Fueling Your Social Media Community With Two-way Feedback

A few years ago I was introduced to finance expert Dave Ramsey — not in person, but by a friend who told me about one of his books. Since then, I’ve kept up with Ramsey, checking in on his social media accounts every now and then to see what additional info I could glean. (Seriously, it’s a seemingly endless stream of information.) It’s safe to say that with his earned respect and popularity, Dave Ramsey most definitely qualifies as an influencer.
I’ve come to realize that as much as Ramsey is able to teach about money, there’s also a lot he can teach about building a strong social media community. To put it in perspective, his podcast, The Dave Ramsey Show, reaches millions of listeners on a regular basis. Its YouTube channel has 1.3 million subscribers and Twitter nearly 560K. On Instagram, Ramsey has 1.7 million followers and on Facebook 4.1 million. Each of these communities is highly active. They thrive on constant feedback. Ramsey himself depends on feedback and engagement from his audience for content, while the success of his podcast depends on feedback from him to them.
Any social media guru will tell you that actually being engaging is the key to having an engaged audience. In fact, asking questions is often recommended as a way to increase activity on a social media account. Simply put, influencers today have to go beyond just communicating something to their audience, they should also converse with that audience. Communications can be one-sided, conversations cannot.
Dave Ramsey understands this. When he asks for questions he answers them. In fact, in each episode of his podcast, he answers questions from his audience. By doing this you’re giving audience members exactly what they asked for, and you never know who else might benefit from hearing the answer you provide. You’re also letting people see that you’re easy to interact with, and social media audiences today expect a high level of interaction.
A back and forth exchange is the most powerful type of engagement. It helps the audience feel connected, like a true community. It also allows them to feel as though they’re involved in the content being created, and there’s something special about being able to influence the outcome of content you appreciate. In the 80s and 90s, there were Choose Your Own Adventure books, which put readers into the story. In the early 2000s countdown shows on television allowed viewers to vote on which music videos played and in what order. That feeling of being included and having a say in how your favorite program plays out is the reason that shows like American Idol and Dancing With The Stars are so popular. People want to be involved in your content.
Today, influencers can offer that same feeling of inclusion by asking and answering questions, and with user-generated content (UGC). There are several reasons why user-generated content just works, one of them being it adds authenticity and familiarity to your content.
As Social Media Today explains, when influencers actually respond to questions and feedback, or share user-generated content, it “encourages more people to take an action and send you those things so they, too, can be acknowledged.”
Not only does UGC make followers feel like they’re part of a community filled with relatable individuals, it gives them hope that the spotlight might turn on them one day.
In his podcast, Ramsey uses calls and questions from listeners, on his social media accounts, of course, he turns to photos. Sometimes it’s to share financial success stories like this…

And other times it’s just for fun, like this…

If there’s one key takeaway from a closer look at Dave Ramsey’s podcast and social media it’s this: Consistent two-way feedback with your audience, whether you’re a podcaster, a YouTuber or an Instagram influencer, will create a strong social community that’s filled with engagement and always locked into your message.
