I see too many businesses abuse their fandom by only sharing information about products and services via social media. The problem is that promotional tweets and Facebook posts don’t typically generate useful conversations with fans and that’s definitely NOT Flawsome. Social media gives businesses an unprecedented opportunity to gain feedback from customers and ideas for how they can improve.

Companies need more than positive feedback to help drive progress. Try to pose questions which encourage feedback rather than testimonials. Ask things like: “What clothing designs do you want to see next?” rather than, “What are your favourite designs?”

Customers love having the opportunity to influence the direction of companies, but they’re unlikely to provide valuable ideas without being prompted first. Think about proactively posting or tweeting questions that ask for customers’ thoughts on specific product ideas, marketing strategies, or anything else that is relevant. But don’t just accept the feedback and be on your merry way. When people answer, dig deeper and get into a conversation, try to create some real dialogue.

And then, do something with the feedback you’re given.

Often, the people taking care of social media for larger organisations are completely removed from decision making within the company. It’s easy to understand why valuable ideas don’t get put in place when they never get to the right people. If you’re serious about embracing social media as a feedback mechanism, think about putting systems in place to make sure the feedback from customers is passed along and considered seriously. Once the customers realise that their ideas are being turned into reality, it will only strengthen your dialogue and relationship with them.