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Posts Tagged ‘Facebook’
Friend us on Facebook!
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011 by David Morgan
We see this phrase all the time. But as we dive deeper into the motivations of social network users, we see folks connect with Brands for many different reasons. I have a facebook friend that raves about a particular women’s clothing line. In my opinion, she’s a huge brand ambassador. So much so, that if I needed to purchase a woman’s clothing item for a gift, I’d check out their site. Before seeing my friend’s posts, I have never heard of this brand before. Her posts aren’t about deals or promotions, they’re about quality and style.
I thought about this from a brand perspective.
According to a Feb, 2011 Affluence Collaborative survey, wealthy internet users connect with brands on social networks for different reasons than the general population.
Among the general population, the main reason cited for connecting with brands on social networks was to receive deals and discounts. But this is a much lower priority for the wealthy. Their top reasons for following brands were due to a preexisting affinity for and a desire to be kept informed about the brand. (As a side note, the least-cited reason mentioned by all groups surveyed was to be entertained, suggesting that social media marketers still need to provide fans with value, even if it isn’t directly in the form of a coupon or sale.)
These findings coincide with earlier research from ExactTarget, which showed that a huge component of liking a brand on Facebook was due not just to an affinity, but as a means of self-expression for others to see. This promotional desire was more pronounced in Facebook users than Twitter followers or email subscribers. “Affluents” then, in their “love of the brands” they connect with, are largely acting as brand ambassadors.
Data from the study also reveals that the affluent aren’t using the same social networks as the general population. Facebook was the No. 1 social network used by all groups surveyed, but LinkedIn and Twitter attracted affluent internet users at nearly double the rate of the general population.
Our take away from the study?…. Any marketer targeting affluent consumers needs to know not only where to reach that audience, but what appeals to them. For wealthy internet users, connecting with a brand is largely about the brand itself, not gimmicks and offers. Affluents need to see a consistent message that makes following a brand meaningful for self-expression, just like when buying a brand in real life.
But I don’t think this idea just applies to the affluent—It’s the Brand ambassador we all want to be our friend. The person who “likes” us because of our brand-our quality, our customer service, our distinction in the marketplace.Keep your brand consistent throughout all of your social media efforts. Your ambassadors, wealthy or not, expect it.
Why Facebook launched the Send button
Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 by Nevin McElwrathFacebook on Monday launched a new way to share content online – the Send button. While the functionality is nothing new, how you share content with friends may change with this new process of sharing. Facebook’s goal is to be that “pipe” in which you share more and more information, ultimately learning much more about you so it can deliver specific and targeted advertising down the road.
Let’s look at Facebook’s point of view for a minute. Why do you share links now? You know someone who would find a use for that content, right? Here’s an example scenario: You thought your friend would like this new recipe on a cooking site because she is into gluten free cooking. You send the web address to your friend(s) through the Send button, Facebook takes note of who you send it to, what the link is, the content of the page you sent, and your message. Before your friend knows it, they are seeing ads for gluten free cooking in the right hand column of your Facebook profile. This is exactly what advertisers are after – user relevance. Would you pay more to know that your product or service is being seen by your exact target audience? Absolutely. Targeted ads sell at a premium and Facebook is upping the relevance factor on it’s users.The difference here is that your friends are helping create your interest profiles for advertisers. In some instances, in bulk thanks to Facebook’s group features.
What are your views on targeted ads? Creepy? Useful? Reminds you of the annoying eCards from a few years back? Let us know in the comments below – or better yet, “Send” this story to a friend.
Facebook vs. your Brand Site
Monday, August 23rd, 2010 by David Morgan400 million…500 million…..and still growing. Whether you “like” it (pun intended) or not—Facebook is dominant in helping companies build relationships with their clients. Look at the chart in the article below (thanks to AD Age…)—and with the likes of Starbucks having 12.7 million fans, and growing at almost 79,000 a DAY-you can’t help but consider facebook as a dominant player for customer relationship marketing.
The article in Ad Age today (http://bit.ly/aHknVx) indicated that most of these brands while gaining popularity with their fans on Facebook were losing audience on their web site. But look closer—each of these facebook “pages” are consumer products. And each is driven by a contest, sweepstakes, free offer, etc. Facebook is a great channel for customer engagement—but don’t lose sight of an integrated campaign. While most of the sites in the top ten mentioned above lost web fans, there still is room for the web site in a marketing campaign.
Walgreens, while building a Facebook fan base of more than 500,000, has seen no dropoff in traffic, which hit 6.7 million in July. Within Facebook, Walgreens is finding what works best are fairly frequent short updates, often ones that involve posing a question that prompts a response. Sites with e-commerce are using Facebook as an integrated campaign tactic-driving the consumer to the other channel—and keeping them engaged.
The moral of this story? I’d say don’t keep all your marketing eggs in one basket. Facebook is a force to be reckoned with…to be sure-but keep it in perspective of your overall strategy. Keep the customer connected with you, using whatever tactic is best for them.
Call us at Force 5 if you’d like some assistance. We’re here to help!