in to What Your Following Wants

What’s in a Number?  Quite a Bit Apparently

Okay guys, can we go ahead and agree that Social Media is good for business?  At least in an empirical data kind of way?    Well, you might be surprised at how many skeptics are left out there.  Everybody knows “that guy” who will never be seen on Facebook and thinks that Twitter should never have been invented in the first place.  The funny thing is, “that guy” all too often happens to be a marketing manager or marketing influencer for their respective company.  For the good of everyone, new and concrete statistics are now available to add to your pro-social media arsenal.  When “that guy” says you are wasting time creating a Facebook Fan Page, you can remind him that 60% of people surveyed were more likely to refer a brand to a friend if they are a fan of that brand.  And for Twitter? Try 80% more likely.  “That guy” might waive this off as crazy talk.  If he does, forward him the rest of this article – We found some pretty compelling arguments and stats that are hard to dismiss.

Social Media Fans Much More Likely to Buy

Recent findings by Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate have given some reassurance to social media marketers looking to substantiate the time and money they put in developing a fandom on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets.  Take a look at the graph below where US internet users were polled on their Facebook fan habits:

We can see from this graph that Facebook fans are much more likely to not only buy your brand, but to recommend it to their peers.  Most of us could probably have guessed as much – when people are engaged with a product or service through channels such as Facebook and Twitter, brand visibility is heightened and they have a better chance of staying on the customer’s radar.  The trick for brands is to understand why people become fans / followers and then to capitalize on this built-in communication channel by making sure they are telling them what they want to hear. 

Why Your Fans are Fans and Why Your Followers Follow You

So what do your fans want to hear?  Why did they become your fan in the first place?  More data from the study referenced above sheds some light on these questions.  In the graph below, we can see that 61% of “Max Connectors,” or users having 500+ social media connections became fans or followers of a brand to learn about new products, services and features.  This group was also driven to fan or follow a brand to learn more about the company culture, worker’s policies and other corporate information.  For the rest of the users (<500 SM connections), 65% engaged with the brand in order to stay abreast of sales and new deals, while 61% were looking to learn about new products, features and services.  Not to be forgotten, many fans also cited entertainment as a factor in their decision to follow a brand.  Here is the chart:

And what about Twitter?  Do you know why your followers are following you?  If not, you may not be telling them what they want to hear.  The chart below shows strong evidence that supports the notion that many users follow brands on Twitter in order to receive exclusive deals and offers.  Being a customer of the brand and looking for interesting or entertaining content came in neck and neck as the second and third primary reasons users follow a brand on Twitter.

Dig Deeper, But This is a Good Place to Start

Any company with a product or service should keep these easy to remember stats in mind when developing their social media strategy.  While there are countless other ways brands can optimize their social media efforts, the basic concepts laid out above are a great place to start.  Knowing why people follow your brand on social media channels and comprehending what they want to hear is powerful stuff.

• Standard Facebook wall post:

• Facebook wall post with photo:

• Facebook wall post with video:

Facebook makes adding video super easy. Embed video from YouTube, Revver, and Yahoo Video. In fact, you can record video from your webcam directly into Facebook, no fancy editing software needed. (watch tutorial) When your friends or fans click on your video link they can watch the video (it expands and plays). They never have to leave Facebook to watch. What a great tool to keep users on your fan page or encourage them to learn more about you, and in the end your products and services.

People are naturally drawn to pictures and video. I know when friends post photos I almost always check out their profile photo galley to see more. Next time you post on Facebook, try adding a photo or video then observe your friends reactions. Did they have a tendency to comment more? Let me know how this works for you by leaving a comment below.

…

Ask Powerful Questions. Questions force your audience to think. I like observation-themed questions with a humorous edge. For example, “Why do banks charge a fee on ‘insufficient funds’ when they know there is not enough?” and “If the ‘black box’ survives every plane crash, why not make the entire plane out of that stuff?”

Instigate Brainstorming and Problem Solving. Post a problem to your audience and ask for advice or help. Asking the audience to brainstorm ideas or solutions gets them directly involved. It’s a natural human tendency to want to give opinion or criticism. For example, a blogger I follow took 3 pictures of herself in different dresses, and asked her audience which one she should wear to an awards banquet. She received over 60 replies, and it was a way to talk about the award she was receiving without sounding self-centered.

Acknowledge. Social media is a two-way street. Follow other people’s streams and engage with them. Answer their questions and suggest resources to solve their problems. This is one of the best ways to get people to notice you. If you have something of value to say, most of the time people will look up your website and profile for more info. If you get your audience to reply and engage with you, acknowledge them, let them now that you appreciate their ideas and input. A simple thank you, or a personal note can go a long way in building a strong following.

…