- Which Brands are Engaging Fans on Facebook Pages?A new study of over 200 million Facebook page fans conducted by Visibli reveals some interesting findings about how well brands are engaging consumers on the most popular social networking site. Some of the highlights from the study tell us: Audi Facebook Page fans are highly engaged. The only other brand to rank in the […]
- Planning Your CSR Content StrategyIt’s one of those big givens in life: if you’ve bought flat packed furniture, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS before you even think about picking up a screwdriver. In fact, make sure there are instructions for understanding the instructions before you even buy that corner shelving unit which looks oh-so-lovely in the promotional picture. And also, be […]
- Foreign Brands Hold Strong in ChinaChina is a hot spot for brands around the world as more and more companies focus on the huge audience of consumers there. For example, just last month I was interviewed about how the Playboy brand can position itself for future success in Asia, particularly in China, based on my research about the brand in […]
- Corporate Eye Summary April 16, 2011Addressing the Corporate Website Wouldn’t you want to keep all roads open to your website? I visit many corporate websites a week, and am frequently surprised when brought up short by an error message, or by ending up somewhere unexpected, requiring me to rethink my route to the website. Usually it’s a browser error message: […]
- 2010 Online Ad Revenues Jump to $26 Billion in the United StatesIf there was any question as to whether or not online advertising is doing well, a new report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) gives the answer. In 2010, online ad revenues in the United States grew by an impressive 15% to $26 billion. Clearly, online advertising is a key component of […]
Corporate Eye Summary April 23, 2011
- Which Brands are Engaging Fans on Facebook Pages?A new study of over 200 million Facebook page fans conducted by Visibli reveals some interesting findings about how well brands are engaging consumers on the most popular social networking site. Some of the highlights from the study tell us: Audi Facebook Page fans are highly engaged. The only other brand to rank in the […]
- Planning Your CSR Content StrategyIt’s one of those big givens in life: if you’ve bought flat packed furniture, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS before you even think about picking up a screwdriver. In fact, make sure there are instructions for understanding the instructions before you even buy that corner shelving unit which looks oh-so-lovely in the promotional picture. And also, be […]
- Foreign Brands Hold Strong in ChinaChina is a hot spot for brands around the world as more and more companies focus on the huge audience of consumers there. For example, just last month I was interviewed about how the Playboy brand can position itself for future success in Asia, particularly in China, based on my research about the brand in […]
- Corporate Eye Summary April 16, 2011Addressing the Corporate Website Wouldn’t you want to keep all roads open to your website? I visit many corporate websites a week, and am frequently surprised when brought up short by an error message, or by ending up somewhere unexpected, requiring me to rethink my route to the website. Usually it’s a browser error message: […]
- 2010 Online Ad Revenues Jump to $26 Billion in the United StatesIf there was any question as to whether or not online advertising is doing well, a new report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) gives the answer. In 2010, online ad revenues in the United States grew by an impressive 15% to $26 billion. Clearly, online advertising is a key component of […]
The Quantifiable Value of Return Policies for Brands
In a recent study by Northwestern University and MIT researchers (reported by Neuromarketing Blog), a quantifiable value was placed on retail return policies. While it may seem like the real value of return policies comes from the positive brand perceptions they create, there are now hard metrics that prove return policies are important and should be well promoted
In the study, researchers determined the specific value that customers put on having the option to return items they purchase online. As you might expect, the value was closely tied to the perceived risk of a purchase. However, the study also reveals some specifics about how much more customers are willing to pay for a great return policy.
The study determined that the value of a return policy on men’s shirts equates to $3.19. For women’s shirts, the value is $5.00. However, the value of a return policy on women’s shoes is $15.81. These valuations make sense when you consider the fact that purchasing a man’s shirt is less risky than purchasing shoes for a woman. Without actually trying the shoes on, it can be difficult for women to find the right fit. Men’s shirts are more likely to fit without trying them on than women’s shoes are. It’s a riskier online purchase making the value of a good return policy five times higher for women’s shoes than men’s shirts.
Of course, a good return policy can mean different things to different people, but offering comparisons between your return policy and competitors’ return policies can demonstrate to consumers that yours is more valuable (assuming it’s better than your competitors’ return policies). If your return policy is great, make sure your customers know it, too. They need to understand its value in order to see it as an important benefit to them and differentiator of your brand from others.
You can follow the link to read the complete Northwestern University and MIT study findings. It’s filled with statistical analysis and information you can take to your leadership team to help you sell the need for your brand to have a great return policy.
Image: stock.xchng
Which Brands are Engaging Fans on Facebook Pages?
A new study of over 200 million Facebook page fans conducted by Visibli reveals some interesting findings about how well brands are engaging consumers on the most popular social networking site.
Some of the highlights from the study tell us:
- Audi Facebook Page fans are highly engaged. The only other brand to rank in the top 5 Facebook pages with a minimum of 100,000 “likes” ranked by Visibli is American Airlines. See the chart below for details.
