There’s a reason why one of the biggest social media calls to action is, “Join the conversation. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, etc.:” these platforms are intended to spark and foster discussions. Simply slapping content up on your social pages, treating them like one-way advertising tools, is not enough. You must not only share engaging content, but also monitor and respond to comments and messages regularly.

To drive our point home, think of the types of teachers you had in college or high school. If you’re like us, you had some professors who droned on with their lectures, leaving little to no room for questions or comments from students and others who employed a discussion based teaching style, frequently breaking to allow feedback from students. Which classes did you enjoy more? Which did you get more out of? We’re betting it was the interactive class. Getting your followers involved in the conversation and staying active in ensures and confirms that you are providing value on social media.

Here are our top tips for monitoring and responding to comments and messages on social media:

• Check Your Pages Daily:

  Everything from comments and direct messages to mentions and retweets should be monitored on a daily basis. Set aside 15-20 minutes each morning to go through each of your social platforms and search for comments, direct messages, mentions, and recent posts from others. Timing makes a huge difference, as 71 million social media users in the US check their pages and feeds multiple times per day.

  If you are outsourcing your social media, insist that the company you work with is carrying out this task on a daily basis. Still, keep in mind that you may have to jump in occasionally to answers specific questions. Layout which types of comments your social media company should respond to immediately and which should be forwarded to a member of your team. A good out sourced firm will always be proactive in handling these comments and they will seek your feedback because it’s your business and your expertise they are trying to promote on your behalf.

• Craft Insightful Responses:

  Simply responding to followers, thanking them for their clients and taking the time to draft insightful replies that continue the conversation are two very different approaches. Taking your responses one step further, using them to keep the discussion alive, will allow you to get the most out of each and every social media post. Ask an additional question and give feedback on specific points that the commenter makes in order to keep the dialog going. Remember, not only does increased engagement lead to more people being exposed to your posts, it is now being considered in search engine rankings as well.

• Don’t Ignore Negative Comments: We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, there are very few times that you should ignore or delete negative comments on social media. Instead, apologize for what the follower perceives to be the issue and ask if there is anything that you can do to remedy the situation. Offer a discount or gift certificate to try and regain their business. Even if they do not take you up on your offer, your other followers will see that you made an effort to turn things around.

Setting aside the time each day to review and respond to your social media comments allows you to cultivate the types of relationships that you want to showcase on social platforms. Start sending insightful responses to your social media comments and watch your engagement grow!