Congratulations for getting your business into social media. You’ve got your brand pages, but the work doesn’t stop there. In fact, to succeed, it has just begun. Read on to learn what you need to quickly build your social media clout.

Build a culture of two-way communication with your followers. Many businesses out there use social media as a simple announcement tool. They post something, perhaps a new product announcement, then move on to other aspects of their business. This is exactly what not to do with social media. It’s expected, even in the name, that brands will be social with their followers. And the companies that do interact build deeper relationships with their fans and grow much faster. Look for every opportunity to interact. Ask questions. Respond to your fans’ posts. Take polls. Do whatever you can to increase interaction and engagement.

Use your social media as a sounding board or focus group for your company. Some companies have thousands of fans just a click away, yet they never harness the power that they now have at their fingertips! Companies often wonder how people are responding to their products or where to turn next in innovation or content. Social media makes for an excellent ad hoc focus group to get the pulse of your target audience. Ask them questions and take their responses into consideration as you move forward. You’ll find that getting your audience involved in this way really increases loyalty.

Be patient. Nothing that is good is ever built in a day, and that is definitely true of social media. It will take dedicated effort over many weeks, even months, to build up your following. But at some point, the tipping point does occur, word-of-mouth spreads and you have more followers than you ever thought possible. Don’t throw in the towel too quickly or you will miss this moment.

Don’t just be dedicated, be consistent in your social media. Consistency is just as important as anything else. Followers want to know you will be active, but also that you will be relevant and engaging. They want to feel that you will consistently deliver posts for your brand and the themes related to your brand. If you go off track and post irrelevant things or you become highly sporadic in your overall posting, you may quickly lose your following.

Place focus on your engaged core of followers. Most brands will have a solid 20% of their followers who are super-fans. These are your brand champions, and you need to find ways to get them more involved with your brand. They are a key to passing on the word, gaining more fans and ultimately increasing your sales. There are many things you can do to celebrate this engaged core audience. Offer them exclusive discounts, give them a title that shows to the world their super-fan status, or share with them new product developments before anyone else.

With these tips you are ready to turn your social media pages into real brand portals that build brand champions. Start today, and you will soon see your social media clout exploding upwards.