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Merrick, NY--It's so easy to get caught up in the "how" of doing social media effectively, not to mention that we got the point that we should be doing it--that we can sometimes forget why social media even matters at all. So the next time you're trying to figure out the latest twist on Facebook's rules or whether you should "pin it" or Instagram it, here's why:

It's not because your daughter or that friend of your son's needs a part time job. Or to keep your newest employee busy when it's quiet (well, not entirely).

It's not because your other advertising avenues have gone away. They haven't.

Social media connects your company to your audience in ways that it was not connected before. And those ways criss-cross and include your customers with your business -- and with each other. In the past, Customer A never knew who Customer B was unless they crossed paths in your store. And even then, unless they were already acquainted (or both wearing name badges) they still didn't know each other. They walked past each other and kept on going.

That's no longer the case. Today, they may not know each other but they likely know about some part of their experience with your store. And it's likely that if they are in the same town and on Facebook, if one of them has a good or not-so-good experience with you, the other may well find out about it.

Even if neither are on Facebook, there's always www.yelp.com for reviews. Many people put good stock in a Yelp review and pay attention to whether it's positive or negative, influencing a customer to visit your store or a competitors instead.

So why does social media matter?

Because the vast majority of customers do their homework via the web before they visit your store. Even if you choose not to have an online presence, your brand still does because people type about it.

There are probably fifty other really good reasons, but the most important one is stunning in its simplicity: because your customers are on social media. Or, as this article in Entrepreneur online says, "You have to meet your customers where they are. It might be irritating to devote time to social media when you have established channels for assisting customers with refunds or official complaints. but this is where a significant amount of customers are. If your company has no plan for dealing with them, you’re doing yourself a disservice as well."

It's easy to forget this salient fact when you're juggling inventory, personnel and marketing and the fifty other things you do all day. But that doesn't mean social media is going to go away.

So instead of thinking of social media as this thing out there in cyberspace instead try this: Think of it like a cocktail party with people you know and you're standing outside the door. The chatter is going on inside without you. Even if you go home and go to bed, that party is still happening and people are still talking.

You've got to step in and see your friends and customers to find out what's going on, who is saying what and be part of the conversation. It's good for your business and your brand, and especially your bottom line.