They’re far less prevalent than the in early days of the social media gold rush, but you can still find them: ads with with a little something extraneous in them that invites the viewer to “Follow us on Facebook.”
Every time I see something like that, I ask myself two simple questions:
1. Why?
2. What’s in it for me?
For affinity brands, the answer is obvious. The “what’s in it for me” is a personal association with a beloved brand.
Simply put, if I’m a Harley guy my following/liking Harley Davidson on Facebook clearly brands me as a Harley guy—and I want all my Facebook friends to know it. But what about XYZ Corp., purveyor of fine stainless steel fastener sub-assemblies for agricultural equipment manufacturers? The only people following them on Facebook are their competitors seeking actionable intel, prospective employees and headhunters.
There are a lot of instances where such a tactic can work: new product sampling (for a free sample of our new
Facebook likes and follows are an important metric for many brands—even those that don’t immediately come to mind. One recent example: Citibank US. Their Facebook page has over 700,000 likes as of this writing. Why? Here’s a recent post that proves my point:
“Citi® cardmembers can get access to purchase presale tickets to Bon Jovi in Saratoga, NY & Darien Center, NY at
What’s in it for me > Presale tickets? OK, I’m in. (BTW, this single post generated over 350 likes.)
So before just blindly junking up your ad and polluting its limited signal with “Follow/Like us” noise, put yourself in your primary target’s social shoes and ask “Why?”
D.P. Knudten • creative director / Discover Mediaworks
(x-posted at Discover Mediaworks’ Facebook page)
