The I ♥ Cape Town Facebook fan page is officially the third biggest in South Africa with more than
118 000 fans according to Memeburn, a company specialising in website analysis.
The website has seen phenomenal growth over the past month, growing by 18 000 fans during August 2010 from just over 100 000 Facebook fans at the start of the month.
I ♥ Cape Town is in third position following the Springboks and runner-up, Gary the ToothFairy (aka Bevan Cullinan, a local comedian).
Author of the blog, Alistair Fairweather says, “South Africa’s most beloved city was bound to make an appearance somewhere in our list. The fact that half the fans are probably German is irrelevant. Cape Town Tourism deserves a big pat on the back for this one.”
The ranking was based on three criteria:
1. Only fan pages would qualify;
2. Only brands that were established and developed in South Africa would be counted; and
3. The ranking would use one metric, based on the brands with the most fans.
The ranking is meant to capture popular culture in South Africa and according to Fairweather, is a fairly accurate reflection of what South Africans love and the brands that stand out for them.
Facebook has grown from a means of getting in touch with old friends, to a great marketing tool for businesses.
Those who choose to engage with social networking tools as Cape Town Tourism does are now reaping the rewards as they discover more about what people like and dislike about Cape Town.
It is in the interests of every business to find out more about e-marketing and how the phenomenon of social networking can improve its brand.