Adam Breckler

Is your product sexier than grilled cheese sandwiches? Do people like it better or are more willing to refer a friend to it? I’m willing to bet in 99/100 cases the answer is…NO.

Case and point: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches have a whopping 212,686 fans who are willing to self-identify as Grilled Cheese Sandwich lovers on Facebook!

If most people are not willing to “self-identify” as being a fan or user of your product than you are not alone. It is the rare exception where a product is so fantastic or speaks to a certain demographic in such a way that the users feel compelled to broadcast their affinity to others in their social spheres.

A great example of a product that people self-identify with is the Apple iPod, not only is it an incredibly sexy product but it is made by a company with tremendous customer affinity and good will.

The iPod has 341,820 fans on Facebook.

By comparison Viagra has a flaccid (yes i said flaccid) 368 fans on Facebook.

While I picked an especially un-sexy (or sexy, depending on how you look at it) product to make the point, the same is true of countless other products and services. If people are not willing to self-identify as users of your product than you are going to have a tougher time promoting your product organically.

But don’t be dismayed if you are selling an unsexy product. The silver lining here of course is that there is usually a negative correlation between the propensity of people to self-identify with your product and the actual profitability or value being delivered. Products like the iPod, again, being the rare exception.

While few are willing to admit their affiliation with online dating sites like Match.com, 789 fans on Facebook.

A whopping 1,255,505 are fans of Mojitos!

I’m willing to guess that there is a strong correlation between people who have tried Match.com and are ALSO fans of Mojitos….but these numbers shed some light on the discrepancy in the willingness of people to self-identify with each product.