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Social media marketing can be a great tool to generate referrals. No matter who your target market is, they’re on social media—whether it’s commercial prospects on LinkedIn or a commercial market on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. With a little creativity and knowledge of your market, you can see great results on social media.

If you’re just starting out incorporating social media into your marketing efforts, it’s best to start with one platform. The one you choose should be at an intersection between what’s most easy and natural for you—maybe you’re on your personal Twitter all the time anyway and understand that channel, but Facebook’s business pages are a mystery to you—and where your customers are. It pays to do a little research on where you can find the people you most want to market to.

Once you know which platform you’re going to use, you’ll need to figure out what to post. And it’s important to bring value. It can help to be in tune with what your prospects think of the line of insurance you sell, and the process of buying and dealing with insurance. If you can address their frustrations and provide helpful tips for getting the right coverage, asking the right questions of an insurance agent, dealing with claims, and other issues people face with insurance, chances are your content will attract attention.

Another strategy is to talk about new regulatory and industry changes that may affect your prospects. The industry is always changing, and major events such as hurricanes and earthquakes can temporarily reshape the insurance industry in ways that may impact your potential customers. If they know they can turn to you for timely information regarding these issues, you’ll be very effective in building trust.

It’s also important to be part of the conversation. Do some research to determine which hashtags apply to your industry, and search for some of them on your chosen platform every day. If there’s a conversation, join it. If someone is asking a question that’s within your area of expertise, answer it. Retweet interesting posts from valuable contacts. Being part of the conversation takes a little time, but it can pay off.

It’s crucial not to try to sell overtly on social media. Yes, the ultimate goal is to get referrals and new business. But social media users want valuable content and conversations, not a sales pitch. Providing informative, helpful information can position you as an expert and put you top-of-mind when people in your audience need the kind of insurance you sell—and that’s the goal.