Almost 75 percent of Facebook and MySpace users feel “closer” to brands that involve them in “give-and-get” communication within a social networking framework, Brand Republic reported Friday.

Dialogue with the customer may build a brand's value on MySpace and Facebook and in order to become more popular amongst consumers, a brand may have to aim beyond being solely a “friend” or “fan.” According to research by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, 12 percent of Facebook users became fans of a given brand while 23 percent of MySpace users became friends with brands.

Nearly three-quarters of users featured in the study mentioned that if a brand listened to their thoughts and reacted to comments and inquiries, then might feel more connected to it.

The research suggested that brands may pitch ideas or topics to users, hence encouraging discussions. There may not have to be a need to focus on the brand itself or to have only positive feedback, according to Brand Republic.

“Negative comments need to be answered, not ignored, and comments kept up, not removed, as an exercise in transparency,” writes Brand Republic. “The conversation with consumers has to be of interest to them, such as giving them something to engage with, rather than directly asking for feedback on a project.”