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Consumers Like Facebook Discounts »
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Consumers Like Facebook Discounts

The prospect of receiving discounts is the number one driver for consumers to “like” a brand on Facebook, according to a new study from ExactTarget and CoTweet.

Showing Support Closely Follows Discounts
As mentioned above, data from “Facebook X-Factors” shows that the highest percentage of consumers (40%) are motivated to like a brand on Facebook by discounts and promotions. Almost the same percentage (39%) is motivated by showing support for the brand.

However, two other popular reasons – getting free samples or coupons (36%) and updates on upcoming sales (30%) tie into the discount/promotion motivation. Other popular drivers include staying informed about the activities of a company (34%), getting updates on future products (33%), and fun or entertainment (29%).

Education and interaction (13%) are the least-popular reasons to like a brand by a substantial margin.

Personal Beats Professional
Results from “Facebook X-Factors demonstrate that for most consumers, Facebook is far more about personal, rather than professional, interaction. Sixty-three percent of Facebook users are there to reconnect with old friends and friends who live far away, and 59% use Facebook to maintain personal contacts.

The third-most-popular reason to have a Facebook account, stay on top of your social life, still connects to personal concerns but is far less common, with 37% of users agreeing this is a reason they are on Facebook. Only 15% of Facebook users are there to maintain professional and work contacts.

Other Findings

• 64% of all U.S. online consumers (and three quarters of Millennials) have created a profile on Facebook.
• 70% of consumers who “fanned” a brand on Facebook didn’t feel they’d given this company permission to market to them.
• Only 17% of consumers say they’re more likely to buy after becoming a fan on Facebook.

Average Facebook Fan Worth $137
The average value a Facebook fan provides a brand is $136.38, but it can swing to $270.77 in the best case or go down to $0 in the worst, according to research from Syncapse. This value is based on Syncapse analysis of five factors per fan: product spending, brand loyalty, propensity to recommend, brand affinity and earned media value.

On average, a Facebook fan participates with a brand 10 times a year and will make one recommendation. Value can differ significantly by individual brand. For example, in the case of Coca-Cola, the best case for fan value reaches $316.78 but is $137.84 for an average fan. In the worst case scenario, a fan is worth $0.