- Celebrity Facebook pages are the most active and their audiences are the most engaged. In fact, engagement increases as celebrity Facebook pages grow. The exact opposite is true of brand Facebook pages.
- Celebrity Facebook pages get twice as many “likes” as brand and media organization Facebook pages get.
- Media organizations get 2 and a half times as many comments on their Facebook pages than celebrities get and 5 times more than brands get.
- Half of the “likes” on posts published on Facebook pages happen within the first hour and 20 minutes after the post is published. 80% happen within the first seven hours and 95% happen within the first 22 hours after the post is published.
What can brands learn from this study? First, media organizations are doing a better job of encouraging Facebook page fans to publish comments and join the conversation than brands are. Furthermore, Audi and American Airlines are two branded Facebook pages to review and determine how you can implement similar strategies into your own brand Facebook pages to boost engagement. Finally, it’s easy to spend less time on your brand’s Facebook page as the audience gets bigger and bigger simply because you’re no longer publishing and interacting in an effort to build your fan base. However, you can’t let your Facebook activities slide just because your audience is growing organically. The online audience is fickle. If you’re not providing fresh and interesting content and conversations, they’ll replace your brand with another in the blink of an eye. Don’t let them get away.
Getting fans to like your Facebook page is only the first step. Once you have them listening, you have to give them meaningful information that they’ll want to share and talk about. That’s how Facebook pages become a successful indirect marketing tool and can help build your brand, business and bottom-line.
What do you think? Leave a comment and share your thoughts about brand Facebook page engagement.
Image: Visibli
Foreign Brands Hold Strong in China
China is a hot spot for brands around the world as more and more companies focus on the huge audience of consumers there. For example, just last month I was interviewed about how the Playboy brand can position itself for future success in Asia, particularly in China, based on my research about the brand in my book Building Brand Value the Playboy Way. You can read that interview and article in English on AsiaOne.com. It’s an interesting read.
Now, research from marketing consultancy R3 reveals that consumers in China are more open to foreign brands than you might think. Every three months, R3 conducts research in 10 cities in China among an audience of 15-40 year old respondents. These people rate brands based on three factors: preference (within a brand’s category), engagement (if the brand is correctly linked with a celebrity or media asset), and values (if the brand has strong values and associations with consumers).
During the first quarter of 2011, 19 of the top 50 brands in China were not from local companies (according to the 10,500 study respondents). While China Mobile, owner of the largest mobile network in the world, ranked at the top of the overall list, it didn’t take the top spot for the engagement rating. That top spot went to BBK, an electronics company in China.
BBK’s enagement rating was closely trailed by Nike’s engagement rating. Why does the athletic-wear company rank so high in China? As Sunny Chen, Senior Researcher for R3, explains, Nike “leads for strong engagement and association with stars and media in China.” Consumers in China like brands that are associated with popular celebrities and media properties. They’re also spending more time on popular social sites in China such as Q-Zone and shopping sites like Taobao, according to R3’s research. Social media has the ability to reach Chinese consumers faster than traditional media, and those consumers are actively looking for information from brands.
Which brands are engaging consumers in China? The top 10 as ranked in Q1 2011 are listed below. You can find the rest in the complete list from R3.
- China Mobile
- Nokia
- Nike
- Apple
- LiNing
- Lenovo
- KFC
- Mengnlu
- Sony
- Coca-Cola
There is a new world of opportunity for brands to connect with new consumers in the China market. Is your brand there yet? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Image: Flickr
Corporate Eye Summary April 16, 2011
- Addressing the Corporate WebsiteWouldn’t you want to keep all roads open to your website? I visit many corporate websites a week, and am frequently surprised when brought up short by an error message, or by ending up somewhere unexpected, requiring me to rethink my route to the website. Usually it’s a browser error message: Oops! We couldn’t find […]
- 4 Ways Content Builds BrandsContent marketing works. I’ve seen it work first-hand for businesses and individuals. In fact, I wouldn’t have a successful business and 8 business books published by leading publishers (including the upcoming Content Marketing for Dummies) if content marketing didn’t work. But how do you actually use content to build a brand? Keep reading to learn […]
- Measurement without Telling Anyone – Germany | CSR Around the World/ CC-BY-SA
- Research Offers Tips for Better Facebook Brand Marketing ResultsResearch from Buddy Media released this month and reported by eMarketer offers insight into how to increase engagement with Facebook users. The study provides interesting statistics for brand managers based on when, what and how to publish content on the most popular social networking site in the world. According to a small study, the highest […]
- Automated web reporting | Changing the nature of CSRSo GRI 3.1 has been released. I’ve been so excited by this development it’s taken me a couple of weeks to get around to actually looking at what the changes are. Yep, that excited. Actually, it’s a bit more than that. a) I was busy on other things, and b) there are other far more […]