As a marketer myself who works to promote a brand, I wondered what makes people follow brands. So, I looked around social media channels like Facebook and Twitter.
I read comments, Tweet threads and every feedback available to grasp a direct observation and made it into a list. And I even enjoyed reading legit comments and criticisms from different perspectives.
Then I actually found a useful article as well from Volusion that contains a video that tells us some good points about what makes people follow a brand. They have some good points so I thought I’d add some to it. Also, they wrote that article a year ago so it’s a good opportunity for an update.
What Makes People Follow Brands
1 – Current Events or News
Some brands, especially on social media channels share different news and current events just to show everyone that they are active. People like to always know what’s going on around them so brands try to reflect that.
There is one strategy that I noticed to be common for most brands. That is to share something related to them. For example, Microsoft tends to share about technological advancements or new gadgets.
So people will follow knowing that if they do, their feed will show what they want and what they need to know.
With that said, people follow brands as well because they want to get an update about a brand. Like when there is a new product available, following a brand will assure that those who did will get news right away.
Being ahead of the curve is important for everyone even if they don’t want to admit it sometimes. This goes for new gadgets and products they can use. So, following someone will give you news about exclusive content or products that aren’t available anywhere else.
2 – Promotional Events
Everyone will always like events and discounts! I even often do this myself where I will follow a brand I like and I know that there will be an upcoming event, a giveaway or a limited time discount.
Even giveaways, like competitions or re-tweeting events. Whenever you follow a brand, you can even setup the notifications for a post so you will see it right away. This allows a certain person to get the ahead of everyone else.
Why does one always wait for a discount? Maybe it’s because of the way we value our money or we just want to save. Well, not everybody has a fat wallet and discounts and freebies are there to save the day, right?
This is so true even if no one wants to admit it. And this is one of the most compelling reasons why people follow a brand. This is what I have observed especially for brands who are really popular.
Popularity for brands sometimes means that their products are all premium. Hence, everything is almost not cheap. In fact, some might be so expensive. That’s why people will wait for discounts and events that will lower the price tags.
3 – The Discovery Stage
The discovery stage is for people who have doubts. They aren’t 100 percent sure about their decision so they are still thinking about it. The result is that certain person will follow a brand to get some insight first.
This will make them understand the products, check out real feedbacks from other customers and watch video reviews.
I’m sure at one point you also did some research first before buying, right? This is true especially nowadays where e-commerce is exponentially growing. People buy online products that they haven’t held in actual or haven’t really experienced using it.
Following a brand will give you a huge help if you are in the discovery stage. This is an unconscious norm for everyone so they follow a brand without being aware what they are going through.
It’s like traversing the buyer’s journey and the marketing department is nurturing you as a lead. Your final decision is based on what you saw and what you insight about that product is.
And you won’t really know if the product is good or not if you don’t go inside the inner circle. Following a brand will allow you to go there.
Even if it’s YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and any other social media channel. Following a brand will give you all the info you need for your decision and your interests.
4 – Common Interest and Social Conformity
The phrase “I like the brand because I can relate to it” is one of the most common reasons why people follow a brand. Although, this is not a compelling reason and no one told that person to follow it.
Yet, they do because they just simply like the brand. Also, people who can relate to each other can gather and say comments that will allow them to help each other. Sort of like a forum or a gathering of people.
Maybe there’s another person who is following that brand whom I can get some input from. This is a great opportunity for someone who is also in the discovery stage. Like when I am thinking about buying an accessory for my GoPro, I want some input from another person.
Maybe I can get some other options to choose from or maybe there is a product that is perfect for me but I don’t know it yet. All these are possible to know now because of social media channels, the brand and of course, their followers.
Soft of like a customer support system if you think about it. But most brands offer customer service, of course, on a technical level.
Anyways, this is the effect of social conformity. People who will like the brand because of quality will eventually accumulate into a group of followers. Giving that brand a status of a good brand positioning, which ripples and makes that brand popular.
Then if someone is thinking of buying in the same line of product. They will like which ever one is popular. This is a great example of social conformity.
Then if someone is thinking of buying in the same line of product. They will like which ever one is popular. This is a great example of social conformity.