By Drew Schulthess
Digital Influence Strategist

With so many benefits for brands effectively engaging in social media it is hard to single out just one. You’ve probably heard that successful engagement in social media leads to an increase in brand awareness, website traffic and ultimately an improved financial performance as recently reported in a new study “ENGAGEMENTdb,” by the Altimeter Group. But what is the one outstanding benefit of engaging in social media that provides a long-term sustainable difference and ultimately leads you down the road of ongoing prosperity? In my opinion it is one thing—Brand Loyalty.

So how does engaging in social media create, support and strengthen brand loyalty for companies, organizations and brands? To explain, let me share a simple example.

You are looking to buy a new set of skis. After much online research and due diligence, you have nailed down the exact model and size you are looking for. You don’t want to pay for shipping and therefore look for retailers in your area where you can by them in person. After doing some local searching you find two shops within similar distances from your house.

You can’t go to either Store A or Store B until they open tomorrow, so you go ahead and visit their websites to see which store opens first. Not surprisingly, you find out they open at the same time but something during your experience is significantly different from one store to the other.

Store A – You find the typical website… standard navigation, standard content, standard product info and a standard story. There isn’t really any additional insight as provided by the employees or management on this store website. This does not bother you though because you feel like you know what you want and you are happy with your choice, right? You go to their “Contact Us” page, grab their directions and print them out for tomorrow.

Store B – At first, it appears you are in store (no pun intended) for a similar website and experience. But, something on this page is drastically different from Store A’s website. This homepage feels connected, personal and alive. In fact, there is a big area on the right hand side that says “Connect with Us”. Under this heading there are icons for Facebook, Twitter and a Company blog.

You click on the company blog and see a new post of the “Best of 2010″ carving skis by the owner of the store. You begin to read. After several paragraphs you realize the skis you thought were a great fit for you weren’t on this list. You begin to second guess your choice. You wonder if the owner is credible or not and notice a link in the blog that leads to Store B’s Facebook page. You click the link, and see a new video posted on the wall. There he is, fully sponsored and shredding it up at a regional downhill event. Wow, he’s good.

You browse around Store B’s Facebook page for a little longer and eventually return to their website. Store A is starting to quickly fade to the back of your mind. You are beginning to feel like you know Store B and you can expect good service there. You go back to the main website. You see the icon to follow Store B on Twitter. You click the link and start reading Store B’s latest Tweets. The very first one is a Tweet from the owner saying he will be in bright and early tomorrow at 8 am and is doing a demo on a new brand of skis that just arrived. Upon reading this Tweet you crumple Store A’s directions.

Hopefully this example made it crystal clear how social media can create, support and strengthen brand loyalty on the spot. Really, social media done right is value-adding personality. If you can get your visitors to feel like they know what your company, organization or brand is all about and leave them excited and intrigued then you are going to get more people knocking on your door. Not to mention, by using social media you are able to sustain brand loyalty over time by being connected where your customers or end-users are connected.

If you don’t feel like you are up to speed, we invite you to connect with FINT, a simple way to get your brand immersed in social media. Or better yet, connect with us to learn how social media can be the number one driver of loyalty for your brand.