Our research of more than a dozen top brand pages shows that when a brand replies to a fan’s comment, they’re a whopping 425% more likely to make positive re-engagements just within the next 10-day window.
A visit to the Sears Facebook Page quickly exhibits the power of reply for brands. Sears responds to nearly every comment made in its community, something we consider a best practice for brands who want to build relationships and foster advocacy.
Action Drives Action
Sears is the dominant brand in both weekly brand interactions and subsequent fan reactions, with over 400 more than the next closest brand. The willingness to take action from Sears is important because it helps drive not only engagement, but positive re-enagements. At Crowdly we have deep insight into the interactions that take place in brand communities, and have found that when a brand interacts directly with an individual, that individual is 4.25X more likely to re-engage than the average person.
The actions Sears has been taking is nurturing the advocates in their brand community by nudging them to engage. The content of brand posts certainly matters, and getting a message to the masses is important to growing and satisfying an audience. However, it’s the personal relationships made in the comments that can significantly grow loyalty and advocacy in a brand community.