A new study from Cone PR finds that new media users follow an average of 4.6 brands online, which makes attracting and retaining online followers a real challenge.
The study of 1,050 adults over 18 years of age defines “new media” as social networks (e.g., Facebook); blogs; microblogs (e.g., Twitter); online games; mobile devices; photo-, audio- and video-sharing sites (e.g., YouTube, iTunes, Flickr); message boards. “This finding alone should raise the eyebrows of communications pros,” says Mike Hollywood, director of new media at Cone. “On the flip side, once a consumer has welcomed a brand into the ‘inner circle,’ the brand must recognize as one worthy of extra attention.”
At the same time, the study found that new media users wouldn’t hesitate to stop following brands online for a variety of reasons (see graph below). “Remember that people choose to engage with a brand, and they can, just as easily, choose not to engage with a brand,” says Nada Arnot, the new chief digital officer at RF|Binder Partners.
According to Kellie Parker, community manager at Sega of America, not over-communicating is key to successful engagement. While 36% of respondents say they will stop following a brand if it under-communicates, 58% will stop following a brand if they over-communicate. “This indicates the need for a social media communications schedule to make sure that the right messages get out at the right time, and you’re not overloading your audience,” says Parker.
But are new media users reaching the breaking point? In 2008, about 25% of consumers were willing to be marketed to via new media, says Hollywood. This number jumped to 41% in 2009, but fell to only 21% in 2010. “As more brands have entered the new media space, consumers have reached an exhaustion point and are beginning to be more selective in their relationships with brands online and what they will tolerate from them,” he says.
The bottom line, says Arnot, is that brands and their agencies need to take a step back. “Brands must avoid the firehose approach to participating and minimize how often and how strongly they promote their marketing and PR objectives,” she says. PRN
CONTACT:
Mike Hollywood, [email protected]; Nada Arnot, [email protected]; Kellie Parker, [email protected].
