Lately, I've noticed a lot of Facebook ads, e-blasts and Tweets enticing me to "fan" or "friend" an organization for the chance to win: an iPad, a Kindle, a Whole Foods gift card, or a Wii Fit. It's the social media sweepstakes! Get us to 1,000 fans, and we'll give you X. (1,000 fans seems to be the magic number, though why not aim higher? Our hospital is trying for 1888 by our "birthday" on July 7--and we'd be the ones raffling the Wii Fit.)

But what are we really buying here? It seems intuitively good to have more fans for your hospital--the more fans, the more connections, the more dialogue. But at what point is quality better than quantity, or does this point even exist (or matter)? I guess we're talking about a couple hundred dollars of swag for a few hundred more fans (or "potential customers" if you want to truly objectify), but still.

It's not like the promise of a chance to win doesn't work. In the first couple of weeks of our promotion, we increased our Facebook fans by over 200, though I'm dubious that we can make it to 1888 in only another couple of weeks. (Unless you help--click here now for a chance to win!!! WIN!! WIN!!!!)

But I get a sense of a tipping point, in which the fans we already had--the ones who sought you out and choose to interact with our organization consistently--are the ones who matter. And the rest are in/out for shiny, new iToy. What's really important is the interaction and dialogue--posting dynamic, helpful content and the chance to connect with your customers one-on-one. It's all about the content and the dialogue, I tell you! The content and dialogue!

Still, who doesn't want a free Wii Fit? I know you do. So click here for your chance to win.