5 Important Stats about Brand Interaction on Facebook

Companies trying to establish their brands on Facebook is nothing new. However, now that brand proliferation is so strong online, it's good to step back and look at how the consumers are actually interacting with those brands.

A recent report from Constant Contact analyzed the online consumer behavior of nearly 1,500 Facebook users to see how they interact with brands. Rather than boring you with the entire report, here are the 5 key points I took away from the study:

• 78% like fewer than 10 brands: This is interesting, because that means a brand has to offer something of substance to be one of those few brands consumers are willing to follow.
• 58% like brands that they already use: This was the number one reason for why a consumer likes a brand. This is key because it contradicts the strategy of using Facebook to gain new customers. However, Facebook obviously plays into customer relations after the purchase.
• 56% more likely to recommend a brand: Echoing the previous point of post-purchase customer relations, more than half of those surveyed said they are much more likely to refer a brand to a friend after becoming a fan on Facebook.
• 13% post updates about brands they like: One of the biggest takeaways I got from this report is that very few consumers actively engage with brands on Facebook. This needs to be taken into account when brands are deciding what direction their Facebook page should go.
• 77% interact by reading posts: By a substantial margin, reading posts was the primary way consumers interact with brands. This is good news for brands that can't offer quick and easy discounts, because they can at least try to generate engaging content to fuel fan interaction.

While this survey focused on consumer brands, it's good to know that the quality of the content dictates how engaged fans will be. And although it's just one survey, there are still some very interesting lessons to take away as brands try to cut through the noise inherent to social media.

Video Post: The big brand question with Google

The incredible amount of hype around Google+ is making companies eager to join the site. Google is forcing all but a few businesses to wait on their company profiles, however. They are planning for separate business pages in the future, but are not ready quite yet.

Video Post: Teenage Wasteland for Brands on Facebook

It seems like a simple question: If brands like interacting with consumers online and teens spend a majority of their time on Facebook and other social media platforms, then brands marketing to teens should have the easiest time interacting with their target demographic, right? Unfortunately for those companies, a recent Forrester report points otherwise. I look into the numbers and what they mean on today's Daily Axiom's Video Blog post.

Social Web Starter Kit: How to Avoid Reputation Desperation

Anyone notice how the Web 3.0 world (microblogging/blogging integration) is making brands (We’re all brands!) so desperate for attention? Time and time again, we at Daily Axioms have fallen into the trap of seeming too commercial and not enough personal—in order to build up buzz for our blog. In keeping aligned and keeping people’s interest within social networks, it’s important to know several things about building a socially Web-acceptable reputation.

1) Think self-disclosure
I’m very tired of trying to reach 1,000+ followers inappropriately on Twitter, hoping they’ll @ me by a “That’s cool” response. I managed to get @armano's attention by tweeting about something we had in common: we both like sour stuff. All relationships online, at the core, are personal—because self-disclosure is easier online. If I met @armano on the street, would “I like sour candy” be the first thing out of my mouth? No. We’d probably talk about the weather or sports.

Moral: When you say things that strike a chord with someone personally on Twitter, trust me, they’ll tweet you back.

2) I actually read your post. Here are my thoughts.
On blogs, brands don’t try hard enough. Moreover, the PR agencies representing them don’t really know this blog editor at all, and a simple “Great post. You should check out this new product from…” is a great way to let the commenters know you’re a selfish spammer. Some might think a post with massive comments= strong opportunity to get the word out, but if you don’t read the post and the comments pertaining to the post first, you don’t know the context.

Moral: Know the context to determine if your product/service/event really suits the situation.

3) Check your motive
This really sums up the first two, but this needs a category all its own. In an effort to get ahead or standout, we act very selfish. We won’t acknowledge others in the space and we’ll only speak to the author or moderator. When I see comments or replies on Ustream or Twitter hashtag events like this, it indicates a person doesn’t want to be social; rather, they’re in it for themselves, and if applicable, their client. Moderators and blog writers can see through this and dismiss the deceptiveness by blocking you. (Trust me, it can happen)

Moral: Engage with the community you are now a part of (You didn't just hop in).

