Social media marketing’s easy to do but difficult to leverage. There’s nothing holding a marketer back from throwing up a Facebook Page, launching a Foursquare deal or posting thirty or more tweets per day. Anyone can do that. In fact, some businesses hire interns to do all of that, but none of that benefits the business.

By themselves, they’re all tactics with no direction and no reason for being other than they were easy, they were free and marketers “feel” like they need to be there.

What’s the Problem?

Social media marketing is not a mandatory requirement for every business to check off the list. The fact that it’s there and available, doesn’t make it a requirement. If it doesn’t fill a purpose, it’s not worth pursuing.

Start with the problem the business is trying to solve. Maybe the problem is awareness, brand loyalty, sales, reputation or something else. Once the problem is identified, you can start down the path toward finding a solution. Marketers have a lot of tactics at their disposal. Social media is just one potential solution.

A problem gives a solution guidance, direction and clear path toward an achievable goal. Without a problem, you can’t have a solution. It’s an activity without a purpose.

Is your social media presence solving a problem? Is it driving toward something bigger? Is social media doing anything for your business? If not, it might be time to revisit your efforts and determine the role social media marketing plays for your business.

Marketing Is Not a Road Trip

There’s a time and place for going for the sake of going without a destination in mind, and that is a road trip. Road trips can be great adventures but at the cost of time, resources and effectiveness. Businesses value time, resources and investing in initiatives that are effective.

Define the problem. Then identify the solution, whether it’s social media, something else or a combination.