Like any marketing strategy, social media should not be perceived as a one-size-fits-all strategy. What works for one company may not work for the next. Here are a few ways local and national companies are using social media to connect and cultivate greater brand awareness.

1. Announce current events
Whether you’re in retail, hospitality, or entertainment, social media provides the perfect tool to keep you in constant communication with your target audience. Consider day-of announcements, special promotions, cancellations, and even weather conditions.

2. Lead generation
Through real-time searching, social media sites like Twitter can deliver you the buzz before the morning paper. Search key words to find out who’s talking about you and your industry.

3. Enhance your customer service
Never before has there been a tool to allow us to instantly connect with our customers at any moment. With social media we no longer talk to our customers, we talk with them. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and Travelocity provide the perfect platform for receiving feedback, allowing businesses to measure expectations against actual experience.

4. Establish your company as an expert in the industry
Use social media to position your company or leadership team as a thought leader by sharing relevant industry information. By starting and contributing to conversations you build your followers and your reputation.

5. To communicate and record history
Post photos on Flickr or create a photoblog to keeping your customers up-to-date on a construction upgrade or simply as a way of sharing your company’s history and growth over the years.