Marketing & Sales · Framework
The Real Reason People Follow Your Brand
Survey breakdown of consumer motivations for following brands on social media
This benchmark compiles data from an NP Digital survey of 2,100 global consumers analyzing why audiences follow brand social media accounts. It highlights that commercial incentives like discounts and purchasing interest strongly outweigh entertainment or vanity metrics. Marketers can use these findings to balance promotions and practical utility against casual brand content.
The framework
Percentage of respondents who follow a brand to: Get Coupons/Promos — 58%; Interested In Buying — 50%; Get Incentives — 46%; Useful Content — 40%; Entertaining Content — 33%; Friends/Family Follow — 27%; Reflects My Lifestyle — 26%; Contact About Issues — 21%; Contact About Positive Feedback — 21%; Support Charitable Work — 20%; Saw Social Media Icon Elsewhere — 18%; Motivated By Follower Count — 6%; Other Reason — 5%. What to do next: people follow brands for value, not noise. Double down on promotions and practical content, but don't underestimate the power of showing you care — the difference between a follower and a fan. Source: NP Digital, Jan 2025, survey of 2,100 global consumers across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, conducted online.
What it's for
- Plan a brand's social media content calendar around consumer incentives
- Benchmark audience engagement strategies against verified consumer motivations
- Justify promotional discounts and informative posts over brand lifestyle marketing
Key points
- Primary motivators: Coupons and promos lead at 58%, followed by purchase intent at 50% and incentives at 46%
- Content balance data: Useful educational content (40%) ranks higher than pure entertainment (33%)
- Secondary factors: Peer influence (27%), lifestyle alignment (26%), and customer service outreach (21%)
- Low-impact factors: Brand follower count drives only 6% of user follow decisions
- Survey methodology based on 2,100 global consumers across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific (Jan 2025)
Pricing
Free
Details
- Type
- Framework
- Category
- Marketing & Sales
- Topic
- Social Media Marketing
- Open source
- No
- Platforms
- other
- For
- Social media managers, content strategists, and brand marketers
- Alternative to
- Sprout Social Index, HubSpot Social Media Trends Report
- Tags
- social media, consumer behavior, marketing strategy, benchmarks, audience research
Why it was saved
- @neilpatel: Ranking of follower motivations with percentages, plus the takeaway that followers want value, not corporate noise.
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