They say that loyalty is dead these days, and looking at the world around us, there may be some truth to that! That is why we are ever so grateful for fans and followers who stay loyal to our brand. And brand loyalty isn’t just a feel good feeling – it translates into real sales. But as with all relationships, we can’t take this one for granted either, and we need to work consistently to maintain it. The only way to ensure your followers stay loyal is to make sure they are engaged with good, interesting and value adding content from your end. If this is too vague a description, here is a more detailed list of tips to keep your social media followers engaged – and to get some new ones too!

According to this report, 64% of Twitter users and 51% of Facebook users claim that they are more likely to buy from a brand that they follow loyally. Here is one area where a loyal fan following trumps a large number of fickle followers. This kind of loyalty builds your fan base slowly but surely. In fact, it’s not just your followers, but their immediate circle of friends and family that is also affected. The ‘fanning’ theory shows that 38% people are more likely to buy something from a brand followed by a close family member. See, loyalty is a big deal!

5 Tips to Keep your Social Media Followers Engaged

1. Let Followers share their Stories

People love sharing their stories, so give them a place to do so! Twitter is a great place for this, as the character limit ensures people are concise and you may get some hilarious responses! You can also do a version of this on Instagram, where people can tell their story through a picture. If you sell a product, ask them to post a picture featuring how it has helped their daily life. Want to take it further? Ask them to share their story through a short video. You could even compile the best responses to make your very own testimonial!!

2. Ask for Suggestions

Besides sharing their stories, your loyal followers will also have useful ideas or suggestions that can help you significantly improve your product or service. When they realize that their opinions matter to you and that you will try to make it better for them, they’ll only love you more! The best part about getting ideas or feedback from loyal followers is that they’ve probably been using your product or service for a while now, so their opinions have more weight than those of a new user. You might also just get an idea for a brand new launch!

3. Put out a Weekly Trivia or Tip

Many successful brands have a weekly tip, generally based on their brand niche. When the tip is well thought out and directly targeted at a pain point in your followers’ lives, you can be sure you’ve got their full attention! This works well on most social media platforms. You could also try a weekly trivia, again related to your brand. Give the question and answer in separate posts to double engagement. Visual content tends to work better than plain text, so put in a little extra effort!

4. Run a Contest

Everyone loves contests! And the quirkier and funnier they are, the better! When participating in the contest itself is so much fun, the prize doesn’t have to be huge. Try to keep the contest consistent with your brand and the season. For instance if your target audience is new Moms, you can have a contest for posting the most creative baby Halloween costume. This will surely get in a lot of responses from your regular followers, and others in the immediate vicinity will be tempted to join in!

5. Respond Right Away

This is probably the most important point, never mind that it’s last on the list! Whatever you choose to do to engage your fans, be sure that you are quick to clarify doubts, answer questions and if necessary, apologize! A swift response from you will help maintain active conversation – not just between you and your followers, but among themselves too. Even the most loyal follower will be miffed if they ask a question and have to wait over three days for an answer.

Once you decide on a strategy to keep your social media followers engaged, ensure that you stay consistent. Sporadic or random posting shows poor commitment and you don’t want that! Also remember to keep changing up your strategy so it doesn’t go stale. Keep a close watch on your insights and adjust your posts accordingly and let the fan following grow!!