Understanding the territory you’ll pursue for social media marketing is a much better idea than making decisions by the seat of your pants or reinventing the wheel every day. Narrow down social media’s potential to consume time and attention by zooming in on priorities. First things first…

Social media marketing is effective. According to a Buffer report from 2019, 73% of marketers believe that social media marketing has been effective or very effective for their businesses. It’d be nice to hear from the 27% who don’t believe social media has made a difference to figure out what’s missing in their marketing program. Regardless, for the investment and ease of use, social media marketing delivers the goods. And one of the things it’s good for is…

It delivers customer service. Social media is a communication channel that allows you to promote your content and messages to your audience. It also allows them to comment, applaud and critique in return. When someone engages with you, be sure to respond. If it’s a criticism, apologize and work to solve the problem. If it’s a praise, say thank you. According to Lyfemarketing (2018), 71% of consumers who’ve had a positive customer service experience on social media are likely to recommend that brand to friends and family.

At the same time, use your platforms to keep customers informed of good deals or helpful tips. Filling your content pipelines with helpful information not only builds relationships with current customers, it also puts you in position to be found by future customers. That’s because…

More consumers use social media for research. The search fields are activated in Facebook just like in Google. According to GlobalWebIndex, 54% of consumers use social media to research products. This is especially true when they look for reviews and recommendations – which makes your online social presence a necessity.

It’s a venue for social proof. This is a term that exists apart from “social media,” though it often shows up in these platforms. Social proof is a third-party endorsement, such as a testimonial or review, that speaks for your company without your having to do so yourself. Remember, influencer endorsements matter and so do reviews, comments, likes and shares.

Narrowing your boundary lines helps you move from a scattershot approach to vague opportunities into a focus on key priorities. And social media – with its potential to consume some time and attention across who knows how many platforms – benefits from keeping your eye on the essentials.