Social media is the new word-of-mouth and active participation is key for engaging customers and clients on the web. With so many opportunities to connect, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and stuck hiding behind the scenes or in analysis mode.

While you get focused and begin to refine your strategy, here are a few simple things you can do today to help you ramp up your social media presence:

Added values can mean the difference between a prospect and a sale. Bonuses, special offers and freebies convince buyers they’re getting more for their money. Today’s consumers are savvy deal-seekers, and they’ll gladly shop around for the best bargain even if it is from a competing company.  Gasp!

The good news is, these same bonuses that make your offers more attractive don’t have to cost thousands of dollars, or even a penny.

Large multinational firms have been excited about cloud computing for years. For them, cloud computing means freeing up technology resources, software, and hardware needed to build and run parts of their businesses.

The move toward the cloud has enabled companies like Salesforce and Amazon, to turn traditional technology solutions into value-added services. By moving resources to the cloud, Fortune 500 firms have abandoned developing their own business-critical applications and instead, essentially rent them from another company whose specialty is in delivering services over the Internet. This has saved these firms big money in time and resources.

What do you see when you look at your business? The upcoming staff meeting? The pile of papers on your desk? The production schedule? As the owner of a small business, odds are you see your business much differently than your customers do. After all, looking out is simply much different from looking in.

We all know this first hand. As a customer, how easy is it to find room for improvement in other business’ websites, customer service processes or products? Bet there isn’t one person reading this post who hasn’t thought, “How could they not see this?”

The last thing you want is for a customer to be asking those very questions about your business. To avoid this, take the time to periodically “walk though” your business through the eyes of your customer.

When small businesses think about communications, they typically think about the customer. And why wouldn’t they? As business owners, we know the pressure is always on to get your message out to the consumers most likely to purchase. While you’re focused on connecting with your customers, the small business next door is focused on hers, and the brand-new start-up down the street is busy doing the same. Why not help each other?

Keeping a steady communications eye on the customer is important, but if every business on the block is only speaking to consumers and not to each other, some very big opportunities are passing you by.

Ever wonder why you can’t reach that next sales goal? What about finding a solution to that nagging utility billing issue that won’t go away? Collaborating with other small businesses could be the solution.  Working with others in the same boat as you can inspire new strategies and result in better solutions for an array of issues you’re all experiencing.