I am always surprised how much free advertisement we as consumers give away! From Louie Vuitton bags to limited edition Jordan shoes, no doubt we are walking advertisements for these brands.
It’s easy for advertisers and marketers to feed us information and collect our loyalty at the cash register so why not turn the tables on them and put money in your pocket?
Companies are very aware of the power of social networking and have made huge strides by jumping on YouTube, MySpace, LinkedIn, and of course, Facebook. They’ve created pages and built online communities to advertise simply from getting you to “like” their page. As a result of “like”ing them, you are also creating a free advertising avenue for these brands to reach your community of friends and family you’ve built on your own.
Endorsement deals aren’t just for celebrities anymore. You should get paid to promote the brands you truly enjoy and want to share. Some of you may have participated in a focus group or usability discussion and have gotten paid for you opinions. Others may have answered a few questions via an online survey. The main reason companies are heading to the web is to save cost and take a DIY approach on market research, however, this does not mean they can simply take a way the respondent incentive ($$$$).
When you click “Like” on xyz’s Facebook page you are telling everyone in the community that you support that brand or product and that they should potentially do the same. In that very moment you have now become xyz’s promotional engine, giving them free marketing PR , and can now be used by them as a research participant. Yes, a research participant! The simple click of the “like” is now attached to any public data you have available on your page such as demographic information, other likes / dislikes, and more. This is all very valuable to xyz company and guess what….you did it for free! Think of it like this: When Kim Kardashian goes out and does an appearance to support a product or brand such as Quick Trim or even $10K per tweet. She is paid big bucks because she is an influencer very much the same way you are of the community you built.
So what is my point? Well, I think it pretty clear. It’s now time we are compensated for handing over our thoughts, opinions, and built social communities by the simple click of the “Like” button.
