Your best customers and biggest fans could be your biggest marketing advantage - if you know how to use them. In the age of social media, your customers and fans can be more valuable than ever, and can provide you with critical early feedback too. Give them a sneak peak of a new product or location and ask them to share the news with their friends, advises Maryalene LaPonsie at Small Business Computing. Even better, let them distribute offers to their friends and followers, which lets them be recognized as an insider and can drive significant traffic and business your way. And keep your advocates feeling valued with special rewards or perks, like invitation-only sales, pre-launch parties, complementary business tours or holiday and birthday coupons. Adapted from 3 Ways to Mobilize Brand Advocates at Small Business Computing.