4) Listen. Welcome feedback.
Has it ever occurred to you that your subscribers or fans will give you answers to your unsaid questions as to why you’re not getting more traffic, or why this product isn’t selling as well as you thought it would the ‘beta time around’? Your community wants to hear from you, so if you’re not reaching out to them and welcoming feedback, how are they going to know if you’re actually listening and making the necessary adjustments?

Moral: Say the unsaid so you can get the answers needed

5) Now you’re ready to build a networking plan!

• Make a list of all the people you’d like to know online that are also within your professional network offline. These are the people you see at pro events and social media conferences—within your region.

• Make a list of all the people you’d like to know online that are miles away from you. These are the people that you can have a long distance relationship with by simply being an active community member on their blog, discussion forum, LinkedIn Q&A, or Twitter feed.

• Engage with your key members of your new community 2-3 times a week—whether close by or long-distance.

• Provide your community with some helpful info you’ve read about recently that pertains to what was discussed on their blogs, Twitter feed, etc. You can do this by simply commenting on their blog or e-mailing them the info. You know it will appeal, or your community will at least acknowledge-- if it pertains to what’s been on their minds lately.

• Beyond your pro network, reach out to niche-specific audiences that align with your interests and your client’s interests. Consider the steps above before making a list and making the contact.

Moral: A crowded space will bury you and it’s important to stand out by offering something the community can chew on—something that’s beneficial to all.

And that, my friends, is how people will start talking about you and your contributions to online communities appropriately.

It's a Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom World

Mother’s Day may be in May, but the blogosphere reminds us that mom is to be cherished—forever and always.

I chatted via e-mail and Twitter with Cat, the creator of the mom blog 3 Kids and Us, which has made its way to #5 on the top 100 Mom Bloggers Club list. That’s quite a feat since the blog really just started (early summer 2008), and we bloggers know, it takes a LONG time to spread word-of-mouth or link-luv about a blog.

In 1999, it was reported that nearly 80-85 percent of women are the primary purchase decision-makers in the home, and Cat is quick to point out, “men just don’t make up that number, because moms are the researchers. As a mom, I want to make sure the products I use are safe for my family. All moms want that,” she said.

The explosion of moms on social networks has lead to some poignant acronyms as well: WAHM, SAHM, FTWM. There’s probably many more but that’s currently what’s out there on TwitterMoms profiles and online clubs such as Mom Bloggers Club, CaféMom, and Cat’s personal favorite, MomDot.com— because the founder Trisha knows how to keep moms connected while also offering a more personable, welcoming atmosphere. MomDot.com via its Ning social network garners a whopping 50,000 unique visitors per month, so according to Cat, “Trisha is doing something right.”

Don’t underestimate moms’ stamina in broadcasting her favorite events, news, or kids’ stories over a blog. Cat informed me she spends a total of 8 hours/day blogging, so it’s really a full-time gig with the added hustle and bustle around the home. The most surprising thing about mom blogs, particularly “3 Kids and Us,” regardless of the Web-click banner ads for monetization purposes: blogs are not a source of income for families. That sure shocked me, as I always figured top mom bloggers with high visitor traffic would be shoe-ins for a start-up entrepreneur contest entitled, “The Next Best Thing.”

As the telescopic lens of company brands has become more zoomed in on moms, so have the criticisms for doing things wrong. Though it’s not a requirement for brand managers to hire a social media mom (Lolita Carrico thinks so), Cat drives this mom message home:

“If a company wants to sell their product to a mom or her children, they need to take the time to speak with the people to whom they are marketing. Moms know what they want and need; we don’t want to be told by a suit why something is beneficial for our families when they themselves have no idea how the product will fit into our lives.”

So here’s to moms like Cat who are working really hard in energizing other moms and companies to do it right, and aren’t getting paid for it.