Does Anyone Like Me?
Let’s look at what happens when Joe Bloggs Likes a Facebook page.
Joe is looking at the Waitrose Facebook page and decides to Like it. In his personal profile under Likes he will have an icon that looks like image #1:
So what – who is going to notice that on a profile page? However, Joe now receives status updates from Waitrose that look like image #2.
Therefore, if your brand has 2,000 fans like Joe, then your status update will be published in 2,000 people’s news feeds. But what do these numbers really mean? Are these 2,000 people really watching, or are they going snow blind from the consequences of random Facebook page Liking frenzies?
Does clicking on a little thumbs-up icon translate to brand endorsement by the consumer? Click To TweetThere are 2 issues here: one is the value of exposure and the other is the value of peer endorsement.
There is little dispute that the more people who Like your Facebook page, the more exposure you are achieving for your brand.
However, the more ambiguous issue is the one of the peer recommendation. Some people argue that the numbers of fans are empty and don’t reflect true brand loyalty. I disagree. The reality is that, as humans, we are very insecure and we seek other people’s endorsements to guide our opinions.
By garnering a significant volume of Likes, you enter the psychological territory of the mentality that ‘if Joe likes it then it must be good’. Here, though, we should indeed critique the quality of fan volume.
A Forrester Research study shows that 70% of consumers trust brand recommendations from friends, while only 10% trust advertising. So how do you guarantee that your growing numbers of fans represent genuine potential clients for your business, whose opinion will recommend your brand to their social networks?
70% of consumers trust brand recommendations from friends, while only 10% trust advertising. Click To TweetAt this point we come back to the core of any marketing campaign: great content. It’s hard to get excited about a grocery store, but everyone loves food and many people enjoy cooking. Few people will tell you that they hold a passion for an airline but we all aspire to see the world.
Your social media campaign should have a dual agenda to pump up the volume of Likes and to provide fabulous, engaging content. These two motives are far from mutually exclusive – they are crucial elements of mutual support.
If you would like guidance for your brand’s profile in the social media arena then please talk to one of the LeadGenerators’ experts about our social media engagement programmes.
