You have come across stat after stat that convinced you to pour your heart and soul into Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. But, just like any other aspiration of the heart, simply being present isn’t enough. Social media is a two-way street that requires knowing exactly what to say and when to say it. The same stats that talked you into the first soiree with social media can help spice up your relationship.

The average social media user maintains five accounts. – Link Humans

Your audience is looking for something different on each platform. From quick news on Twitter to beautiful images on Instagram, curating your content to meet your audience’s expectations is critical to making engaging content. If you decide to use multiple platforms, don’t post the same content at the same time.

Your time is better spent poured into one engaging, eye-catching platform rather than posting carbon copies of content across the Internet. At the least, reword the post, use a different image, or schedule your post for a different day and time for each channel.

96% of the people who discuss brands online do not follow those brands’ owned profiles – Brand Watch

If you are solely posting on your own page and responding to those who post directly on your page, you are missing an easy way to gain followers and make a fantastic first impression on a potential customer. Utilizing social listening tools can help you become an active participant in the conversations that sway purchasing decisions of potential clients.

Filling out your social content calendar is a breeze when you are listening, interacting and responding to the conversations that already exist about your brand or industry. What questions are people asking about your brand or industry? What hashtags are those people using? Are there any groups you can join that have formed surrounding the problem your product or service solves? Once you have formulated answers to the questions you found use hashtags, related groups and Facebook boosted posts to expand your following.

Consumers say that social media plays almost as big a role in purchasing decisions as does television. – Ad Age

Social media is very different from traditional marketing tactics. You are no longer competing with other advertisers for space; you are competing with your audiences of friends and family. As you are planning your content, you need to make sure each segment of your audience can get something out of your posts, or your audience will begin to scroll past your posts without a second thought.

Think about the buyer’s journey and how your social content and interactions could make that process easier. An easy place to start when planning your social media content are the frequently asked questions, interesting content produced by relevant publications and posts about other topics that your audience might be interested in. You also need to make sure that your messaging is clear and you minimize the obstacles that get in the way of purchasing right from your post.

Social media is viewed as the second-most effective digital marketing tactic for customer retention purposes, behind only email. – TNW News

Word of mouth is still one of the most valuable sources of traffic and that is not likely to change anytime soon. What has changed and will continue to change is how your customers are communicating with the people in their lives. Creating a presence on social media allows you to more easily point their friends and family your way if they are ever in need of what you are offering. Your content can also be an excellent way to stay in front of customers that are likely to repurchase.

One of the most powerful tools we have in our tool belts is using social media for customer service. It is much more likely that a customer will tell their friends and family about an unhappy experience than take it up with the business directly. Using social media customer service gives you the opportunity to turn a frown upside-down and change the impression of your brand of the unhappy customer’s followers.

A whopping 68 percent of Instagram users engage with brands regularly. – SELFSTARTR

Many companies don’t include Instagram in their social media plan because it requires a bit more work than Facebook or Twitter, but Instagram is one of the most powerful tools to connect with your customers. Unlike Facebook, Instagram users have seen brands post content on this platform since the early days of this channel. Instagram users are more responsive and typically spend more when they do purchase. They have an average order value of $65 compared to Facebook’s $55. Even if Instagram’s demographics don’t perfectly match your target demographics, it’s important to understand that Instagram’s users have a significant influence on those around them.

The power of social media is undeniable. With that power comes the responsibility of giving your audience what they want when they want it. If you can master this seemingly simple task, you are sure to win your audience’s undying affection.