Inspired by chat forums and gaming badges, Facebook recently rolled out a feature that rewards your most interactive audience members, dubbing them ‘Top Fans’ with the application of a diamond icon. A Top Fan’s status is displayed in any and all interactions thereafter on your page. Their comments usually ascend to the top of the pile, and other audience members will notice the title beside their name, along with the little grey diamond badge.  

How do fans feel about the status, and how might it benefit your small business? In today’s article we’ll explore the new feature and consider it from a marketing perspective. 

 

A bit of an ego boost

The first and most obvious advantage of this new feature is that you’ll feel a little bit special knowing (with somewhat official confirmation) that a portion of your audience are loyal to you and your page. They’re here to support your content, and have been active on your page longer and more regularly than most. 

Without having to trawl back through months of content and comments, Facebook has neatly assorted the ‘best’ of your audience members into a list that you can easily access from your company Facebook page by simply clicking the ‘Community’ button in the lower section of your menu (below your profile picture). 

 

Delicious data!

If you have a large audience that grows exponentially by the day, this can be a wonderful way to observe your ever evolving ‘target audience’. Just take a look through your assorted list of Top Fans, ranging from oldest to newest. Are they a majority male or female? What is the median age of these Top Fans? Where do they live and what sort of posts are they reacting to? 

It’s a marketing data gold mine!

 

Being a Top Fan in a tall poppy environment 

Some Top Fans might feel a little sheepish sticking out like a sore thumb among those who might scoff at their ‘achievement’. If the Top Fan feature truly irks a user, they can choose to hide this status from their friends and followers. 

Doing so might save a little face, but we believe it is more beneficial for your business to keep them around; to instil a sense of pride in those who belong in your page’s Top Fan group. 

 

Give them a reason to display the diamond by trying any of the following: 

  • Do a ‘Top Fan’ themed giveaway or competition
  • React to their comments and take some time to reply to them (maybe share a joke or answer in a manner that encourages further conversation between you and your ‘fan’)
  • Perhaps mention publicly that you’d like to send them a ‘special treat’, and ask them to private message you for a discount or giveaway
  • Post a tasteful ‘thank you’ status about your Top Fans.

 

If you don’t have any Top Fans yet, or you’re noticing that your current Top Fans are hiding their status, try hosting a few Facebook giveaways to encourage more interaction with a special focus on commenting. Need help hosting a Facebook giveaway or any other sort of social media special event? Let’s talk!