There are still those businesses out there that refuse to listen to what their audience is telling them, they just keep spitting out new things. In social media, you have to remember it is not like traditional advertising, it’s social after all. When you are being sociable in “real life,” you ask a question, wait for the answer and then give your response. This is called a dialogue. Keep this in mind while writing your content. Think about the dialogue you want to get from the content you are going to post.

Listening should be a main focus for your brand, that’s what sets social media apart from other media “vehicles”. There are tools out there to make it pretty easy if you just take the time to cultivate them. For example, Hootsuite has been a great tool. You can set up columns for searches from hashtags to searching for questions about a particular topic for you to answer. Answering questions shows your are knowledgeable and helps your page become a resource for people. The will keep coming back for more and will think of your page as a place to get answers.

Not only will listening to your audience and responding to them open doors for more interactions, it also is the best way to keep your audience engaged. Everyone just wants their voice to be heard, so let them!