In this industry, one of the most important elements for success is the ability to connect with other people. Part formula and part artistry, gaining and holding the attention of others in a medium that is overloaded with news, sales and content can be tricky, but certainly not impossible. This is because every single person online has the same wants and needs. Sure, we all have different interests, values and personalities, but at our core, we are one. Whether it’s a good story, helpful information or the gigantic bare ass of a certain reality star, we all respond to the same things and these are the shared responses that are the basis for connectivity in the digital age. If you’re a business owner, digital marketer, blogger or just anyone with a social media account, take a closer look at these three simple ways in which you can build and maintain better relationships online and gain a larger following.

Speak to the heart of people. If you are posting or creating content online, tailor your work to the most basic human needs and emotions, but remember to keep it simple. Everyone likes to feel validated and empowered. Everyone wants to feel like they are a part of something. Forget about niche demographics for a moment and create content with universal themes that anyone can relate to. People crave content that is educational and entertaining, empowering and useful. No matter how different, every person wants content that puts things into perspective and reminds them of what really matters. Content that is surprising, shows them something about themselves or inspires them to take action. When you start trying to connect with people in deeper ways, you will find that your online relationships will stop being superficial and become much more meaningful.

Be someone they can trust. When advising others about posting and producing online content, I always stress the importance of trust and accountability. Users can smell a fake a mile a way. For this reason, you just have to be yourself. When you are genuine, people will always be more likely to listen to what you have to say and if they are listening to what you say, your relationship with them will grow. Trust means a lot of things, but in the online world, it refers to posting trustworthy content that is well thought out at regular intervals. While they may not notice at first, posting consistently keeps you in the back of their minds and they soon learn to expect (and even look forward) to content from you. This will not only make your job of reaching bigger and broader audiences easier, it will also help you become a respected source of reliable information.

Remember it’s a dialogue, not a monologue. It’s not about you it’s about them. You will never have successful relationships online if all of your efforts scream, “Me! Me! Me!” Content creation begins an open dialogue with the world and this means that you want to engage people in the story. Your story. People may like or dislike what you post, but it should be a meeting of minds and ideas, opinions and comments. It should never just be you, pushing your own agenda and speaking to a silent crowd of thousands without a clue about what they really care about. Though you won’t always get hundreds of thoughts or feedback, remembering that you are attempting to connect with all sorts of people on a larger scale is one of the keys to producing content that matters and when your content matters, your relationships with both new and existing followers will be more likely to stand the test of time.