This week’s blog post is based upon the Hodis and colleagues (2015) article ‘Interact with me on my terms: a four segment Facebook engagement framework for marketers’
The article discusses in-depth research that attempts to provide an understanding of Facebook users, and how they can be best engaged.
With all the advertising clutter that is now on Facebook, it can make it extremely difficult for a brand to break through and engage with consumers. In attempt to break through this clutter, some brands are making their social media advertisements more personalised to each consumer. However, many consumers are finding this “creepy” and perceive it as a breach of privacy.
In order to help brands understand how to better engage with consumers on Facebook, the article has separated Facebook users into four different segments.
- Entertainment chasers – who use Facebook in order to cure boredom and stay entertained.
- Attention seekers – who use Facebook to receive admiration from their friends, as they use the platform to highlight their glamorise life.
- Devotees – who use Facebook as an escape from real life. Devotees can sometimes be seen as being ‘addicted to Facebook’.
- Connection seekers – who use Facebook to connect with friends and family, that they may not be able to physically go and visit at that point in time.
When all 4 segments are engaged, it can help to create an online community around the brand. When consumers begin recommending brands to other consumers it can become much more valuable and effective in promoting the brand.
In Neff, J. (2011) article ‘How Mentos is still making a splash on Facebook’, it’s found that some of the most successful brands on Facebook are those which have most of their posts coming from and being promoted by their fans.
However, whilst it can be very effective to have a brand’s Facebook promotion come from consumers, it may also be very difficult and risky, as you cannot guarantee how consumers will react, or what they will say about it.
When a business constructs all of the Facebook posts themselves, they are in control of it, and can make sure that the post represents exactly how they want to be portrayed.
It is an interesting issue for businesses trying to make their brands more personable in the hope it will engage more people. Do you find you are more engaged when a friend is recommending a brand on Facebook? Or when you see a personalised ad from the brand? Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!
Digital Marketing 
Hmmm, I think I’m engaged in both circumstances. I mean, if my friend is recommending me something then obviously I’m going to do my own research on it, look at the reviews, the businesses websites and what not. But I am also quite engaged if I see a personalised ad from the company as well. For example, I’m looking or a good hair salon, and my friend recommends me a place then I will look into them, message them and ask them all my queries. But if I see an ad from a certain salon, saying that they have a special on, or if they have a 15% student discount on all services then I’m also going to look into that company as well. What about you?
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That is a good point! I think it depends on the friend that is recommending me something! If we have very different expectations and tastes in things, then I might just ignore their recommendation, or it could do the opposite and make me want to never visit a certain store
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I definitely trust my friend’s opinions more! I tend to ask around if I’m searching for a specific product and then do my own research about the brands. I look at online reviews and the comments sections as well but don’t rely on these when making my purchasing decision. I find myself always doing this when trying to find the best brunch places, makeup products and travel destinations!
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