Fact One: It’s common for brands to offer incentives to Facebookers to gain “Likes.”
Fact Two: It’s common for Facebookers to “Like” a brand only for access to those incentives (coupons, deals, offers, etc).

MarketingProfs’ Ekaterina Walker made an interesting point regarding the above trends, asking, “Do you want more ‘Likes’ or do you want more advocates in your community who would have ‘Liked’ you no matter what monetary incentives you are trying to offer?”

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Walker explains that “Like-gathering” does not necessarily mean that brands are building relationships with those who “Like” them. In fact, the “Unlike” rate averages about 50% when short-term incentives and promotions end. While these Facebook incentives may build business during promotions, they are not quite effective in building a community around a brand. According to a report from the IBM Institute for Business Value, there is a perception gap between consumers and brands on social media: consumers typically want deals and incentives, but brands still think they want to be part of the brand community.

However, new beverage brand MiO seems to understand what consumers want – its recent incentive for a free sample stated, “In order for us to shower you with free gifts, you must fake an interest in going steady with us on Facebook. ‘Like’ us above.” Boldly honest, consumers probably appreciate the brand’s ability to have a sense of humor and not take the Facebook “Like” as a serious commitment. But, will it build engagement and form relationships?…

Does it matter?