Monday, November 9, 2009
Should Social Network Marketing Be All About the Deals?
Today, digital agency Razorfish released its annual Feed study of “connected consumers” — a group that includes broadband users who have spent at least $150 online in the past six months, have visited a community site and have also consumed or created some form of digital media.
One of the key points Razorfish makes is that the primary reason these connected consumers interact with brands in social environments is because they want to get deals. If that is true, it could have major repercussions for the way marketers should think about social media and what their goals should be.
According to the Feed study, 44% of respondents said the primary reason they followed a brand on Twitter because they thought they’d have access to special deals. Among Facebook and MySpace users, 37% said the main reason they friended a brand was for the deals.
But I believe that marketers should not take the results of this study as license to act as if social networks are merely promotional playgrounds. Promotions are designed to drive immediate action. Brands that use promotions or deals to increase their Facebook fan count or boost their Twitter follower count may experience short-term success but then risk losing the attention and loyalty of those fans and followers unless they keep pumping out the offers and deals.
As the Feed study points out, Dell Outlet deserves credit for its use of Twitter to promote sales and special discounts. And Starbucks used promotions (such as a free pastry giveaway) to build its Facebook fan base to nearly 5 million. But what kind of fans are they? Ones that will be loyal only as long as the discounts keep coming, or ones that really want to interact with the brand over the long term?
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Very thoughtful post. Full disclosure: I am the VP of marketing for Razorfish, which published FEED. My take-away from FEED is that consumers follow brands that make them feel special. Of the consumers Razorfish surveyed, indeed a large number said they follow a brand on Twitter or Facebook for exclusive deals or offers, and also a large percent cited “interesting or entertaining content.” I might be splitting hairs, but I think the word “exclusive” here is crucial. Brands that offer “come one, come all” deals will not make consumers feel special (and hence defeat the purpose of creating fan pages or Twitter accounts). I think so long as consumers feel like they are getting access to something special, whether an exclusive offer or content tailored for followers or fans, they will engage with the brand. Really appreciate your post.
Very interesting post. I work for a small advertising agency that produces huge results due to SEM/SEO and social media. I absolutely think providing deals and incentives to customers helps bring business in, but also realize that there needs to be more in order to keep everyone’s interest high. http://www.mediarevo.com/services/social . Thank you, I look forward to reading more!