• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, April 30, 2012

According to published studies by Dr. Tina McCorkindale, an assistant professor at Appalachian State University’s Department of Communication, “18- to 29-year-olds are the Facebook generation,” and it’s not the Millennial “likes” that assures ad success, but perks.

The studies found that while 75% said they had “liked” a profit or non-profit organization on Facebook, 69% said that once they “liked” the organization, they rarely or never returned to the fan page. Only 15% of the respondents said they visited organizations’ fan pages weekly. Most respondents (44%) spent less than 30 minutes a day on Facebook.

McCorkindale says, “... one of the (marketing) basics... is to build relationships to... get individuals to engage in some sort of behavior... 18- to 29-year-olds are not as invested in an organization as the organization may think... when they click the ‘like’ button or click ‘follow’... It’s fairly consistent in the research that Millennials like organizations that give something back to them.”

“It’s not about the number of people that like your page, because they may not be the right people, and they may not really like you, they may just do it because of pressure from friends,” McCorkindale said.

Enticements to return to a Facebook page include discounts, coupons, sample products or new information. But 42% of the Millennials will disconnect from an organization or group if they become too annoyed with the volume of emails or updates they are receiving.

The studies found that the Millennials age group learned of fan pages through friends or by stumbling on the page. Only 28% said they had actively searched for an organization’s page.

McCorkindale concludes that organizations need to understand and engage the audience and build a relationship. The marketer in the social media sphere needs to be listening and answer the questions people ask through social media. Issues or questions unanswered breaks the relationship.

She said. “If they can’t manage the space, they really shouldn’t be using the space.”

For more information, please visit AppState here.