We’ve all seen one episode or a snippet or two in our attempts to keep up with the Kardashians, and based on what we’ve seen, we know they’re doing a whole lot of wrong.

With that in mind, what are they doing right? They’ve shot to stardom and their magic lies in their ability to make their way into your phones, tablets and computers via social media. The Kardashians have mastered the art of utilizing social media to grow their brand and the good news is: you can too, without putting on layers of makeup and fake eyelashes.

Know Your Platforms

Deborah Sweeney, CEO of MyCorporation Business Services explains the difference between networks, “The goal of every social platform is to engage followers; keep them clicking on links, discovering new things, and socializing with new and familiar people. The way in which they engage their users differs with every platform. Instagram engages purely with pictures, Twitter with short bursts of words, and Facebook with a combination of the two — with an added emphasis on lengthier posts, creating room for in-depth discussion.”

You also need to take into consideration the audience for each of the popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat and others. Understanding your audience will also help you connect with them on which ever platform(s) you decide to try. The Pew Research Social Media 2013 reported that:

• Facebook is used by more women (76%) than men (66%), and more 18 to 29 year olds (84%) than any other age range.
• Twitter is used by more black, non-hispanic internet users (29%) than white or Hispanic (16%), and more high-income earners (19%) than low (17%).
• Instagram is used by more urban internet users (22%) than suburban (18%), and more 18 to 29 year olds (37%).
• Pinterest is predominantly used by women (33% vs 8% of internet users who are men), and entertains a greater percentage of college graduates (25%) than any other network besides LinkedIn.
• LinkedIn is the only network used by more men (24%) than women (19%), and more 30 to 49-year-olds (27%) than 50 to 64-year-olds (24%).

Define Success

The first step to maximizing your presence on any social channel is defining success, and developing a content strategy that speaks to your audience in the language of the platform. If you think it’s not working, don’t just abandon ship. Try and figure out what not’s working—post different things and use analytics to see what people are responding to.

Create a Social Media Plan that Drives Results

The Kardashians have a marketing team that helps them acquire business and tout it on social media. They post pics that show off their “fabulosity” and are consistent. They have pretty consistent messaging in that nearly all of their posts are ads or selfies. When it comes to your own social media plan, you need to start with your own content and brand voice and develop a presence.

Unlike the sisters though, instead of touting your own company, use and build your online presence to develop depth within the industry. The content you create for your social networks should not sound like sales pitches. You can promote your brand on social by associating your brand with a lifestyle, and promoting and discussing that lifestyle. Start and participate in conversations about the industry, the aesthetic, the lifestyle.

Original content should be complemented by shareable and actionable content as well. It’s like having an in-person conversation…you wouldn’t talk about yourself more than half the time, would you? You talk about things you learned and share your experiences so that maybe the listener can feel inclined to participate and share your story with others.

Start with a strategy, implement, test and build. If the Kardashians can do it, so can you!