Brand Fans

Photo of T-Shirt Wars by Rhett & Link at Flickr

WHY PEOPLE FOLLOW BRANDS

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36.9% of Facebook/MySpace users and 43.5% of Twitter users follow brands on those sites for special offers or deals.

32.9% of Facebook/MySpace users and 23.5% of Twitter users follow brands because they are current customers.

18.2% of Facebook/MySpace users and 22.7% of Twitter users follow brands for their compelling content.

6.2% of Facebook/MySpace users and 6.3% of Twitter users follow brands because their friends are fans of the brand.

THOUGHT: That the highest percentage of social media users follow brands in order to get special deals is no big revelation. Nor is the fact that people follow brands because they are current customers.

Nor even, I think, that people follow brands for their compelling content. It’s not a revelation, at least, to the brands that are creating compelling content. The problem is, most brands are not creating and sharing interesting content.

They either have no skills to do so or it has yet to dawn on them that content is the online currency they must use to buy their customers’ attention.

You’ve heard me talk about social proof before–the concept of placing your trust in a brand or source of information because people you know do so. I find it interesting that less than 10% of social media users follow brands because their friends do.

This notion of social proof is most effective in combination with other factors. The fact that people I know like or follow a brand will cause me to pay closer attention to that brand but if the brand ultimately does not offer me something of value (a deal or compelling content or ongoing service), then I’m not likely to follow the brand despite my friends’ loyalties.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Old School Tech photo.

Thank you for Bananagrams, a great game.

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