Social media matters because everyone likes it.
Even if you detest some (or all!) of the platforms, using the big ones is almost mandatory for brands at this point.
Each day millions of people all around the world log into their social networks and brands work hard to accumulate and connect with just a fraction of those people.
Companies are always looking for creative ways to build their community and keep them coming back for more.
The answer is to reward your online community, and sometimes the simplest things can be the most successful.
Four Ways to Reward Your Online Community
Recognize Fans Individually
We do this on the Arment Dietrich page. Each week, we announce a Facebook Fan of the Week. We pick some of our favorite comments from the week and as a team, we vote on which one(s) we like the best. Our fans don’t win a prize, but they do have fun with it. A few have even given speeches and it’s become common to “pass on the torch” to the next fan of the week. Recognizing individual fans shows you care about them. They get a kick out of it because, even though it’s a simple bit of silly fun, it shows we’re listening and we care – and their friends see them displayed in all their glory.
Build a Two-Way Relationship
Just like you see regulars at a restaurant, bar, store, etc., the same happens with your social networks. All you have to do is regularly interact with them. People are more likely to return when you acknowledge their presence. Respond to their comments, answer their questions immediately, or simply like a comment they make, and you’ll soon have yourself a hardcore brand advocate for life!
Ask for Help
You know what your community likes, so don’t be afraid to ask them when you need help. They will feel honored by the invitation and eager to help shape the brand they love. For instance, our head honcho is currently on a ‘writing vacation’ to focus on her upcoming book, and we needed ideas to fill her normal #FollowFriday posts. Where did we go? Our community of course. And we actually got some really good ideas (thank you!).
Food for Thought
According to a study done by market research company Lab42, about 50 percent of consumers think a brand’s Facebook page is more useful than their website. They surveyed 1,000 social media users about how they interact with brands on Facebook and found consumers are viewing a brand’s Facebook presence as more important than ever. If this isn’t reason enough to be heavily engaged and fan friendly on the social network giant, I don’t know what is.
Each and every one of our fans are SUPERFANS as far as we’re concerned. I mean, our goal at Arment Dietrich is to take over the world…we hope our fans will help us achieve that goal!