You may be one of those unlucky individuals who cannot “do” any social media at work. Not because you don’t know how, or don’t want to, but because your workplace policy prevents you from doing so. Or the regulatory compliance environment means that social media is off-limits. Or you’re just too busy. Don’t feel bad – you maybe one of the few who are precisely on the right track.

Too often social media strategy focuses on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. While I’ve written many times on the importance of focusing on goals instead of venues, there is an even more fundamental requirement: Excellence in the underlying service delivery and product experience.

The noise around social media has caused many organizations – and people – to forget that the real-world experiences of prospects, clients and other stakeholders is the “core” that gets amplified.

Consider the social media benefit of being able to listen in to the conversations, often, for the first time ever. Is the organization’s energy best spent addressing each individual complaint? Or is the energy best spent delivering at a level of excellence in the first place?   Clearly, both need to be addressed – but the latter is more strategic than a few extra Tweets each week.

This week’s action plan: Look at your social media feedback: If it points to something that needs fixing, let that be your next social media investment.  Otherwise, Social Media, at best, is lipstick on the pig.