Let’s say you get invited to a friend’s house for a big party. You get there and start asking some questions about their life and how things are going, but no one responds. Nothing but silence. You might think they were pretty rude. The same principle applies to customer engagement on your social media platforms.

Customer engagement is foundational to great social media. And customer engagement is just the same as talking to someone at a party. Going beyond just the basic etiquette, responding to your customers is great for your business and the relationships that you can build.

Responding can increase your credibility. It makes you trustworthy, which in turn makes individuals more comfortable in both online and face-to-face interactions. While the perception of online interactions with brands might not be very great, consumers still expect a response. If you aren’t responding, they are going to begin looking elsewhere for their answers (and their products).

The best brands are the ones that show they care about you. Isn’t it the greatest feeling ever when you get a personal response back from a brand? Just earlier this month, I posted to Shatto Farms Facebook page. It was a simple picture of our Shatto milk in our fridge. I happily stated that the very first thing in our brand new fridge was a bottle of delicious Shatto milk. When I got back a comment saying, “Love this!” It made me want to continue buying their outstanding product.

In addition to all the above reasons, it can turn a negative to a positive. Seven out of 10 people say their view of a company changed when they received a response. So be sure to turn that frown upside down, with a simple response.

It’s time to respond to others on social media. We might go so far as to say that you should respond to other businesses, as well as your customers. Feel like you don’t have time to respond? Contact Susan J. Campbell today and see how we can help you.