It’s no secret that many businesses are flat out using social media wrong. Some just don’t have a clue what they’re doing while others get their accounts and then let then never really use them.

What many small business owners don’t quite understand tis that social media tools like Facebook and Twitter are more than just a way to reach out to current customers—they can also be great tools for finding new clients.

Sure, you can just scroll through the followers lists of those that are in your same industry. But that can take forever. Instead, using the Search feature on both Twitter and Facebook are great ways to find new customers. Both platforms offer search features that let you easily discover what people are currently talking about and what sorts of topics are trending.

As a small business owner, this is a simplified way to find out the wants and needs of your customer base. More than that, you can also get real answers and opinions form them. As if you didn’t already know, most people are incredibly transparent and vocal on social media. If you want to see how people are truly feeling about something, you need to hit up social media.

And all of this honesty is easily searchable through this search feature. And by performing such a search, you can find out which people are in need of what you have to offer.

So you can go in and search for keywords or things people would share before they need your product or service. And best of all, you can narrow your search down by geographic area.

This is just another way that social media has helped businesses and their clients connect in more ways than ever before. Beyond the awesome ability to engage with existing customers, it is also helping to connect perfect matches in terms of business/client relationships.

What are some other ways you’ve been able to get social media to work for you?