This Halloween, Nightmares Fear Factory,  a haunted house in Niagara Falls, Canada, that is open every day of the year, decided to use Facebook to generate more traffic for its big, big day of October 31.

The company started taking visitors’ photos at the scariest point in the tour, Hubspot writes, and posted them on Flickr and Facebook. The results were staggering, director of Sales and Marketing Vee Popat told Hubspot.

"It started on Thursday, October 6, 2011. By 1:00 PM, we noticed we were at twice the normal daily traffic on our website, and by the end of the day, traffic increased by over 10,000%."

Budget-minded Consumers

Nightmares Fear Factory's experience, though, is more the rule than the exception in terms of its success. Marketing lore and numerous studies have made the case that the main reason why consumers interact with a company or brand on Facebook is for the discounts or coupons. Engaging content is, at best, an afterthought for most Facebook users that find themselves on a brand’s page.

In a new blog post, Nielsen provides the latest data in support of this.

A Global Trend

Globally, online consumers of all ages reported that receiving discounts and special offers was their top reason for liking or following brands. Only respondents under the age of 20 and 55-59-year-olds were less likely to follow for this reason, reporting they primarily engage with brands via social media based on friends’ recommendations.

Wal-Mart Jumps on Board

This drive for discounts is the reason behind Wal-Mart’s partnership with Facebook, announced earlier this month in which each of its more than 3,500 locations will have its own tailored Facebook page. The partnership is said to be the first of its kind for a retailer.