Marketers have an obsession with the number of ‘fans’ (Likes – as FB now so decreed) their brand has on Facebook. In most cases it is simply because they want to ‘measure’ and ‘fans’ happens to be an easy way to get the job done and to appear ‘performance driven’. Here are just a few reasons why this obsession is unhealthy.

• ‘Fans’ that have come on board simply to win the free iPad you offered for a slogan writing contest are not likely to stick around / hear you out.
• The larger the fan base, the more ‘generic’ the content calendar – and so it is less fun for those creating the content and those consuming it.
• By encouraging ‘unwanted’ people in your ‘fans’ list, you increase the risks of your ‘bad fans’ badmouthing you in front of your good fans.
• When bad stuff happens to your brand (or someone in your company does something stupid and it goes viral), your disconnected fans are likely to fan the flames rather than douse them.
• Increasingly it is getting more than more expensive to build a large ‘fan base’, therefore it makes sense to focus on a core group that is more likely to help you meet your business goals compared to the world at large.

Quantity matter, slightly less than quality.