One of the great benefits of using Social Media is that you can increase brand loyalty, and having a loyal following means better engagement and better conversations.
Now this is where the difference between the number of followers you have, and the number of loyal followers comes into play. The number of followers doesn't matter if your followers aren’t loyal to your brand - because loyal followers add real value.
Ask any loyal social media follower about their trusted brand, and they naturally speak positively about it - which is exactly what you are after - this is your word of mouth marketing.
So how can you can enhance brand loyalty on social media?
Develop A Solid Social Media Strategy
Make sure you have a strategic and targeted Social Media strategy - ensure you are aligning your strategy with your platform and its personality - Facebook is not Twitter, and Twitter is definitely not LinkedIn. So you cant just take the same outdated marketing and advertising methods and apply them to social media. Look into areas such as content marketing, search engine optimization, etc. to give you a fair idea of what type of value you can create for your loyal social media followers. This will mean you not only retain you followers, but they then help spread the word.
Post Value and Quality Content
Your followers will be loyal to you if you share useful, relevant and quality content. E.g a detailed case study rather than a 500 word article. Take the time to develop a plan of how and what type of content you would like to share with your following. Find out what sets your content apart from others, what is your voice - for example, as we've covered in previous posts, visual content gets more shares than regular social media content, so go ahead and use photos, videos, etc. - as long as they add hit the criteria of useful, relevant and quality.
Keep Your Approach Consistent
So, you've already done your homework, and have identified your brand's personality traits - so now it's your chance to showcase them - which makes it easier to connect to your target audience. Make sure you keep a consistent approach and maintain the same voice throughout your content, and your interactions with followers.
Respond to All Queries
You don't need to be a celebrity to have followers - people are following you because you have the answers. So you need to ensure that when a follower sends you a message, get back to them with the right answers. This lets your followers know that your business cares about them, and they matter. Try to respond, because to someone who has taken the time to get in touch with you, a lack of response is actually a response. It’s a response that says, ‘We don’t care about you very much’.” And, even if the initial query is negative - it should go without saying that you should be friendly and personable in all your responses.
Show Your Human Side
And while we are talking about being personable and friendly - personally interacting with other people and humanizing your brand will go a long way. It will keep your followers/fans keeping coming back for more. Connect to your followers on a more personal level and engage in real conversations. Even if it’s just for the sake of interacting.