Avoiding social churn is no easy task. When you lose audiences to overwhelming or underwhelming actions, you become compelled to attract new people constantly just to keep your head above the surface. Progress, on the other hand, becomes unattainable if you keep making all the wrong moves.

If this sounds familiar then you most probably need to brush up on those digital skills. Bluntly put, you’ve got to stop being a loser. Kimi Mongello shows you how in a delightful infographic featuring 12 useful tips to help you retain your social community. It applies to everyone, but especially to marketing departments. If you’re running a business, any kind of business, definitely consider taking these pieces of advice to heart (infographic below).

Don’t overdo it, but remember to do it

Before you scroll below, I would like to emphasize the importance of “80% Entertain. 20% Sell” (which goes hand in hand with the sixth commandment: never direct-message your followers automatically / with the same message).

The reason is simple. People don’t follow you to hear how amazing your product is each and every day. They’re in it for the entertainment and the knowledge, so be clever and share interesting stuff only. Every once in a while, share content that lets you insert a plug for your brand. But never do it every day. It will only get you a new follower at the expense of a lost potential buyer. New customers want a free sample first. It’s the old ones who are already buying your product, so you want to make sure you retain them first before directing your content at new audiences.

As for automatic DMs, like the infographic says, “just don’t!”  It is the laziest way you could thank someone for their interest in you. Anyone can smell an automatic DM a mile away. It’s enough for one of your followers to accidentally unfollow and then follow back to confirm that you’re selling yourself cheap. Take the time to DM your followers with custom-tailored messages, perhaps complementing them on a specific thing they tweeted recently (as proof that you’re not a bot). They’ll not only appreciate it, they might even pass the word 😉