Building Blocks: Creating lasting relationships with your followers

Some people erroneously think that social media marketing is solely about lead conversion. But if you want to see the fruits of your labour on social media platforms, you need to invest in relationship building. In today’s digital age, people don’t want to interact with faceless corporations and characterless businesses; they want to do business with relatable brands with charisma and personality. Therefore, you need to foster positive relationships with your followers if you want to see long-term results on Instagram and other social media platforms. But how do you go about it? Here are five ways to create lasting relationships with your followers:

Respond quickly to engagements 

Your potential customers are likely to have lots of questions about your brand, as well as the products that you offer. If someone adds a comment to your post or sends you a direct message, you should try and respond to the message as quickly as you can – ideally within an hour, as 39% of social media users expect a response to their questions within sixty minutes. People are no longer prepared to wait for days to hear back from you and will simply take their business elsewhere.

Share user-generated content 

Customers love nothing more than sharing content and tagging their favourite brands on Instagram. This is known as user-generated content (UGC) and is a real asset for your business. No matter what you sell, sharing user-generated content on your feed can help to promote your business in unique ways while deepening your relationships with your followers. Just be sure to check in and ask for permission before sharing someone’s photo or post on your feed, as you don’t want to upset your followers.

Reward and incentivise 

Everyone loves a giveaway, and freebies are an excellent way to show your followers that you appreciate them. Set up a competition that is really easy for your followers to get involved with, be it a free bag of coffee for someone who likes your post or a 50% limited-time discount on a specific range of products for the first 50 people who drop a comment on a specific post. There are so many ways to reward and incentivise your followers, so feel free to get creative.

Always be authentic 

Authenticity is super important on social media. In an age where paid promotions dominate and fake news circulates, it pays to be authentic in front of your audience. This includes admitting to the good and the bad and sharing relatable content that your followers are likely to engage with. Behind-the-scenes content is a great way to boost your authenticity, as it humanises your brand and shows your customers the effort that you put into marketing and promoting your products or services.

Show gratitude 

It costs nothing to say thank you, right? If someone chooses to engage with your brand positively, why not thank them for doing so? There are so many ways to show your gratitude and appreciation to your followers, but short, personalised thank-you messages can go a long way toward boosting your engagement levels and will help you build positive, long-term relationships with your audience. Honestly, a little thank you goes a long way!

The bottom line

No matter what line of business you’re in, it’s so important to nurture positive relationships with your social media followers. If you don’t, you will struggle to see positive long-term results, and your followers may even become disenfranchised with your brand.

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