While it’s nice to have a lot of followers or friends on social media . . . what are you doing to leverage the power that comes with that many followers? Are you making the best use of those who are interested enough in what you have to say that they are willing to listen to everything?

For many, social media is a place to make friends and hang out. That’s fine, but if you’re running a business, it’s also the perfect place for a little marketing. That doesn’t mean you have to be pushy, but if you aren’t letting people know what you do for a living and how you can help them, then you’re missing a big opportunity.

What are some ways you can start optimizing all that potential power? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• Offer solutions. One of the advantages of social media is that people complain. If they have a problem and you have the solution, not only will you help them out and gain a fan . . . chances are the word of mouth function will work for you, too. Soon, people you don’t know at all will know what you do.
• Mention your business at least once a day. You don’t have to go all out and say stuff like, “Buy from me NOW!” However, a well placed tweet about what you are up to works just as well and is not so pushy. Something like, “Writing copy for my new motocross website” lets people know what you are up to in a manner that is completely acceptable.
• Ask others to retweet important info relating to your industry. Not surprisingly, a number of your followers, fans or friends on social media will be members of the same industry, so getting them to retweet information will reach a large number of potential clients. Offering news is also an excellent method of non-pushy marketing.

What are you doing to maximize the potential of your followers?