Brands that want to make a name for themselves in today’s world of digital marketing and exposure often turn to social media. There’s a good reason for that: through platforms like Facebook and Twitter, you arguably can reach more people than through any other outlet. When you combine organic marketing with paid efforts, the result is a powerful marketing punch. As you grow your audience, it’s important to remember that brand loyalty is necessary to ensure that hard work pays off. If you feel like your audience isn’t really connecting, interacting or otherwise loyal, then you’ll want to keep reading and find out how you can increase brand loyalty via social media.

Always Engage

Your audience, regardless of size, may be hesitant to engage with your posts if they don’t see anybody else commenting. This is a catch-22 for many brands, because a lack of engagement can encourage more people not to engage; for people to engage, there needs to be prior engagement. This is why whenever somebody is pinging links or commentary on your social media page, it is crucial that you reply and engage in kind. Every interaction creates an opportunity for a broader dialogue to emerge. These social signals will filter out through the social networks of those who have commented, thus encouraging more engagement (and increasing your visibility). Perhaps most importantly, those who engage will feel as if you care about their thoughts and will be more likely to do so in the future.

Hold Contests and Give Back

If you want a truly easy way to produce more loyalty, engagement and interaction, then start by offering something for free. People love free stuff, so it’s no surprise that contests, giveaways, promotions and other comparable events do wonders for bringing people to your page. Think carefully about the dynamics of your contest or giveaway, and find ways to ensure that it requires more engagement from your audience. For instance, you could hold a giveaway based on a random selection of somebody who shares a particular picture to your page. The combination of social signals, buzz and allure of free items will dramatically increase the number of people engaging with your content – which will ensure they continue to see your content (and hopefully engage with it) for a long time to come.

Post Regularly

Audience loyalty is a two-way street: you can’t expect them to be loyal and engaged if you’re not doing the same! Whether you’re pinging links to your website or sharing content that highlights a new event, you need to have a regular posting schedule on social media. Each post you make is a chance for a segment of your audience to see you in their feeds. If you don’t post regularly, most of your audience will forget about you. By posting multiple times per day, you’ll be operating at peak efficiency and ensure as many people in your audience as possible are reminded of your existence.

Customer and audience loyalty are built through consistent engagement and thoughtful interaction. By posting regularly, holding giveaways and always engaging when your audience comments, you’ll be able to formulate the beginnings of a strong loyalty between you and your fanbase.