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As a Digital Marketer the use of the Pareto Principle is a universal language. Without knowing what it is you are less likely to build a client’s reach and following successfully.

But what is the Pareto Principle?

Another term often used is the 80/20 rule. The principle implies that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. What this means is that 80% of business posts are for engaging with your followers/customers through informative factual content. This can be through educational posts, Did You Know, This or That, Reels; anything that will add value and information that keep your customers engaged about your product/service without selling.  The other 20% is meant for call to action, announce sales, or promotions on your product/services. If you post about products, sales, and discount offers too often, it isn’t special, and the users tune it out.

paretos principle 80/20 rule May blog

When we apply the 80/20 rule into your social media posts you start to notice a shift in engagement from only posting about selling your products.  Users log on because they’re bored and want connection, entertainment, inspiration, or information that can improve their life. The number 1 reason people log into social media is to scroll for funny and entertaining posts; they are bored, or on a work break. It is the filler to spare time. By providing content that your users go to social media for also gives them a reason to continue to follow your brand.

Let’s break this down by how much you post we can use this example. If your business posts 20 times a month, you will want 16 posts to be helpful content and 4 posts to be about promotions and sales.

But what is some useful educational content you may ask?  I have outlined some ideas that you will want to follow and apply to your business here:

  1. How To Blogs or Videos like DIY projects, recipes.
  2. Advice from an industry expert
  3. Before and After Transformation photos
  4. Lifestyle Photos
  5. Industry related news
  6. This or That Photos
  7. National Days related to your business (for example a pet business will want to post on National Pet Day)

We all know how to post for sales, but do you have a call-to-action button linking to your service/product?  Here are some examples of promotional post ideas.

  1. Special Offers and Discounts/Coupons
  2. Product Spotlights and Demos with a detailed description.
  3. Third Party mentions for example if you were in the media or have a positive customer review.

Below is a diagram to show you motivations for using social media sorted by age groups. You will see that the top reason to go to social media is to find funny or entertaining content.

motivations social media blog May
(image source: Brand Muscle)

By producing organic content that represents your brand values in a non-promotional way is the key to good content strategy.

Know your Target Audience – By using Google Analytics and Google Trends you can track your demographics and social engagement, so you have a good idea of who your audience really is. By knowing your generation and consumer niche you can then target your content to the social media platforms that they use the most.

If you want to learn more on how the 80/20 rule can impact and improve your social presence book a free consult call here