DDB and OpinionWay's Facebook and Brands report suggests content worthy of being shared can help brands hold consumers' interest on Facebook.

Reports indicate that consumers spend more of their online time on Facebook than anywhere else on the web, and businesses are increasingly investing in marketing on the social network – but many wonder whether users are too busy interacting with friends to notice brands. DDB and OpinionWay's Facebook and Brands report suggests content worthy of being shared can help companies hold consumers' interest on the site.

While interactions with friends and family members likely dominate Facebook activity, it seems brand mentions come up even when users are engaging connections on the social network. According to the study, more than half of users recommend that friends follow a brand on Facebook. Fifteen percent do this "often" and 37 percent recommend following a brand "occasionally."

The poll suggests that a leading way to get users engaged with a business on Facebook is through quality content. More than 75 percent of consumers occasionally or often click the Like button for content published by a brand. Additionally, 12 percent say they often send information published by a brand to family members, and 31 percent occasionally do so. This is in keeping with a study recently reported by Brafton demonstrating that social sites are key channels to getting content shared on the web.

The Facebook and Brands study indicates good content on social sites also helps elicit content from users. More than one-third of users (36 percent) occasionally comment on information published by a brand, while 12 percent often leave comments. This should be good news to marketers, as fostering user-generated content is key to getting word-of-web referrals and making a Facebook page look appealing.

Marketers trying to decide what type of content is right for their Facebook page should consider that news articles boost brand credibility among social users. According to a recent CNN POWNAR study covered by Brafton, people who received news content via social media were 19 percent more likely to recommend the brands advertising around stories, and 27 percent personally favor brands affiliated with news.  

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.