Social media is essential for growing brand awareness, but it can also be used to improve brand image. Social media interaction and reputation management are just as important as traditional marketing methods in today’s world of online business. Here’s what you can do to ensure your company looks great both on- and off-line.

Build your engagement.

The ultimate goal of business on social media is to engage potential customers and get them interested. By focusing on building your engagement, you can influence more people and change the way people view your company. However, you must take care that you improve it rather than hurt your image. Rather than just sharing information that glorifies your business, share pictures, video, and other elements about things relevant in your industry. If you engage viewers with content that interests them, they’ll take more interest in your company.

On the other hand, you should never use a trending topic unless you’re absolutely clear on what it is. Too many companies have made the mistake of jumping on top of a trend without fully understanding it or its origins, only to be made to look foolish on social media.

The reason why images are the best option for building engagement is their share ratio. Unlike text, images receive as many as 35% more retweets. On Facebook, images have an 87% interaction rate. That’s the kind of engagement you want to go for.

Use language that fits your brand.

Your brand should be backed by a set of values that governs the company. As a result of this, you shouldn’t use language that doesn’t fit in with that set of values. Is your company governed by a group of absolute professionals? In that case, casual language isn’t appropriate. For example, if you’re a company of Spanish professionals then you aren’t going to use Spanish slang in your messages in an attempt to get the attention of teenagers; they aren’t your target demographic.

By maintaining a steady voice on social media, you show what kind of company you have and what the company’s values are. Viewers will appreciate this.

Let others do the talking for you.

Too many companies try to praise themselves and make people think more highly of the company by telling customers all they do for them. While this is a good idea, you shouldn’t be the one praising your company; let others do it for you. Take Blue Coat Systems as an example. Rather than posting about all the ways they help customers accomplish their goals, they share articles from VentureBeat and other publications that paint them in a positive light.

This has a two-fold effect. Sharing the article and thanking the publication demonstrates gratitude, something far too many companies lack. It humanizes your brand and will endear people to your company on a more personal level. It also provides social proof; it shows people that you aren’t the only one saying you’re a great company — other people are, too. And as that social proof grows, your image on social media will grow with it.

Make it a habit of retweeting and sharing posts about your company that put a positive spin on it — and always thank those who wrote the article. In regard to negative content, unless it is a major issue, don’t bring attention to it. Contact the person privately and see what you can do to improve their experience. In many cases, doing this will improve your image in surprising ways.

Improving your brand image will require slow and steady work, especially if your image has taken a hit on social media. By following these three guidelines, you can better prepare for the future and know how to build engagement on social media the right way.