Ashley Wymer | @ashleywymer

How’s your day going? Well? Fantastic. Don’t you love it when people talk to you? So do your followers.

With the huge boom in technology, specifically social media, users have become so follower-focused and number driven that they have forgotten the entire reason social media was created: to interact. It is rather incredible that companies have seen the ways social media can aid their business, yet fail to interact with their followers, their consumers. This is a tremendous opportunity for company leaders to hear unfiltered comments from their customers, gather information and most importantly, build a true relationship with those consumers.

Interaction is key to social media success because it shows consumers you care about them and their input. Everybody wants their voice to be heard; social media gives each and every person a platform on which to speak. Show consumers you care about them and like a good friend, they will do the same.

Some may be intimidated by this venture. After all, Uncle Ben said it best when he spoke to Peter Parker: with great power comes great responsibility. Don’t fret, though. You don’t need incredible super spidey powers to interact with consumers on the web. Just so you don’t track down a mutant spider to grant you such powers, here are a few good rules of thumb to follow when doing client interactions.

Don’t be too stuffy.

It can be easy to get caught up in being too professional when managing professional social media. Of course, you should use your best taste and caution when representing your brand, but nobody wants to talk to a robot in a suit. They are human. They want to speak with humans. It’s really that simple. When you interact with your followers, it shows them that there is a person on the other side that is reading and caring about what they have to say. Make sure they see that person as friendly, open and inviting. If they enjoy speaking with you, they will likely interact with your brand more and more, granting it wide social media spread.

Be human.

Be original.

This point ties back to the human element. Humans enjoy talking with their kind, their fellow man. Give them a robot providing generic, automated responses and they will turn up their noses. Address them by their name, show that you actually read their comment or tweet by mentioning their points. Sometimes “thanks” just doesn’t cut it. Go the extra mile and show your followers that you have enough interest in their remarks to read and acknowledge them.

These are some very simple guidelines for successful interaction on professional social media. This element of social media campaigns should never be neglected, because it was the entire purpose of its creation in the first place. People will always want to be connected to what and who is important to them. Get connected and reap all the benefits of this incredible network by taking a more personal approach to your brand’s social media.

Why do you think interaction is important in social media success? How do you make sure your interactions are genuine and sincere?