You’ve decided it’s time to get your business on social media. Welcome to the party (finally)! With so many different channels and millions of other users to compete with, getting started can be daunting.

Before you jump right in, take a moment to create an overall social media plan. Without a well-thought-out plan, you might add to the 70 percent of customer questions that companies ignore on Facebook. Trust us, your competition will be happy to provide the answers instead. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Consider Your Audience

In traditional marketing methods, your target audience influences all of your efforts, from the medium you choose to the final message you create. In the old school Mad Men era, advertisers chose the channels and television programs they used based on the audience that usually tuned in.

Social media today is no different. When developing your social media plan, it’s important to research and consider who your audience is and what will be the most effective ways to reach them. First, exactly who are your potential customers? How old are they, what are their values and what do they care about?

Frame that information in the context of social media: which platforms do they use, and how do they use it? What time of day are they on social media? How do they interact with brands like yours? You can find information to help you answer those questions here, and then match your target audience with the platforms they’re most likely to use.

Set Thoughtful Goals

Like any other aspect of business, if you want to be successful in social media, you need to start with specific goals and objectives. When setting these goals, focus on how social media can serve your audience most effectively. While the options for how you can use social media are endless, the most successful strategies are based on a thorough understanding of the audience. If your goals are aligned with the needs of your consumers, sales and awareness will follow.

All the Small Things

It may seem obvious, but one of the most important and frequently overlooked aspects of social media is fully setting up all of your accounts. Start by doing the small things right: upload a cover photo, write an engaging bio, include your address and hours if you operate a physical business. Taking these small steps will make you look more professional and show that you are serious about interacting with consumers on social media.

Create Content with Value

When it comes to actually posting content, make sure your posts stay true to your brand above all else. Consider the goals you set earlier and what you know about your audience and let that guide you to the right balance of themes in your posts. Your followers want to see things that are relevant to them, but they don’t want it to come across excessively sales-y.

When you’re just starting out, feel free to experiment and figure out what works best for your audience and your brand. Once you have some posts published, analyze the data and determine your top performers. What time of day were they posted? Did you include a link to a website or a video? Take note and try to recreate those values to continue your success.

If you aren’t sure yet what exactly to post, that’s okay! Start by simply being active as a user – like your followers’ posts, comment your thoughts and pay attention to what similar brands are posting. More on this later…

Many companies abide by the rule of thirds on social media, which says your content strategy should be one third promotional, one third should educational and one third personal.

Others use an 80/20 rule, with 80 percent of posts focusing on informational, educational and entertaining content and only 20 percent devoted to promotions. Whatever system you adopt, make sure you are always giving more value than you are asking for in return.

You Get What You Give

Social networks are called networks for a reason – they work best when you engage with other users in addition to posting regular updates. Social media presents a very unique opportunity to directly communicate back and forth with your consumers in a way that isn’t possible with more traditional methods.

You can like comments, join conversations or make sure your customers’ questions are part of the 30 percent that are actually answered. Your audience will feel recognized and realize you really are paying attention to them, which in turn creates a positive and personable view of your brand.