Facebook 'fans' of brands not more likely to make purchases

Although two out of five Facebook users become brand ‘fans’ to either receive discounts and promotions or for ‘social badging’ purposes, only 17% are more likely to make a purchase after doing so.

Moreover, according to a survey undertaken among 1,500 consumers by email marketing software provider ExactTarget and Twitter management applications supplier CoTweet, half of Facebook fans only ‘like’ between one and four brands, although they are twice as likely to publicly display their affiliation to friends than Twitter users. They are also four times more likely to do so than email message subscribers.

Jeff Rohrs, principal at ExactTarget’s marketing research and education group, said that consumers used Facebook to interact with friends, be entertained and express themselves through their public affiliation with brands – factors that combined to create a potent viral marketing platform.

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