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Facebook ‘Fans’ are NOT the same thing as Brand Advocates

I was having a discussion on Twitter the other night and we were discussing a brand’s fans.  A passion topic of mine, but after a few minutes I realized something: The other person was talking about FACEBOOK fans, I was talking about Brand Advocates.

They are completely different groups.  That’s not to say that someone that Fans your Facebook Page can’t also be an advocate, but we know that the top reason people Fan a Facebook page, is to get discounts.  Brand Advocates aren’t looking for compensation or incentives in most cases, they want acknowledge and empowerment.

Yet I fear that Social Media in some ways is corrupting how brands view its customers.  We are teaching companies that ‘Fans’ on Facebook are something to be collected like baseball cards, and that they should target ‘influencers’ like bloggers and power Twitter users.

Brand Advocates are special customers that are motivated by a love of your brand and a desire to make sure that everyone else sees your brand in the same light that they do.  The amount of motivation that a Facebook Fan has for your brand is usually directly proportional to the value of the ‘prize’ they receive from Fanning your page.

Which would you rather have?

About Mack Collier

My name is Mack Collier and I am a digital marketing and content strategist located in Alabama. Since 2006 I've helped companies of all sizes from startups to global brands such as Adobe, Dell and Ingersoll-Rand, create customer-centric programs, content and experiences. A long-time internet geek, I've been online since 1988 and began using social networking sites in 1991 when I joined Prodigy. Today, I help companies understand how new technologies like web3, crypto and artificial intelligence can integrate with existing marketing strategies to lead to exceptional customer experiences.

Comments

  1. @Dayngr says

    You hit the nail on the head. Clicking on a fan page doesn’t take much motivation. However, if someone takes the time to sing your praises across their social outposts then you know that’s someone you want to pay attention to. When I take the time to write about a brand that I love or a great experience I’ve had you’d better believe it was important to me {regardless of how long or short the post}. As people get busier and busier and have shorter attention spans, it’s going to be important to differentiate your brand advocates from your fans.

  2. Maranda says

    It also says a lot that the word “fan” is used… a fan is someone who likes what you do, but doesn’t necessarily spread the word of what you are doing far and wide. Look at it from a band standpoint, if you’re a “fan” of a band, you might like their page, buy their CD, occasionally mention that it’s a great band, and get seats to a concert. But someone who is an advocate of a band will get everyone they know to buy the CD, join the fan club, and be the first person in line to buy tickets to an event.

    There is definitely a big difference.

  5. MackCollier says

    @Maranda That’s interesting because I consider a fan to be what you are calling an advocate. Maybe we need ‘levels’ of fandom, the person that buys an artists’ music vs one that will buy the music and also tries to get everyone they know to buy it as well?

  6. MackCollier says

    @@Dayngr YES and I think it’s important to understand who your customers are and how to connect with them. I fear too many companies want ‘Fans’ on Facebook or to target ‘influencers’ when they are ignoring the advocates that love them.

  8. C_Pappas says

    Love this POV and wish I had thought of writing this 😉 We are so caught up in #’s on social media and we do anything to drive the #’s (free offers, giveaways, coupons, free access to content, etc.) that we forget to drive and deliver an experience that is memorable and that people want to share. Companies need to start thinking about how t turn those fans into advocates. We completely miss the boat by offering coupons (most popular as you mentioned) and then doing nothing with the fans acquired after they hit the ‘like’ button.

  12. EricUrbane says

    Mack, Brands such as Harley Davidson can get their brand advocates to tattoo the brand on their bodies, that is pretty deep and passionate for sure and much, much different than a Facebook Fan.

    That said, there is value in Facebook Fans for business, although to a different degree as you have said. To your greater question though, it is much safer, at least perceived as safer, for a business to reach out to an influential blogger as an example, to praise their products, even if said blogger really likes the product, because it gives the business a much greater control over the message. Businesses can’t seem to let go of the need to control the message.

    Even the various car rallies, (like Chevy’s SxSW Road Trip, or Fiat’s recent TN rally) which bring a ton of exposure to the brand are not teamed up by the “true brand lovers” per your definition, (which I agree with) They are target demographic bloggers, and or very active social media folks. Not that that is bad, or they are doing it wrong, but it is a big difference.

