We’ve talked before about the impetus people have to support and like brands on Facebook, and while it’s true that people do want access to promotions and deals, it turns out that a lot of people understand the value of social media and want to publicly support the brands they like.
In many instances, Facebook users will search for the brands they are loyal to and like them on Facebook, and this is often done with the hope of a coupon or discount, as well as wanting to hear news and updates. This means that your presence on social media networks really is critical to connecting with your audience. I know that you may think we’ve beaten this topic to death, but 49% of 2,080 people interviewed in a Syncapse survey said they liked a brand on Facebook because they wanted to support a brand they liked. Loyal customers want to support the companies they like on social media as well as with their real life dollars!
Facebook Fans Are Worth Money
Syncapse said that the average value of an individual Facebook fan is $174, making your company’s concerted and dedicated effort to be on the network, and to be relevant on the network, crucial. If your fans are looking for you on Facebook and you’re not there, or you never update your page, you are not giving them an opportunity to like individual statuses and spread the word to their friends.
Beating EdgeRank With Promotions
You can add value to your Facebook page by announcing promotions and new products in your status updates. The way that Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm works can make it difficult for your posts to show up in your fans’ timelines, so it is important to establish yourself as someone to watch out for from the beginning. Because EdgeRank displays posts according to affinity or interactions, and most fans won’t re-visit a brand page after clicking “like,” it’s really important that you get fans to like posts on your timeline while they’re there, so that your future posts are more likely to appear on their timelines in the future.
Without getting too technical, EdgeRank does require more work from social media strategists, so posting content and updates that fans are going to like from the get-go is going to increase your social media value in your fans’ eyes as well as in the eyes of EdgeRank. An easy way to draw traffic back to your Facebook page is to run promotions or a contest. The contest needn’t be huge, just a way for fans to involve themselves with your social media efforts for incentive.
A Picture Is Worth More Likes
Although pictures aren’t necessarily going to be more valuable than a contest, Facebook is a very visual social medium, so engaging your fans in a visual way is critical. EdgeRank ranks pictures higher than any other type of post, so incorporating images into your social media strategy is imperative for maintaining the interest of fans.
Although a picture may not reach that many people, social media progress and growth is something that you should monitor over time, and a campaign can take a while to build traction. By updating your page for those users that are currently engaged, you are able to create a personality and brand confidence that may lead users to recommend your page to other users. Syncapse found that 20% of people liked a brand because they saw that their friend liked it, and 15% said that they like a brand page because someone gave them a recommendation. There is definitely power in word of mouth, and word of mouth starts with interesting content.
EdgeRank may make social media marketing a little more tricky unless you are purchasing advertising space, so it really is crucial that you get as many likes and interactions from a fan as soon as they visit your page for the first time, and then after that you want to produce content that will make you worthy enough of a recommendation. If you’re looking for tips on how to create great social media content, then check out our posts on blogging and social media brand management.
Sources
Wasserman, Todd. “Why People Become Facebook Fans.” Mashable. http://mashable.com/2013/06/26/why-facebook-fans/ . (26 May, 2013).