Hey brands, consumers are waiting for your invitation to help

More than half of the social network users are following a brand. Mainly the more active social networkers are interested in information about a brand. There are also a little bit more woman than men who are fans of brands on social media. Popular sectors are media, fashion goods, food/retail and travel. The main driver to become a brand fan is because you are a happy user of their products.

They want benefits and information: makes sense

The main reason for people to follow brands are getting product information (58%) and personal benefits like promotions (58%). Next to that, people love to be invited for events through their social media fanship (57%).

Next to information exchange, people are really happy to set up a conversation with a brand. 42% already had a conversation with a brand. The large majority of these conversations are positive. It’s only a minority of the people who start negative conversations on branded Facebook pages. (source: Social Media around the World 2011)

They want to share ideas and co-create with you

People want even more than information, benefits and conversation. More than half of the consumers would like to share ideas with a brand they like. They are open to take part in co-creation sessions. Their involvement with some brands is so high, that they would feel honored if they are asked to help.

Don’t forget collaboration, the second dimension of social media

When we talk about social media strategies, most of the time it is about a reactive conversation strategy in combination with a proactive content strategy. That’s cool and great, but that is only 1 dimension of social media usage. The second dimension is structural collaboration. Through social media (existing platforms like Facebook) or smaller created communities (research communities) the opportunity exists to involve your client in all aspects of your company. You can ask them to join the innovation team, but they are also a great help to discover new trends in your industry. They are open, enthusiastic and love your brand, please don’t just ignore these people.

Find out more about our global social media study at SlideShare.