So many companies provide incentives for customers or fans to "like" their page. But what does that do for their company exactly? Not a whole lot. I read an article this week called "What's in a "like"? Not much" and the author made a great point about how many companies focus on the wrong objectives. Organizations set goals for themselves and their employees trying to increase the number of fans on their Facebook page or the number of "likes" but in reality they need to get those customers to actively participate not just passively "like".
A similar article, found here, reiterates the fact that using the number of Facebook fans a company has is an ineffective measure of how involved consumers are. In fact its stated that 80% of people who "like" a page will never even return to it. If you are using Facebook to help your bottom line then you should consider the moment that your fan "likes" your page as the beginning of your journey with them not the end.
The point: engage your customer. Focus on more than just getting your fan total to increase - create content for them that gets them involved and "turns them from a fan into a brand advocate." That's what will really help your bottom line.
This whole process of extreme marketing efforts through way of social media is so new that it has been a work in progress step by step. There have been slow moving pieces to the puzzle due to the lack of knowledge on the subject until now. The 'like' aspect is an excellant effort to bring people in, however, doesn't keep the attention of the crowd. You're right, offering incentives and drawing the customer in through beneficial efforts is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Emily. In most cases companies will see a "bump" in activity for a short period of time, a couple of days or a week. But I really don't see long term benefits from this. I recall an article I saw that McDonald had a campaign go viral, which lead to increased traffic for a couple of days, and then it was gone. So companies must be sure they are getting bang for their bucket, before making long term commitments.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent point; so many companies focus on this aspect. Personally, I am not very susceptible to this form of marketing, and neither are any of my friends. It really is just another form of marketing that I can easily tune out. I think if mareketers engage their customers, like you said, they will see a much greater benefit come from that.
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