Why Consumers Follow and Unfollow Brands on Social Media

why-people-follow-and-unfollow-brands

With an extreme 44% increase of people using social media more often in the past six months, it’s crucial to meet the needs of your audience on social more than ever.

A good way to increase brand awareness from this rise in social media use is to understand the top reasons why consumers follow and engage with brands. High consumer expectations also force a brand to stand out from the competition and engage in a unique way.

The 2019 Sprout Social Index revealed some interesting statistics when 1,000 social marketers responses were cross-referenced with that of 1,000 consumers. This was done to evaluate what consumers truly seek out from the brands they follow.

Some of the results may [or may not] surprise you.

50% of consumers follow brands to be in the know of new products or services, and only 2% less said they follow brands for entertainment purposes. It’s also an interesting finding that discounts and promotions are not the main incentives for consumers to follow brands with a surprising 38% following for that reason. This is only a 2% difference in people following brands to simply be inspired, while being educated is the goal for 35% of consumers following a brand.

On the same hand, your content is most likely to be commented on, shared and liked if it is entertaining, inspiring and educational.

It’s also important to note that when employee’s post about the brand they work for, consumers are 45% more likely to research a product or service. This is why 72% of marketers uses their employees to advocate their product.

Companies can also avoid being unfollowed when these statistics are taken into consideration.

Poor customer service is the main reason people unfollow brands, weighing in at 56%. This is closely followed by 51% of consumers unfollowing a page due to irrelevant content being posted. 43% disregard a brand because of too many ads taking up their feed from that brand. This is a chance to realize that moderation is key and to adjust your ad campaigns accordingly.

With this new found knowledge of the main reasons people follow and unfollow brands, aligning your priorities to fit the needs of your audience is now achievable. Take these into consideration when a marketing strategy is developed to increase engagement and build communities.

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