This article as been in the making for several months now. It’s been being written through each and every “Like my page, I Like back” comment I’ve seen on Facebook, Empire Avenue, Twitter, Youtube and ANY other Social Media network. However, today (July 12, 2011) this message seemed to be more lost than most days, and therefore I decided to share my thoughts, opinions and facts about quantity VS quality. Of course, what I am talking about is the number of “Likes” on a FanPage, “Followers” on Twitter, “Connections” on LinkedIn and anything else on any other active network.
To me, it seems that it has become a dangerous race or competition to see who can have the most people join their network. That it does not matter who joins as long as they join. What is even sadder is that individuals and companies taking this approach know that they are likely not reaching their target market. That their network is being filled with people who, well don’t care what they have to say. Or, maybe this is where I am making an assumption, maybe these people don’t understand that this approach is not helping their brand, not helping build awareness, that in fact it’s likely hurting their brand, hurting their business. In that case, this article is for you, to help you see that there is a better way, a better approach to using Social Media than getting mass numbers of people on your network and then talking at them, hoping they have a slight interest in what you have to say. Of course, I am talking about quality of Fans and Followers.
The first step to gaining quality Fans /Followers is having a clear understanding of who your target market is, is it kids, teens, moms, Dads, grandparents, etc. Once you have a clear idea who you want to reach you can setup your Social Media campaigns to reach these people. This approach is likely to grow your networks much slower, however this will not matter since each Fan/Follower is actually interested in what you have to say. Lets look at an example.
Company 1. Jewelry R Us has a Facebook FanPage, they used mass marketing and commented “Like my page, I Like back” on every Social Media Network they could signup for. They have 1400 Fans, most of which are still in high school, have little money and no interest in the high end jewelry the company sells.
Company 2. Jewelry Is YOU is the first company’s competitor. They understand that their target market is older working professionals that have the money and desire to purchase high end jewelry. They create their Facebook FanPage to reach that target market, their page as 175 Fans.
Which company is MORE likely to sell a piece of high end jewelry to their Fans on Facebook? I hope that the answer is clear, company number 2. Company number 2 might have less overall Fans, but they have MORE Fans that have an actual interest in the company’s product. In this example you can see that number of Fans is not a real source of measuring how successful your Social Media efforts are. You want to go after your target market and have those people “Like” or “Follow” your networks. Even if you have less than 100 followers that have a serious interest in your brand you are going to be better off than a competitor that has 1000 Fans but only 10 with a serious interest. Focus on quality of Fans/Followers, in the long haul this will build your network and brand much more efficiently.
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This Article was written by Trevor Kohlhepp with Social Brothers, LLC
I have been with Social Brothers since the beginning, originally founding the company with Nicholas, my oldest brother. Social Brothers was my third company. I started my first company Family First Services my junior year of High School, it primarily focused on investing in distressed residential properties. I enjoy writing about social media, business development and inspiring stories.
