Why people are friending your brand on Facebook

Startups like Klout may have a hard time convincing brands they can prove how influential social media followers are. But  dozens of studies aim to figure out why consumers are mentioning, following, or friending brands via social media.

The latest is from Empathica, which surveyed over 15,000 Americans and Canadians, to deliver its take on who's following brands and why.

Give me coupons, please

Empathica found 60% of consumers said they follow at least one brand on their social networks. On its own, that data point isn't particularly newsworthy for marketers, since follower counts alone are poor benchmarks for determining whether a social media campaign is really influential.

So why are all those consumers friending and following brands? The main reason is to get coupons.

Some 40% of survey respondents said they followed brands so they could search for or receive coupons and special promotions. The second-most likely reason (30%) was so they could “browse for additional information.” Far fewer were following to compliment (7.5%), suggest improvements (4%) or complain (3%). 

The reasoning didn't vary much depending on demographics, either. Coupons and promotions came up as the top reason for following brands with social media among:

• 45% of respondents age 18-24
• 49% of respondents age 25-34
• 43% of respondents aged 35-44
• 36% of respondents aged 45-54

The key here?

Social engagement is definitely about two-way conversation and making a brand more “friendly and personable” – but brands must give consumers some form of reward in exchange for their attention. Figure out ways to make that reward tangible and you can boost both sales and brand perception.

Getting it right

Some brands clearly understand that, as they're using social media to give their brand “ambassadors” real rewards.

Gap was one of the first brands to tap Facebook Deals, and incited a media frenzy with its campaign to give away 10,000 free pairs of jeans to users who checked in and claimed the deal via Facebook Places.

Gap did wind up giving away all of the jeans, but opinions on whether the promotion was a smashing success or social media fail for Gap are mixed. Still, the company was able to generate “hundreds and hundreds” of check-ins – the desired engagement metric for Facebook Places – as a result. That’s giving a tangible product or service, which is what consumers want.

The most undeniable example is Dell and Twitter. Since 2007, Dell has been using its @delloutlet Twitter handle to send exclusive discount codes to its followers, and has reaped the benefits of that follower engagement to the tune of over $6.5 million in global sales. 

Figuring out ways to reward consumers for their attention – be it with discounts, free merchandise, or even virtual rewards – is vital to reaping the most benefits of the social medium.