Brands with Facebook fan pages are failing to engage with Facebook users beyond the initial “Like” click, according to new research from the University of South Australia.

While brands recognise the potential of reaching out to consumers via establishing a passive Facebook presence, they often struggle to develop deeper brand-consumer relationships. Too much engagement can even be counterproductive, with users removing themselves from the list of fans if the brand posts too many status updates to fans' news feeds.

Despite the importance of social networking in marketing strategies, Social Media Researcher Dr Karen Nelson-Field cautions marketers “not to spend a disproportionate amount of time and money trying to facilitate engagement or drive loyalty when we know that’s not going to happen with the push of the ‘like’ button.”