For brands, having a Facebook Page may be more important than you realise. Recent market research conducted by Lab42 has shown that around 50% of consumers feel they find a brand’s Facebook Page more useful that its actual website. If you are responsible for marketing a brand, but you don’t have a Facebook Page, then this other finding might jolt you into action: 82% of respondents said that Facebook is a good place to interact with brands.
But what is it consumers like about the fact a brand has a Facebook Page? According to Lab42’s survey, the biggest motivations for someone to Like a Facebook Page include promotions/discounts (34%), free giveaways (21%), brand loyalty (14%) and brand trust (11%). The study also revealed that 77% of those people who Like a brand on Facebook have saved money as a result of doing so. But to have saved money on a purchase, they will have had to make a purchase in the first place – so Facebook Pages clearly have the ability to encourage customers to get their wallets out.
And as you must all be patently aware, Facebook is a very social place. In fact, so social that 69% of people surveyed said that they have Liked a brand page just because they saw that a friend had. How many people come running out of a high-street shop shouting to everyone about the incredible new frying pan they bought? Facebook can give this sort of instant exposure that can make or break fledgling businesses. And with people shopping more and more from behind a computer monitor, you need to make sure your brand is getting the social exposure that it needs.