  17. MackCollier says

    @Zuberance Thank you, have y’all done/seen any studies into how/why advocates stop advocating for a brand, what prompts disenchantment?

  20. MackCollier says

    @EricUrbane Right, there’s nothing wrong with reaching out to influencers, and there’s nothing wrong with having Fans of your Facebook page. I just don’t want companies to get into the mindset that all ‘Fans’ are created equally, and I want them to understand what their motivations are. And to understand that it’s even possible to move ‘Facebook Fans’ into Brand Advocates.

  24. danthedodge says

    @stagebite
    Also, u have to remember that cocaine completely leaves the body after 3 days :which is why sheen kept daring people to test him

  27. Maranda says

    @MackCollier You raise another question though – should we be assigning “levels” of value to those that we interact with? Should someone who simply likes the page be considered less valuable than someone who spreads good feelings about a brand? Would musicians consider someone who only buys a CD less valuable than someone who buys merchandise or pays for fan club membership? There’s a huge difference between the two and how the “word” about you is going to get spread, but do those who simply like a page become less valuable because that’s all they did? (Great Mack, now I have to think… :P)

  28. MackCollier says

    @Maranda I think it’s more about you have to give everyone a chance to like you 😉 Just because someone isn’t an advocate today, doesn’t mean that you can’t interact with them in some way NOW, that makes them want to be an advocate for you TOMORROW. It’s kinda like do you interact with someone that only has 20 followers today, even though in a year they might have 20,000?

  30. 3HatsComm says

    Glad you stopped into the #SoloPR chat today.. made me think of visiting here. I like the discussion, the difference on a ‘fan’ vs. an ‘advocate’ and you’re right, there are levels in the fandoms. Motivation also plays a part as I’ve ‘liked’ many a page not just for perks, but also.. boredom, general interest, wanting to create a profile via showing my ‘likes.’

    My advocacy comes elsewhere, when I write/blog/tweet/talk in my general praise of Apple or Disney, my preferences for wine or travel. Apple is notoriously anti-social if you will, so I wonder though how global brands w/ huge bases of influential advocates, how do they target their influencers, what should they be doing. Agree they should listen, be focused on more than just like/follow vanity numbers. And FWIW, I’d rather have 50 die-hard advocates than 1,000 fans who just ‘like’ me.

  31. SueAlouche says

    Not sure that I agree that all Facebook Fans become “fans” to get ‘discounts’ – I think that you are probably talking about “younger” fans. Some are there to support the brand and to keep up to date with what’s new… I think you are devaluing the Facebook Fan somewhat, what makes a brand advocate, a brand avocate, isn’t it difficult these days to quantify that?

  34. JGoldsborough says

    I’d rather have passionate brand advocates. Not even close. Think about how many people “like” a brand on Facebook just so they can complain. Because many brands require that. True word of mouth, which is the most credible form of marketing, does not come from pushing a like or follow button. It comes from brands facilitating relationships with their customers around a need or passion point. For Harley, it’s a lifestyle. Not just the bike.

    Facebook fans are a weak, weak connection. A pure awareness play for the most part. I’ll take 1,000 brand advocates over 100,000 Facebook likes any day. The hard part is it takes a lot more work and research to find and connect with the 1,000 than the 100,000. But there is a lot more long-term value there too.

  40. OrenTodoros says

    @ShellyKramer @jgoldsborough @mackcollier You know what’s funny? Must people know how many fans they have. Very few know who their fans are.

  41. MackCollier says

    @OrenTodoros @ShellyKramer @jgoldsborough Not sure I am following you, when you say ‘Fans’ do you mean advocates or the Facebook kind? 😉

  42. JGoldsborough says

    @OrenTodoros @ShellyKramer @mackcollier Right. Because the latter takes time and effort. The former doesn’t take as much.

  44. MackCollier says

    @SueAlouche Sue you’re right, not everyone that Fans a Facebook page is doing it solely for the discounts. But there’s been several studies, including the one linked in the post, that have found that it is the top reason why people fan a Facebook page.

    And you’re right, a fan of a Facebook page DOES have value, and there’s also nothing that says that advocates won’t fan a Facebook page 😉