Tag Archives: brand loyalty
Over the course of last year, I have worked on two different CPG brands and one durable goods brand in social media, and one thing that I have learned right off the bat was that a “Like” on Facebook does NOT equal a purchase conversion. It just doesn’t. No matter how we as marketers apply value to a “Like” or a follow in social media, we must remain vigilant and not sell in the idea that they do. Product conversion or purchase in social is an arduous task. So, how does a brand sell or convert social followers?
Before diving marketing products on social, I want to make one point clear: social networks were created to link people together; not brands and certainly not products. From that, social networks evolved from linking people together to linking experiences and people together – still, no products. It wasn’t until a short time ago that we marketers entered the fray to market brands as people and products as experiences to consumers in a network that wasn’t created for that purpose. This idea, in my opinion, is the fundamental problem we’re dealing with. Social networks were not created to sell products, but we act as though they were.
Creating Product Awareness?
Targeting users on social platforms begins with the ever-present and at times, most overused term, awareness. However, what I have noticed while creating social strategies and being in the trenches of community moderation, is that creating awareness on social channels, whether it be brand or product awareness is near impossible without some sort of paid support. Digital marketers can add to or assist in generating awareness, but not create it purely from nothing.
“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary.” – Sam Walton
We live in a world where we have access to just about anything and everything with a click, or two, of a button. There was a time when you would hear people talk about customer service and you would assume they were sharing a positive experience. Now when you hear customer service, you think of your worst story ever.
One of the keys to a successful business is how much emphasis you place on CRM. Henry Ford once said, “A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.” Whether you order a steak in a restaurant or purchase an iPad online, now more than ever consumers expect to be “taken care of.” Fulfilling the feeling like you’re being “taken care of” can come in many different forms but the one true key is simple… just LISTEN!
Almost any business can get a customer to try their product or service once. In order to have the consumer return, companies need to pay special attention to providing a positive experience from awareness to purchase and far beyond. Organizations retain customers online and offline simply by listening. People want to be heard. They will share their experiences and opinions if you ask (even when you don’t ask) in the hopes you will improve their experience. Listening to your audience shows that you care about them individually and can even make them feel like they are a part of your brand, which builds advocacy. If your customer–and specifically, your customer who belongs to a branded social community–thinks their opinion matters and they feel like they have influence on how you operate your business, the sky is really the limit.
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Trying to increase your Facebook fans, Twitter following or even charitable donation numbers? Give something away.
Brands make a habit of promising that if YOU follow or like they’ll give things away to a varying number of followers. Life as a Community Moderator has by no means made me immune to this. In the past year, I’ve become a fan of Einstein Bagels—even though I don’t eat bread. I’ve voted on my favorite feature of a Ford Explorer and “liked” the page—even though I have no use for a car in the city, and I’ve followed Chicago Food Critic Steve Dolinsky for the chance to go to dinner with him (and won)—even though (I’m sorry, Steve) I had no idea who he was. Why? Because these brands were all giving stuff away and even though I didn’t necessarily need this stuff, I did what these brands and people asked for a chance to win. Was I bought or was I earned? Short answer: I was bought in all cases except for Steve Dolinksy, he’s great. I don’t fit the other brands’ profiles of a model community member, and I’m a useless fan.
Upon realizing my own affinity to follow the directions of those who will buy or give me things, I started to think through successful contests and giveaways for branded communities. Thus, my proposal for a SXSWi panel, Fans for Freebies, was born.
Aside from my own anecdotal evidence in Einstein Bros Bagels’ giveaway, the brand posted some solid fan numbers after it gave away coupons for free bagels to all who liked its page. In an interview with Spinsucks.com, the brand revealed that it increased its fan numbers from 4,700 to 613,703. Suspecting that many would have dropped off as fans after downloading their coupons, I checked the Facebook fan page’s current fan count: 613,413. That’s a 310 fan loss, out of 609,003 fans gained through the giveaway, that’s over a 99% retention rate. In college, we called that an A+. Because Einstein featured more deals and giveaways since their initial free-bagel offering, my conclusion is that these fans actually frequent Einstein Bagels enough to make use of the page’s coupons, thus they are valuable and active fans. Aside from those who gave their coupons away (me), these fans were earned.
