How many companies do you "like" on Facebook? How many businesses do you follow on Twitter?

If you've never thought about using social media marketing to make your business stand out, you're making a big mistake. If you handle your social media marketing the right way, you can get people excited about your business and make sales that you never could have made otherwise!

To do it, follow these tips:

1. Look for followers in your own backyard

People are far more likely to follow, "like", or be friends with a business that's right in their neck of the woods. If you're the owner of a local business, you might be able to get an initial group of followers just based on the work you do in your brick and mortar store. That's not enough, though.

To get more followers, offer coupons and other perks only to your social media contacts. If people think they're going to get a discount or be the first to take advantage of a new product or service, they'll connect with you on the social media sites - and recommend you to their friends!

2. Don't just spout off comments; make sure everyone can see your excitement

With only a limited amount of space to make your point, it can be tempting to just type "just anything" into your status update or Tweet. However, that's not how you create a successful social media marketing campaign!

Instead, take time to carefully create each post. If your excitement shows through on everything you write, it will naturally encourage other people to be excited about what you're saying, too!

3. Ditch the "corporate speak"

Sure, you need to carefully craft everything that you post, but that doesn't mean that your social media pages should look like research papers. After all, no one logs into their favorite social media site to read a bunch of formal jargon! Sure, fancy words might work just fine during a phone conference, sales call, or on your website, but they're totally out of place on the social media sites.

If you really want to use social media marketing to make your business stand out, speak to people casually and informally. That way, you're emphasizing fun and relaxation - two of the biggest reasons why people head to the social media sites in the first place!

4. Use social media marketing to learn more about your target audience

Your target audience has opinions that can really help you develop your business. By interacting with them on the social media sites, you can access those opinions with the click of a mouse! Take some time to Tweet questions or ask for feedback in your status updates - and you'll see answers roll in.

Remember, the more valued your target audience feels, the more willing they're going to be to do business with you instead of your competitors.