Monday, March 1, 2010

Does Facebook Fan = Loyal Customer?

It's almost unthinkable now days to not have a Facebook account, especially if you are in business. But have you ever wondered what, if any, impact becoming a "Facebook Fan" makes on a business? Do people set the notices to "hide" or do they anxiously await the next announcement from their favorite places? Well, one business decided to find out just that. In this article they discover what we in social media and marketing have been working hard on. Facebook Fans were more loyal customers, increased their visits to the store, had more positive view of the business, and were more likely to recommend it to others. Exactly what we've been striving for.

As it was, there were over 13,000 customers on the mailing list for the business. These were surveyed, and over 600 responded. When a Facebook page was set up, the mailing list was invited, and after three months they had nearly 300 fans. The people who responded to the survey And became fans became the most loyal customers. They visited the store 20% more and spent a larger percentage of their money.

The writer also points out an interesting fact regarding the number of fans a site has: unless it's a widely known brand, you are not going to receive ginormous fan numbers. The business may have thousands of actual customers, but garner only a few hundred fans. Quality over quantity is the thought though, since those fans are more likely to become super-customers, helping to market your product on their own.

The article urges "cautious optimism" for using Facebook as a marketing tool, with good reason. Common sense says that if your target client demographic is older, less impact may be made. On the flip side of that, however, is that younger clients may be reached more. Yes, Facebook is a bit niche, but as the internet generations age, I can foresee its marketing potential becoming even more broad.

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