Social Media, Content Strategy & Campaign Planning
Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule)
A mental model for identifying the vital few inputs that drive the majority of results.
What it is:
The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 Rule, teaches that 80% of your results often come from 20% of your efforts. In marketing, this could mean that 80% of sales come from 20% of customers, or 80% of website traffic comes from 20% of your content.
But the inverse is just as important: 80% of your inputs—be they campaigns, content, or partnerships—might be underperforming. This principle is both a celebration of what’s working and a wake-up call for what’s not.
Use the Pareto lens to regularly audit and reallocate your marketing efforts, doubling down on what works and phasing out what doesn’t. It’s a tool for focus, optimization, and strategic simplification.
Use it when:
- Cutting waste in marketing
- Prioritizing customers or campaigns
- Deciding what to stop doing
Why it works:
- Maximizes ROI
- Encourages simplicity
- Backed by data patterns across industries
Want help finding your 80/20 levers?