So you have followers and friends. Congratulations. But that’s only half the battle.

Now you have to engage your followers to take action and turn those 1,500 fans into 1,500 repeat customers.

Everyone says “engage,” but what does that actually mean? It means give someone a reason to act on your Facebook post.

Give them a reason to respond — usually it’s because they will get your feedback or feedback from fellow Facebook users.

Incentive goes a long way online.

Engage also means give people a reason to come back and don’t give them a reason to not come back.

Ever had a non-responsive run-of-the-mill waiter at a restaurant or bad food at a so-called great restaurant? How many times did you go back? The same is true for social media. If you give someone a great experience or at least are trying to give them an experience — heck if you even show them you’re paying attention, you’re ahead of most.

And remember, like you do with your current customers, treat your online friends or fans like actual people and not just their representation in zeros and ones — aka digital code.

While traditional coupons work, think of social media as a way to get to the forefront of your customer’s their mind and stay there.

Fast food chains don’t have to advertise to let you know they’re out there, part of why they advertise is to keep their brand and associated products, words, etc. in your head so when you get hungry you associate that feeling with their food.

Social media can work like that as well.

Just make sure you’re being yourself so your Facebook posts don’t come across as fake and contrived.