You have a presence on social media, you’re putting content out into the world, but are you engaging? Engagement is a vital part to your brand’s success as a whole. There is no replacement or substitution – this is something you need to be a part of.

There are two types of engagement – proactive and reactive. While both are important to your social media strategy, let’s touch on the reactive side of things.

Social Listening: Reactive

Make it a point to keep your customers and audience in relevant conversation. Tailor your content to what your audience is saying about your brand, and your competitors. Hootsuite and Nuvi are great monitoring tools that allow you to track industry and brand related key words, as well as numbers.

This will allow you to jump in front of the conversation, in real-time, to create genuine interactions with potential customers.

Social Media Isn’t About Selling

You read that correctly – Social media isn’t all about sales and statistics, it’s about the people! You have the chance to build a community and establish relationships. This is a valuable opportunity you don’t want to miss out on.

Be social

Social media at its heart is social – being social and creating human connections with real people. Seize any and all opportunities you have to be personal and connect with your audience. Make each person you interact with feel known, and be genuine about your approach. It’s important to make the focus of this engagement to “make friends not followers.”

Be responsive

Your customers will bring questions, concerns, and comments to the table. Provide the help they need and the answers to they’re looking for. Remember also to be timely in the manner that you respond. This can be a game changer!

Building these relationships with your customers can, and will, turn them into your brand’s biggest advocates.

According to Twitter Customer Service Research, customers are 77% more likely to recommend a brand after receiving a personalized customer service interactive.

Always remember, the best way to get the engagement you’re looking for is to be engaging!