Blog: Reach out to the wealthy on Facebook

Much has been written about the potential – untapped or otherwise – of social media networks for fashion brands, but a new report by market research company Sparkler suggests that Facebook could help luxury brands reach out to Europe’s most affluent customers.

Commissioned by the social network giant, Sparkler surveyed just under 2,000 people across the UK, France, and Germany, and found that Facebook was the most popular social network platform among the affluent.

The report provides some interesting insight and analysis, segmenting its users into five key groups, an understanding of which could help luxury brands to unlock Facebook’s potential as an engagement and indirect sales tool.

Representing a 16% share of Facebook’s affluent users is its ‘social network hungry’ group. This group regularly uses Facebook to interact and engage with brands, with 77% using the site to share opinions, 71% ‘liking’ pages, and 72% using it to receive regular brand updates.

While the ‘business elite’ represent 13% of Facebook’s affluent audience. This group sees the social network as a personal, rather than a professional space. In line with current thinking among many retailers, this group is more likely to trust reviews and endorsements made by friends than information on the specific product site. Interestingly they are likely to follow links to other sites, but don’t think the brands that are relevant to them are on Facebook.

The aptly named ‘Facebook resident’ uses the social network as their main communication tool, with 66% checking the site daily and a further 68% that want to actively contribute to the online conversation. This group makes up 21% of Facebook’s wealthy users, and is a key area for fashion retailers to target. They frequently connect with brands on the site and have a preference for luxury clothes.

The final group – the ‘Facebook observer’ – is also the largest, at 35% of the social network’s wealthy users. This group is much more likely to passively observe, rather than interact, but fashion brands can influence them by first reaching out to their friends and family, whom they rely on as their top source for tips on what to purchase.

There’s no doubt that many fashion retailers are at the beginning of their social journey and really deciphering the sheer volume of data that they are collecting, but by tailoring their offer to specific customer groups will help them to make their social strategy a success.