I think so. In this age of companies vying for prospects and customers to become “fans” of their brand, one company has figured it out — or so they think. To get a million fans, they value each fan on average to be worth less than a Big Mac Value Meal. I have some thoughts on this.
First off, this is crap. Every person is worth more or less to a company online. It depends on context — simply, why are they become a fan?
If these fans are merely fans because they love your brand and talk about you and engage positively, one could argue they are worth more than others.
If these fans are merely fans for discounts, one could argue they cost your company more money.
If these fans are merely fans so they can be provided with a free service, membership or other concession, they can be nearly worthless.
If these fans remain dormant and don’t engage with your page, why bother counting them?
These are just a few questions and rebuttals to this claim fans are worth $3.60 each.
Generally speaking, I would much rather have 1500 engaged, passionate raving fans, than 15,000 ones who really don’t care. The bottom line is — are they going to move the needle for reputation, buzz, insights, cost or revenue (or all the above)? This question should be asked by any company who intends on a strategy based on number of fans/followers.
I give large brands a pass on this only because they HAVE to think about Cost per Acquisition, ROI and their overall branding strategy. Nonetheless, not everyone is a Starbucks. Remember that.
When thinking about your success metrics, numbers aren’t everything. Think about the kind of engagements you’re having and further, what kind of experience they have with the brand. It’s more than a numbers game, trust me.
