Choosing which social media platforms present the best opportunity for you to connect with your customer can be tough. To make a smart choice, you need to know not only which platforms your target customers use, but how they use that platform. For example, it’s no secret that Pinterest is the go-to social media network for wedding planners; users spend hours searching through and curating images in preparation for their own shopping adventures.

But what about Twitter? The micro-blogging platform is among the most difficult for many business owners to understand. The messaging space is extremely limited. Tweet streams move extremely fast, making it an almost absolute certainty that many of your Tweets will go unseen. Given these constraints, why should businesses bother with Twitter?

[Tweet “Understanding what type of news your customers value is key to an effective marketing strategy.”]

Twitter does not have as many users as other social media platforms, with only 23% of all Americans having an account. However, that 23% does have some very interesting characteristics in common.

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Research Project Twitter users tend to be relatively affluent and educated, with more than half earning over $50,000 per year and nearly a third being college educated.

Increasingly, according to another Pew report of Twitter users get their news on the site, with six out of ten users turning to the platform to keep track of breaking news events as they happen. Topics of the most interest include sports, business, international news, and national government and politics.

In other words, if your target customers are news hounds, chances are they’re on Twitter. Remember that there are several types of news, including sports news, celebrity news, industry news, political news, science news and more.

Understanding what type of news your customers value is key to an effective marketing strategy: not only will you know what type of stories to share, but by developing an awareness of relevant breaking news events, you’ll have an opportunity to participate in highly-viewed conversations.

For example, a Boston pizza parlor that knows their regulars are sports news fanatics can use the ongoing twists and turns of Deflategate to connect with their customers. Make smart, strategic use of hashtags to extend your reach.