Research has found that by spending just six hours a week using social media, a business can grow its awareness by 66 percent. Social media is a dynamic tool that connects companies and customers. It is a tool that can raise a brand’s awareness, drive traffic to your website or webstore, and allow you to engage with potential or current customers. Social media has improved the way companies do business. Coupled with a good social media strategy, your business can reap an immense number of rewards.

If you are not familiar with social media or haven’t yet harnessed its power, you may wonder which social media channel is right for you. The common misconception is that all social media channels are the same. But the answer is they are all very different.

Before selecting a social media channel, you need to ask yourself the following important questions.

Who is your target audience?

Your audience will dictate which channel to pursue and put a lot of time into. Gender and age are important to note when thinking about target audience, but you will need to look deeper than just those two demographics. You need to consider things such as life stage, income, hobbies, likes and dislikes, music preference, travel habits, and work. Depending on who you to market to, you will cater your social media choice. For example, if you want to advertise to women, you may choose Instagram. Research shows more women use the platform than man. If you want to market toward high income earners, LinkedIn would be your best option. Studies have found the average LinkedIn user earns over $75,000 a year. These factors will help you determine which social media channel is best to use.

What is your aim on social media?

Once you have figured out your target audience, you will need to decide what your specific aim(s) is on social media. Is your page simply used as an advertising tool? Will you attempt to drive traffic to your website? Are you promoting services? Will it be used to interact and engage with customers? Or perhaps you simply want to use it to gain feedback and reviews of products. Whatever your aim, you need to clearly identify it before posting. You could send out mixed signals to customers and in the end, not accomplish your goals.

What are similar businesses doing?

There is no need to re-invent the wheel, right? Therefore, it is a good idea to study what similar, successful businesses do on social media. By studying what they do, you can improve your awareness. You should never copy other companies, but researching their posts and interaction with followers is a good way to see what you can do to improve your channel.

What type of content will you post?

There is a variety of content available to post. Images, links to news stories and blogs, ads for products, and more types of posts are possible. You must decide what your social media channel will publish. Depending on the material, you can match the social media channel that it is best suited for.

By answering these simple questions, you can improve your social media content.