I've compiled a list of the top 10 reasons why you or your business should be looking for ways to incorporate social media into your marketing strategy.

#9 Low Cost Advertising. Anyone that has done a little advertising knows that traditional advertising can be very costly. Whether you are placing an ad in a newspaper or making flyer's, the costs can begin to start creeping up on you. Not to mention the difficulties in analyzing the impact the advertising effort has on your business. With social media sites, the ability to advertise has evolved into an accessible medium at next to no cost that can be easily monitored and controlled. Facebook for example allows you to track the amount of visitors your page has encountered and even goes as far as letting you know how many people are sharing information about your company. Advertising on social media sites is something every company should consider.

#8 Search Engine Optimization (SEO). With all the clutter and thousands upon thousands of websites available, the online competition is overwhelming. Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo rank sites that use social media higher on search results. By cross linking your website with a social media platform, your brand or business can position itself higher on natural search results bringing more traffic to your website.

#7 Generate Site Traffic. Lets face it, the young generation aren't interested in your boring website and won't be visiting it anytime soon. Having a presence on social media sites gives today's consumer an opportunity to engage with their favorite brands and businesses. Those that can successfully maintain a positive and personal relationship with the consumer have a better chance at getting them to visit their websites, leading to conversions.

#6 Networking. The time of passing your business card to everyone you meet has passed. If customers want to know who you are and what you're about they will simply visit your Facebook page (or other social media sites). This is a great opportunity to reach out to potential customers and show them what you or your company is about. Consistently providing updates to events you are hosting or simply creating valuable content is something that can bring in new customers and keep existing ones.

#5 Target Specific Demographics. Having a social media site allows you to reach very specific subsets of individuals based on their personal preferences and interests. The ability to create social media strategies based on individual interests is a vital advantage that can be used in targeting certain niche's.

#4 Monitoring Your Business. Today's customer's are speaking their minds and are doing so with potentially thousands or millions watching. Having a social media presence allows the company to better understand what current and potential customers are saying about your product or services. By actively monitoring your social media site, the opportunity to address negative comments or inaccurate information is something that every business owner should take advantage of. Another great opportunity is the ability to thank those that are positively speaking about your brand or service.

#3 Customer Service. As mentioned above, today's customer speaks their mind and are doing so through the use of social media sites. It has never been easier to get feedback from customers and with that comes the ease of being able to respond quickly and effectively. Managing and controlling the social media platform is very important and those that are able to reach their customers and solve any issues they may have, do it with the world watching.

#2 Personal Interaction. These days the consumer is online and spends more time in front of a computer screen (or on their cell phone) than they do face to face interaction. This is the perfect opportunity for you to make a connection with potential and existing customers by being genially interested in what he/she needs or has to say.Trust me, everyone loves to know they are being heard.

#1 Branding. The use of social media sites is a good way to reach a broad customer base. Social media sites make it easier to be noticed. Your companies name, abilities, and specialization can be successfully instilled in the consumer. Not only does the social media platform allow for the business to show its benefits, but it allows you to brand yourself as an expert. Show off your knowledge by participating in forums dealing with your expertise. Sharing quality content goes a long way and can help build your brand equity not only for your company but for yourself.

There are a variety of different reasons why you should be using social media. Whether it be because you want to improve your brand image, customer service, or generating traffic to your site, the important thing to remember is that if you are not using social media in your marketing strategy, you should be.