Fairly recently,  a colleague of mine was  asked to give a speech to a retail trade group on the effects of social media and how it can be used to attract more customers to their stores. The majority of retailers attending that day own Mom and Pop shops scattered throughout small towns in the Midwest. They compete with the behemoth box stores we've all come to simultaneously loathe and love. Being at a severe disadvantage because of the corporate marketing and advertising dollars the big boys are  able (and willing) to throw around, the Mom and Pop shops are looking for any piece of grease they can get their hands on that may make their store's name and products sticky enough to stay top of mind with the customers they value so much. It's simply not enough to have just a website anymore. Online visitors don't want to be spoon-fed the information. They want to discover it. They want to digest it. They want to discard it. But, most of all, they want to choose how to react to it. So, Mom and Pop, how can social media help you in the fight against the big boys? Here are four ways: 1. Establish a presence on a social network you are comfortable with. If you've never been on a socnet before, ask some friends for their recommendation on which might be the best to serve your needs. Some examples: Facebook- allows other Facebookers to "Like" Mom and Pop and receive updates on sales and promotions in their News Feeds. Twitter - helps Mom and Pop interact with followers and admirers on a more one-to-one basis. Foursquare - encourages customers to "check-in" at Mom and Pop's store and get rewarded for their loyalty with discounts and other promotional deals. 2. Time or Money. You need at least one of these things if you want your social media efforts to pay off. Social media is about starting and sustaining long-term relationships. So, if you do not have the Time that it takes to do that, you'll need to have the Money required to hire someone who can do that on your behalf. The amount of time you spend fostering online relationships will only contribute to the equity your brand has built within the offline community. Besides the costs of hiring someone (if that is even needed), the overhead of maintaining a social presence is minimal, especially compared to all of the media dollars one can spend on traditional media. Granted, social media marketing is more targeted and serves a different purpose than TV, radio, billboards, etc., but to think social media marketing isn't a viable, effective supplementary  option for a small town retailer is nothing, if not short-sighted. Just as much (and more) can be gained from the efforts put into building a fluid, traction-gaining existence within an online community. 3. The Young (at heart) and the Restless. One key to understanding social media is knowing that it is not exclusive to young people. Naturally, using these tools may attract younger customers who may otherwise not be interested in Mom and Pop's store. But, maybe not surprisingly, older generations are the ones who are really gravitating toward the social medium. They use the platforms as a way to stay in touch with their families, friends and communities. Your returning customers are your brand ambassadors and if they are visiting you in your store and have nice things to say about you to their friends, chances are they will visit you online and invite their friends to do so as well. 4. Promote. Promote. Then, Promote some more. How are you going to inform your customers that you are now "socially available?" Create table tents or other signage and put them around your store, specifically at check-out Remind clerks to formally invite customers to join the store's online community  and to tell their friends Place information slips into carry-out bags And those are just things you can do in-store. Online, you can: Buy highly targeted ads on Facebook Put some funds towards Search Engine Marketing Run exclusive promotions online that only your Facebook friends, Twitter followers, or FourSquare fans can take part in, thus growing the word-of-mouth buzz about your social presence The bottom line is, it doesn't matter what size of business you have. Whether you're one of the big box  boys  or simply Mom and Pop at the corner market, social media tools allow you to establish a voice and form valuable, enduring relationships. What you do with that voice, and more importantly, those relationships is up to you.