RSMI shows brands on Facebook have reached huge new fan growth numbers in 3Q

Top 5 growth brands

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According to the RSMI, the Top 5 Growth Brands in Fans for 3Q are as follows:

1. McDonald’s: With 2,388,541 new fans in the third quarter, McDonald’s Facebook fans are lovin’ it. The super-brand’s Facebook approach? Constant engagement and transparency. All of the brand’s posts include either a photo, video, or poll that are consistent with the McDonald’s lifestyle, whether it’s a behind-the-scenes video of the potato farm they make their fries from or a link to their new ‘Dollar Menu University’ dollar menu promotion.

2. Subway: With 2,039,480 new fans in the third quarter, Subway uses Facebook to leverage their marketing to consumers without being too aggressive. Their cover photo, for example, changes regularly in relation to their current promotion. The sandwich chain also recently teamed up with Disney to help promote two new movies, ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ and ‘Frankenweenie.’ On Subway’s end, the partnership allowed the brand to market its “Fresh Fit for Kids” meals, while stressing the importance of healthy eating options for children.

3. Starbucks: Starbucks’ Facebook offers the same intimate sentiment that you would typically find in the coffeehouse itself. The super-brand pulled in 1,337,055 new fans in the third quarter. Although Starbucks President and CEO Howard Schultz recently went public about who he was voting for in the 2012 Election, creating quite a stir, Starbucks has been stressing the importance of ‘the vote’ — no matter which side of the fence you’re on - since June. Starbucks got even more interactive with this byencouraging, via Facebook, to tag #indivisible to any social site, allowing them to state their views on why democracy is so important to them. This not only gave consumers a voice, but also encouraged them to be part of the community.

4. Chick-fil-A: With 1,212,803 new fans in the third quarter, Chick-fil-A has integrated different elements into their Facebook strategy, including Instagram — or, as they call it, Fanstagram. Each month, the chain showcases their favorite snapshots from customers on their Facebook — all they have to do is tag #ChickfilA.

5. Buffalo Wild Wings: BWW pulled in 1,003,440 new fans in the third quarter. The brand’s existing base is men, so it makes sense that its Facebook is representative of a ‘man cave.’ Buzzwords like beer, wings, football, and video games come into play. In fact, the brand has created its own virtual game called ‘Protect the Football,’ which gives 75 gift cards away each week to top players. Another promotion they’ve implemented via Facebook is their Coca-Cola Zero promo, where fans could send in their ‘best fan photo’ and win a BWW gift card, and even a chance to win a trip to the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

The Top 5 Brands by largest fan base overall are, in order: Starbucks, McDonald’s, Subway, Taco Bell, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Pizza Hut.

Facebook continues to be a consumer attraction engine for restaurants, with 44 brands all gaining a minimum of 100K new fans in the third quarter alone, totaling 19.2 million new restaurant fans. Of the 199.2 million in the top 49 brands, 111.7 million were unique users.

The Restaurant Social Media Index continues to build the most expansive social consumer restaurant data in the business. An alarming trend in the 2012 Consumer Index report shows that social and mobile is displacing email as the primary way for restaurants to reach guests.

To qualify in the study, brands had to have at least 100K additional fans in the third quarter. Of all the brands that were surveyed, 32 of them had at least one million fans each.