- Budweiser is the only one of the top 50 global brands to direct users to an “unfiltered” Facebook wall. That means that the other 49 are actively limiting what consumers can see on their pages.
- 89 percent of consumer replies on company’s Facebook pages remained unanswered. Case in point: Gucci didn’t reply to a single thread in the last three months. Eleven companies, meanwhile, responded to more than just one consumer.
- Even when marketers responded, only 15 percent of their posts “invited further conversation” and 17 percent actually “addressed the consumer by name.”
- If you check out financial firms like J.P. Morgan and Citibank’s Facebook brand pages, there’s actually not much going on on their walls.
- Those that were a bit more friendly and responsive on Facebook averaged a consumer-to-company post/response ratio of 3:1. Most, however, had a 1:4 ratio.
- Just 5 percent of company-to-consumer posts actually encouraged discussion. The majority, 71 percent, were actually promotional offers. Canon’s Facebook page, for instance, includes a plug to win its Canon IXUS 105 digital camera.
What can we learn from the error of others ways? The key to social media marketing lies in honest interaction with customers. Consistency, patience, and most of all, engagement are the only ways to win over the fickle online masses. And of course, what you don't Say can hurt more than what you do- Ignoring complaints and unhappy customers online never helps.
