Every now and then, we all could use a little advice when it comes to strengthening our relationships with those most important to us. The same is true for your brand, and nowadays it’s more important than ever to establish a strong, trusting bond with your clients and customers online.

Here are a few pieces of relationship advice we recommend for building a better relationship between your brand and your followers online:

1. Be Yourself

To build a strong, successful relationship with your followers on social media, remember to be yourself! Users want to have real human interaction. Don’t be afraid to be yourself and give your brand a personal tone. If a casual, humorous tone fits your company, use it! If a professional, direct tone is more appropriate, go with that! Just be consistent and real with your audience.

2. Be Timely

No one likes to be left hanging, so time is of the essence when replying to your audience! Responding quickly will do wonders for your engagement levels and leave users feeling validated. Reply to comments, answer questions, address concerns. This will build trust with your followers, strengthening your brand’s relationship with them.

3. Communicate

Communication is key to any great relationship! Let your followers know you’re there for them, and don’t be afraid of reaching out to engage with them directly. Having honest conversations with your followers will make them feel heard and validated. When a brand communicates well and openly with its audience on social media, they appear more accessible and reliable to followers.

4. Give More

As a business, it’s easy to get caught up in using social media strictly as a promotional tool. However, brands that use social for driving engagement versus driving sales tend to have stronger relationships with their followers. Focus your efforts on giving users more than what you’re asking for in return. Serve them, and provide interesting, relevant content that offers them great value.