5% of fans expect customer service, but 100% deserve it.

If you're a social media junkie, you might have already heard some of the great info from this year's FEED report by Razorfish on "digital brand experience." But there's one number that hasn't gotten the attention it probably should.

Check out this list of survey responses, specifically what came in dead last:

What is the primary reason you "friend" a brand online?

1. Exclusive deals or offers: 36.9%
2. I am a current customer: 32.9%
3. They offer interesting or entertaining content: 18.2%
4. Other people I know are fans: 6.2%
5. Service, support, or product news: 5%

That's right, customer service takes a back seat to almost everything, including peripheral connections with friends.

Ready for real head-scratcher? Check out these responses from a new study by Cone:

How would you like companies to interact with you online?

1. Solve my problems/provide product or service information: 61%
2. Offer me incentives (free products or services, coupons or discounts): 58%
3. Solicit my feedback on products and services: 49%
4. Develop new ways for me to interact with brands (widgets, apps, games, etc): 49%
5. Entertain me: 43%
6. Market to me: 43%

On first blush, these surveys seem pretty contradictory, but they actually can be combined to make a pretty powerful statement:

People don't expect customer service from brands online, but it's the No. 1 thing they'd like to see.

Sure, everyone loves freebies, and you've probably heard a lot of surveys like the one up top where people cite special deals and giveaways as a top motivation for following brands online.

But if a desire for free swag were truly the top motivator, you'd have millions of disappointed consumers out there. When brands do giveaways, it's rare that they're handing out more than a handful of goodies, often with hundreds of thousands of fans scrambling to win.

So why don't fans walk away when they don't get free stuff, or when the "special deals" don't turn out to be so special? Are they just compulsive gamblers? I doubt it. I think these people are earnestly interested in your company and are happy to be part of the conversation, even if the perks run light.

Is social media a great place to do giveaways? Absolutely. And you're sure to see great results, as Orbitz did when it recently garnered thousands of new Twitter followers just by offering a few free tickets. 

Here's another great set of answers from the FEED report:

Contests and sweepstakes:

• 96% of participants say it made them more aware of the brand
• 96% are more likely to consider purchasing that brand
• 92% are more likely to recommend that brand to others

But your social media presence can't depend on giveaways and coupons long-term. Nor can it be a blatant bait-and-switch in which you lure people with freebies, then spam them with marketing.

A real social media strategy requires a smart mix of conversation-starters, reactive PR, exclusive updates, and more.

Customer service absolutely must be part of the mix. Otherwise, your focus on giving people what they want might prevent you from giving them what they need.

Comments

[Sonny Gill]

Good points here, David and touches on a recent post I had about Razorfish's study, asking if we live in a bribery economy.

Sure, the deals and offerings are enticing and get people to fan/follow you, but as you said, there needs to be an integration of numerous aspects that conversations revolve around - only way your presence can be *sustainable* IMO.