Abraham Lincoln said that if he could get someone to lend him a book, they would be a friend for life. The act of lending something as valuable as a book was an act of engagement and trust. After that, it was impossible to be indifferent and indifference is a bigger threat to friendship than animosity.
The same thing is true about volunteerism. If you can get someone to voluntarily do something in support of your organization or brand, even something small, you have the start of engagement. Once you have engagement, you have awareness and involvement and all sorts of good things can happen. I suspect that this is the thinking behinds the marketing campaigns that are abundant right now that encourage readers or viewers to "like" or "retweet" or "pin" the latest page, site, or post of the company.
The trouble is that often the marketing plans don't go beyond the request for the original interaction. Lincoln didn't change enemies into friends simply by borrowing books. He used that initial act as an excuse to engage in conversation, debate an issue or lend back a related book.
Similarly, just getting someone to like your Facebook page does little to no true marketing good. Getting someone who had liked your Facebook page to them sign up for an e-newsletter or to request a coupon for a free sample of what you are selling is a step in the right direction. The point is it is easier to get people who have taken a tiny bit of time to like you on Facebook to take a tiny bit more time to sign up for something or watch a video. The general public who haven't volunteered their tiny bit of time, haven't made that tiny commitment to you.
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