Everybody loves a thumbs up – but brand marketers especially love those on their Facebook page updates denoting interest from, and engagement with, consumers. The question is: does such interaction have any significance on purchasing behavior? Will clicking on the Facebook Like button lead to consumers streaming down to the nearest store to buy a certain product?
The first Power of Like study conducted by digital marketing intelligence company comScore released last year showed there was a definite correlation between being a fan of a brand, or a fan’s friend, and buying from that brand. For example, they found that fans of Best Buy spend 131% more in Best Buy stores and online compared to the average Internet user.
That evidence continues in the latest study just released by comScore, Power of Like II. In Power of Like II, comScore found that:
1. A fan or a fan’s friend of a brand drives them to buy more from that brand in store and online (Earned Media):
o In the four weeks after seeing Starbucks messages on Facebook, fans of Starbucks and their friends overall bought at Starbucks 38% more frequently.
o In the four weeks after seeing Target messages on Facebook, Target fans and their friends overall bought at Target 21% more frequently.
2. Using ads to promote that fan-to-brand connection to more people on Facebook additionally drives sales (Paid Media)
o In the four weeks after seeing an ad on Facebook from a major offline US-based retailer, fans and their friends overall bought 16% more frequently.
o And they bought 56% more frequently online from this retailer.
You can find out more of such analysis in Power of Like II.
