Conventional social media wisdom says that a brand’s Facebook page shouldn’t be any different from yours or mine. Ultimately that means that Brands have to act just like real people, but according to a CEB survey, customers don’t want brands acting like people.
According to the survey conducted last year, 23% of customers have a relationship with a brand, whether subscribing to their newsletter for ‘like’ them on Facebook. The rest have no interest in building a relationship with a brand.
“What about all those Facebook fans of the big brands,” you ask? They come for much more tangible things. 61% came for discounts and 55% for offers from these brands.
In an Ad Age article by Corey Mull titled, “Brands Are Not People – and Customers Don’t Want Them to Be,” Corey argues: “Brands’ strategy of imitating people – and spinning out content designed to drive brand engagement — can ultimately add to consumer cognitive overload. This isn’t helping.”
So, are we wasting our time engaging, relationship-building, and focusing on engagement? I would argue no.
What I take from CEB survey is brands should continue their efforts in the social sphere; make sure to offer plenty of exclusive incentives to their fans; and maintain a focus on long-term goals. Truth is, “fans” are fickle – not bored. They are motivated by incentives – not republished copy.
Perhaps people “just aren’t that into” brands, or maybe their relationship status is ‘It’s complicated.’