In addition to your own content, your community members are a valuable resource when it comes to making your social media presence come alive. Most likely, your fans were talking about you before you even signed up for your social media networks or began thinking about a social media strategy. While you have a wealth of your own content to share, your community can go a long way in making your social media presence vibrant and engaging. They have been doing it for a while, after all!

Here are a few ways you can encourage your community to do the talking for you.

Have an Open Door Policy

Don’t try to lock down the fort. If you don’t allow your fans to post on your wall or tag you in posts, you are missing out on a lot of engaging content. Visit the Facebook page of a brand like Method, discussed in this post, and you will see community members posting feedback, photos and links, asking questions, and sharing other energizing content. Your customers will not only be engaging with you but with one another. People might not always have glowing things to say about you, but take that as an opportunity to engage with them and turn a negative situation into a positive one while learning what areas you can improve in as a brand.

Ask Questions

Remember the old adage your teacher used to tell you? “If you don’t know, ask.” As a brand, questions are an effective way to get your community members talking and gain insight into what’s important to them and their likes and dislikes. It’s also a nice way of showing your community that you are genuinely interested in who they are and what they have to say. You don’t always have to ask questions that are related to your brand. Incorporate outside interests that you know your brand community is passionate about or tie into an upcoming event, holiday, or season. Variety is key.

Provide Incentive

Whether raising funds for a cause near and dear to your brand, or offering your fans a reward, campaigns that provide incentive for taking action are another way to get your community involved when it comes to contributing content. Incorporating multimedia into these campaigns, such as hosting a photo or video contest, is visually engaging and a fun way to liven up your brand pages and encourage your fans to participate. As well, your contributors will appreciate the recognition when you share their great content with the rest of your community.

Encourage Peer-to-Peer Discussion

The only people who know your product better than you are your customers. Provide a forum for your customers to ask questions and share feedback with one another. You can always jump in when the need arises, but don’t be afraid to let your community take the reins. Letting your customers know that you trust them to speak on behalf of your brand will make them feel valued, and their interactions will give you insight into what your customers think about your brand and determine some common issues or points of need.

These are just a few ways to get your brand community talking. Are you currently incorporating any of the above suggestions into your own social media strategy? What other ways do you encourage your community to contribute content?

Zoë Geddes-Soltess is a Community Engagement Specialist at Radian6, with a focus on Consumer Packaged Goods and Retail. You can follow her on Twitter at @zodot.

Tags: Community, intermediate, retail