The digital age has fundamentally changed the way we shop and do business. More and more, social media is becoming a valuable asset within the marketing toolkit. While you shouldn’t part ways with your traditional marketing strategy, there is good reason to ramp up your social media efforts.

Many of your customers are one or more of the big four platforms. From Facebook and Twitter to Instagram and LinkedIn, your customers use social networks to stay in touch, but also to interact with businesses. If you’re not yet active on these platforms, there’s no better time to build your presence. Here are tips to get started.

Experiment with the four major four platforms. Spend time building a presence on each and feel out what works best for you. Use this time to determine what content best resonates with your audience and how often you should post on each platform. Post frequency and audience engagement will vary between platforms. Use this information to tailor your content and messaging frequency.

Social Media can be used to grow your business, but it shouldn’t be mistaken for a selling tool. Rather than focusing exclusively on making sales, use social media to leverage your expertise. Share content that informs your audience and helps to build your relationship.

It’s also important to engage your audience. Share content published by clients, industry experts, and even competitors. But, most of all, always respond when followers or fans interact with your page.

No matter your content strategy, always create time to listen and monitor your efforts. Most of the major social media platforms provide insights and analytics. Familiarize yourself with these tools and use the data they provide to guide your content strategy.