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Study Says Customers Prefer Facebook Pages — Do You Agree?

by Tim Layton   {Google+}   {Pinterest}   {Twitter}

in Running Your Etsy Business,Social Media

Visit Everything Etsy on Facebook

A really interesting infographic found its way to me recently.  I’ll attach it below to share with you.

According to the study by Chicago based market research firm Lab42, at least half of us prefer to interact with brands on their Facebook page over their actual website!  

I know that many of us selling on Etsy don’t think of ourselves as a “brand” but I can’t help but wonder if Facebook, as massive and widely-used as it is, might still represent an untapped opportunity for independent micro-business owners. (like me!)

Quite a few of the key findings rung true to me as being exactly my experience.  Such as:

  • Facebook is a better place to interact with brands than their own website (obvious, but no less important…)
  • I’m much more likely to “like” a page if a friend of mine likes it
  • Promotions, discounts, and giveaways really do work
  • I have saved money by printing off coupons ($5 off at Outback!)
  • I’ve un-followed pages that post too much or had posts that didn’t interest me

None of this is really rocket-science, but it does make me stop and think… How could I do better with Facebook Pages?

What about you?  Do you agree?

Here’s the infographic from Lab42:

Are you using Facebook Pages?  What works?  What doesn’t?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Visit Everything Etsy on Facebook

~ Kim

{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }

1 megan October 2, 2012 at 10:35 pm

I’ve been using my fb page a lot and have been getting really good feed back on it… the more I post (a few times I have forgotten to switch back to my personal pg) the more comments & interactions I get… People are really digging seeing that there is a personality behind the brand… probably because I am a small businesses and my customers are like me, it gives them something to relate to.. if they don’t relate they move on.

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2 Samantha October 2, 2012 at 11:34 pm

We had a conversation about this during a session at School House Craft Conference. The general thought was that people tend to skim blogs/websites and it is a hassle to comment. Whereas on FB the little white box is there and it is so easy to connect to that brand. It’s also easy to get lost in the timeline and just keep going.

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3 Tisha October 3, 2012 at 8:26 am

As always, more great info Kim. I have to admit, I’m a slacker on my FB page. I post about once or twice a week. When I do post, I find the feedback is encouraging. I just tend to get overwhelmed by too much media promotion. I find FB a more pleasant experience than Twitter. I love that I can see others work and comment on their creations too. You are encouraging me to step up my game. Thanks again.

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4 CreateItGirl October 3, 2012 at 9:27 am

I’m a slacker on my facebook page as well. I used to try to post everytime I made a post on my blog but I found that it wasn’t reaching as many people as I would like. I have way more followers on my twitter but I’m not sure if that is getting more traffic to my page either. So far I haven’t made social media work for me like I would LOVE it to. I guess it will take more time. I guess I can try to use my facebook page again.

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5 Crystal October 3, 2012 at 10:25 am

I’m not a blogger, but I am a blog reader :) . I use FB to connect with my friends and family. I have never thought about it to research products until your blog. I usually google or ask my friends. I think I’ll head over to FB to look up some of my favorite products to see what it like. Thanks for the info.

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6 Laura October 3, 2012 at 2:35 pm

I find FB to be a bit of a mystery. My interaction is highest if I pay to promote a post. It’s an expense so I promote posts only when something special is going on. I am still exploring how my fans think. The public has been taught to buy only when there’s a special offer so I’m experimenting with that. I have a special now and published a promoted post. It’s the most interaction I’ve gotten in a while and it was only 10 dollars. I think a small business has to be on FB these days if only to gain the trust of potential customers.

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7 Anne Isenhart October 3, 2012 at 8:15 pm

I haven’t been using my fb page nearly enough in recent months. I focus on my Esty website. I just haven’t found much result from working on my FB page. As the craft fair season begins, my goal is to post at least once a week to see if I can boost my traffic.

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8 Kim October 3, 2012 at 9:02 pm

Just keep it simple, Anne. Then you’ll be able to post more. I try to post at least twice a day when I can. Since everyone on your list might not see it, you can post more often and not really annoy anyone. I love craft fair photos…take lots of them and post them!

~Kim

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9 Jenna October 4, 2012 at 7:10 pm

I’ve found facebook to be such a great way to build my customer base. Coming from a small town their are not many opportunities for local advertisement so I rely on my page. I need to get better at updating but it will come with time and learning what interests my customer! Thanks again for the info.

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