Dr. Tina McCorkindale, Assistant Professor at Appalachian State University Department of Communication, recently published studies that found that 75% of the Millenial generation (18- to 29-year olds) said they had liked an organization or business on Facebook. However, 69% of them said they rarely or never returned to the fan page.
Since the primary objective of social media is engagement, this is not an impressive ROI. The question is: why did respondents push the “like” button in the first place? The study found that the majority learned about the organization’s or business’s fan page through a friend, or by accidentally landing there. Only 28% actually sought out the organization or business. It appears that peer pressure may influence “like” as much or more than other factors.
The take away for food and beverage marketers is that the number of “likes” is not as important at the quality of “likes”. To boost the quality of “likes”, marketers need to understand engagement…coupons, offers, games, dialogue, and other relevant content that is updated frequently. This is the investment required by marketers to make effective use of social media.
Dr. McCorkindale concludes that, “if they (organizations and businesses) can’t manage the space, they really shouldn’t be using the space.” A well designed social media plan offers unique opportunities to build brand loyalty, but because it is not a static form of communication, it requires an ongoing commitment to engagement.
