 World Cup match set a new record for social media outlet Twitter and created the most talked about sports event in history. According to this Mashable article, “there were 35.6 million tweets” during the event…a perfect example of when social media works.

Unlike a world-wide popular event like the World Cup, it’s difficult to judge the impact of social media for a small business. However, it’s important to understand how social media can work for it. How does a small to medium size business build its user base so that social media outlets are working for and not against them? Are these outlets for everyone? I like to think “yes”.

Imagine you are a small company and refuse to engage in social media. You have a “so-so” website, limited rich content, and no social media integration. Essentially, you could be alienating your target audience and potential customers who only use online sources to decide if they want to use your services. You could be shooting yourself in the foot!

Many business owners choose to not engage in social media because of the stigma attached (i.e. Facebook is used for selfies and posts about potty training), but there is more to engaging people than using Facebook alone. Yelp is widely used by the public and an invaluable tool based on reviews, Twiiter (as in the example above), and even RSS feeds to promote your services to subscribers.

Bottom line: Don’t be afraid to use social media. Use it smart, use it frequently, and use it well.