Tag Archives: Like

Remember: Engagement Means More Than ‘Like” On Your Facebook Page

Facebook’s new measurement metric, “People Talking About,” is just what the doctored ordered for Brands to understand that “Like” is one thing and engaging with consumers, another.  People Talking About measures user activity on the Brand’s Facebook page, including posts, comments, Likes, mentions, shares, etc.   Take a look at Mashable’s update on the top 10 brands by Likes and the top 10 by People Talking About:  http://on.mash.to/qBSIit.

The lists are similar, but the key to remember is that Like is not enough.  I may Like a brand, but not really want to hear another word from them or bother to check their Facebook page.  But, create some content to engage me and you may have me hooked.

Clearly, consumers are loyalists if they Like your brand.  But they love your brand if they interact with you.  How do you do achieve that?  Starbucks — No. 1 on the Talking About top 10 — is clearly focused on a number of ways to engage and learn from consumers.  They offer videos to watch (and comment on); discussions on Starbucks offerings — encouraging consumers to give them ideas; friend activity so loyalists can brag about their Starbucks experiences; and currently feature pumpkin pictures to promote their pumpkin spice latte (incorporating sharing photos via Instagram).

Victoria’s Secret may be lower on the Likes totem poll, but is No. 3 on the Talking About scale.  VS offers the usual wall banter, plus polls, contests, gift cards and wallpaper.  The wallpaper is a simple, sexy incentive to drive a lot of activity.

Skittles is another brand pushing for daily interaction.  They feature a “Rainbro of the Week” contest where consumers can feature photos.  Skittles conducts polls and posts entertaining videos.  And what they do extremely well is simply post statements to see if consumers like or offer comments to capture the Skittles personality.  For example, a recent Skittle post was:  ”I’m making a horror movie about a world without Skittles.  What should I call it?”  Those two sentences garnered 9,225 Likes and, more importantly, caused 10,919 Facebook users to comment.

Doesn’t that motivate you to crank up the activities on your brand’s Facebook page?

 

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More Than Half of Americans Are on Facebook — So Use It!

Last week Biz Report announced more than half of Americans over the age of 12 have a profile on Facebook. This comes from a study due out this month, “Dial 2011: Navigating Digital Platforms” by Arbitron and Edison Research.

Everyone recognizes the amazing power in those numbers…if you use Facebook correctly.

A few tips to build your brand:

A Facebook ad is surprisingly inexpensive — try one. And often those ads are what prompt a consumer to go to their favorite brands and click the “Like” button. People don’t get on Facebook everyday with the intention to find their favorite brands. But once they’re in the experience, they don’t mind being reminded that you’re there too.
Think about adding to your brand page on weekends. Many Facebookers are finally getting time to read and write on the weekends. Recent news on their walls gets the most attention.
Make visitors to your page welcome. Many brands have joined Facebook to have a conversation with their consumers, but they don’t converse. Instead, they just post announcements. Invite your consumers to share their thoughts — whether it’s about your product, a new promotion or ad. You’ll find they have some good insight to share!

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Filed under brands, Facebook

The Super Bowl: Where Ads Still Mean Something to Viewers

Tis the week before the Super Bowl and all through the land, people are talking about the Pittsburgh Steeler-Green Bay Packer match up and where they’re going to watch it.  And for those who could care less about the game, at least there’s the ads as part of the entertainment package.

I don’t know if any of the major advertising agencies out there are watching with excitement (if they have an ad in the mix) or trepidation.  The fear isn’t about whether their ad will be “Liked” or panned — but whether there’s a place for television advertising beyond a major event like the Super Bowl.

Let’s face it, a couple pieces of technology are slowly crumbling advertising’s stranglehold on the one-way conversation with consumers.  The first is called a DVR.  This invention has allowed millions of people to record their favorite shows and movies and — more importantly to them — allowed them to bypass all the ads, as to not squander their precious free time.

The second is the Internet.  It’s another place where consumers are watching their television shows, again bypassing (or ignoring) the ads in those downloads.  But the Web has also enabled consumers to have conversations with each other about brands, products (aka Word of Mouth…WOM).  Study after study shows that consumers believe online consumer reviews more than manufacturers ads or descriptions.

It all points to two things for Brands:
1.  Consider Public Relations and Social Media first to enable you to really talk with your consumers and affect their purchase decisions.
2.  Consider advertising only when it is Super Bowl audience caliber.  That may be the only way it’s worth your $300 million.

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Tap the Power of Sports Franchise Affinity

You had to have heard about it this week:  Chicago area car salesman was fired for wearing a Green Bay Packer tie to his job on the Monday after Green Bay defeated the Chicago Bears for the NFC Championship.
If you didn’t — the gist of the story is that the dealership manager asked the salesman, John Stone, to remove his tie or be fired.  What the manager didn’t tell him was that he thought the tie would negatively affect the dealership’s relationship with the Bears.  What Stone didn’t say was that he was wearing the tie to honor his late grandmother, who taught him to root for Green Bay.
But the details don’t matter.  When media – both traditional and social — got wind of this incident, only one thing mattered:  every consumer who heard it could relate to team affinity.  Whether you love the Oakland Raiders or (heaven forbid) the New England Patriots, you recognize the passion of loving “your” team.  You honor it.
The story set off a wave of social media chatter, responding to online stories, posts and tweets.  Some say:  who cares?  But “fan power” (just like “likes” on Facebook) is powerful.  In fact, Stone immediately got a new sales job at another area dealership and Packer fans from all over the U.S. are calling him to buy vehicles.
Head & Shoulders (partly commandeered by my previous employer, Marina Maher Communications) has done a great job of tapping this fan frenzy with marketing efforts surrounding spokesperson, Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu.  Apparently Suave likes the idea so much, its tapped Green Bay Packers’ Clay Matthews, hoping for the same type of success.
So just remember marketers, you’re not just working with or sponsoring a team, you’re tapping passion.  Leverage it.

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Filed under Affinity Marketing