ROI doesn’t always come in the form of cold, hard cash.
Though your CFO might get nauseous at the notion of outcomes she can’t put in the bank, there’s a ton of value to be derived from Facebook fans that doesn’t make the cash register ca-ching.
At least not directly.
Recent survey results from Millward Brown and Dynamic Logic unearthed the top 7 reasons organizations want someone to like them (on Facebook, that is).
And the top 5 reasons marketers want someone to like them on Facebook have nothing to do with currency:
1. A potential source of insight
If knowledge is power, then a Facebook fan is a hydroelectric plant. People on Facebook divulge their opinions on a minute-by-minute basis, and they’re probably the cheapest and quickest focus group around.
Need to test a content idea? Want to get feedback on a potential redesign? Need help naming your company mascot? Unadulterated feedback is a post away. So, post away.
2. Increased loyalty
It’s 11PM, do you know where your customers are? You do if they’re connected to your Facebook page. Organizations aren’t going to obsess over your every move (ok, so they probably will) but they do want to make sure the relationship continues beyond the point of transaction.
In other words, they know that when they are out of sight, they are unfortunately out of mind. So keeping the connection going via the Facebook stream is one way organizations can keep tabs on you without making phone calls during dinner.
3. An increased chance of advocacy/recommending
People are much more likely to pass along your message – and literally “like” it – if you put it in front of them and display a big ol’ button that asks them to do exactly that. Smart organizations know that you’re more likely to spread their message if they lower the barrier to entry for you to do so. Having a person connected to your organization’s Facebook page puts your activity front and center, and increases the likelihood someone will pass it along.
And people who are connected to organizations on Facebook are 60% more likely to recommend an organization to their networks anyway.
4. A deepened level of engagement with our brand
Most organizations only feel the love from their customers at the point of transaction with the cash register ringing in place of the wedding bells. But in today’s competitive marketplace, this isn’t enough. Brands want to have a deeper relationship with people and nurture it with content. Facebook provides the perfect setting for this.
Besides, 51% of Facebook users are more likely to buy from a brand if they are connected with them on Facebook anyway.
5. A visible sign of our brand’s popularity
Let’s face it: number of “likes” on Facebook is a status symbol. Sure, people may argue that it is a meaningless metric, but it does say something.
Weightlifters will tell you that how much someone can bench press isn’t as important as how strong they actually are. But if you can bench a lot, you probably do have some strength.
Likewise with Facebook “likes,” it may not be the be all end all, but it does say something about your organization that people are willing to slap your page on their profile like a modern day bumper sticker.
Social media is not always about the direct sale, but it provides a great incubator for relationships and greases the skids for any future proposed transaction, even if they only like you as a friend.
[image: streamishmc]
Related articles
- What Brand Marketers Expect from Social Media Followers – eMarketer (huguesrey.wordpress.com)
- Facebook: Where marketing efforts go to die? (tech.fortune.cnn.com)
- Facebook innovation – measurement, metrics and brand strategy (freshnetworks.com)
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