One of the easiest things in life is… giving up. Finding a way is hard. Giving up is easy. When it comes to marketing most people give up too easily. You see, marketing, done right, is hard work.

When it comes to social media value, there is no shortage of skeptics and cynics. From poor planning to poor execution, from impatience to overblown expectations, from inability to measure to lack of context to the measurements done, there are many reasons why social media may not work. In general, it’s not the fault of social media. It’s how we use social media that matters.

So let’s take a look at 7 rules that will help you find more value in social media.

Rule 1: Don’t move the target

Your objectives have to be set and immovable. If the objective is to drive targeted traffic to the website, stick with it. Don’t get side-tracked by numbers of Facebook likes, or Twitter fans. Stay focused on increasing the volume of traffic and give likes and fans a purpose in delivering traffic.

Here is an example. There is high demand for “like” campaigns on Facebook. But if the objective is to drive traffic to the website, we must ask, what needs to happen during and after the “likes” campaign for those new “likes” to turn into increased web traffic?

This is where most social media marketing fails – many campaigns don’t fully connect the dots.

#PROTIP: For every campaign idea ask, is this a building block toward my goal? And, what’s the very next building block that will get me even closer to my goal?

Rule 2: Get a website that converts well

What’s your website’s conversion rate? What’s your sales team’s close rate? 50% of the time when I asked these questions I get the same answer, “I don’t know.” 30% of the time the answer is “it’s low, but…”

I just want to cry every time I hear this. Let’s make this very simple for you: social media, PR, SEO, ads etc will NOT fix your website.

Yes, websites are expensive, but they are THE most important asset for your business. No excuses. No “but”s. No more I can’t, I don’t. You MUST find a way.

#PROTIP: Ditch the “I know a guy” mentality. You don’t want “a guy” building your website. You want a team of professionals who can apply the best usability and search optimization and content principles to your site.

Rule 3: Social media is a walkway not a cash register

Don’t expect direct sales from social media. It is counterproductive to have unrealistic expectations. Social media marketing will boost traffic to your website. When done right you’ll get the right traffic. It’s then the job of your website and/or your sales team to convert that traffic into customers.

Social media work will generate contacts and nurture leads at a much lower cost than other channels. Next, your conversion mechanisms must also work well. Otherwise, a smaller cost just turned into waste.

If your website doesn’t have a good conversion rate, get a better website. Apply Rule #2! If you don’t have a sales process create one. Blaming social media for the shortcomings of your sales process will only hurt your sales, not improve them.

#PROTIP: Spend your resources to keep the walkway open and welcoming. Keep the traffic flowing through the walkway. Spend resources to create compelling reasons for people to use your social media walkway.

Rule 4: Stay informed

Gain clarity on EVERYTHING that social media can do for you. Can it help your recruiting efforts, can it save you money, can it give you consumer insights? Most probably yes, yes, yes and so much more. What you can get out of social media is only limited by the limits of your understanding.

We often hear the line, “I outsource this so I don’t have to worry about it.” We’re very happy to help our clients sleep easier at night, however, “no worry” and ignorance are two very different things. We don’t want you to be worried, but ignorance will limit your marketing potential.

#PROTIP: Research showed that at the beginning of 2013 the average American spent 3.2 hours on social networks each day. Business owners spent 4.4 hours per day on average. That’s over 4 hours worth of opportunities. Make a goal to grab those opportunities like your life depended on them.

Rule 5: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

Expecting change without any trace of discomfort is a dream. Change is hard. Especially going from a perfectly manicured marketing environment to the age of transparency. Accept that the only way to control your message is through dialogue with your audiences. It’s no longer about what the brand wants to say, it’s about what the customer needs from the brand.

Social media is about people. It’s about telling compelling stories that move people. But if you’re tight-lipped about what’s happening inside and around your organization, genuine stories won’t emerge. Your marketers will be driving with a blindfold on. And nothing good can come out of that.

For online marketing efforts to be successful you need to find a way to share your expertise, inspiration, drive, goals, dreams, appreciation, and more with your marketers so they can share those with the world.

#PROTIP: Schedule an hour of storytelling each month with your marketers. Share what’s on your mind, ideas, observations. Allow your marketers to ask your odd questions that trigger passionate and genuine responses from you. Then allow your marketers to use that content on your social networks.

Rule 6: Be patient

Don’t expect big results after the first campaign, or after the first month. Early on the focus should be on establishing benchmarks and points of reference.

That’s not to say you should be passive. On the contrary. You should funnel the energy of impatience into productive decisions, into doing more rather than less.

Patience is the ability to accept and tolerate an extended timeframe before seeing the big results, without getting angry or upset. I’m an impatient person but I choose to spend that energy on additional marketing and flawless execution.

Whenever there is extra time to spend, don’t spend it on impatient discussions of “where are my results” but rather spend that time on more execution – more outreach on social media, more new content, more campaigns that will drive traffic.

#ProTip: Avoid the temptation to constantly look for big marketing campaign ideas. You only need one or two of those a year. Your best results will come from pumping up the volume and executing flawlessly. Create more content, increase the number of social media contacts you talk to each day, or comment on LinkedIn groups more frequently.

If something works, do more of it until it stops working and then try one more time, as I learned from Joe Kolina, national and regional Emmy Award-winning television producer and the executive producer of the 10 o’clock news at WMAQ-TV, NBC 5 Chicago.

Rule 7: Be a little math obsessed

The question of social media ROI is hot hot hot.  I could write a book about this. But long story short, marketing has been, is and will always be an expense. There will always be a cost associated with marketing.

Where is all of your website traffic coming from? Channel by channel, campaign by campaign, how much traffic are you getting, how many new email contacts, how many new leads?

Here is another question to consider – what is the average value you get per website visitor? I have asked hundreds of people this question and I’ve only met two businesses that had the answer. Start 2014 with the goal of tracking all the sources of leads so you can end the year with clear knowledge of where your value comes from.

#PROTIP: Set up a data dashboard where you record each month, visits to the website and conversions by traffic source and campaign. Make it a goal to look at all results in the context of everything else. Give yourself permission to be a little tracking obsessed. It will pay off in the long term. If you use Google Analytics install a copy of our Social Media and SEO Dashboard.

Tough love eh? How badly do you want great results? The results will be yours. Apply these 7 rules and add a bit of discipline and focus. You will #win.