You’ve seen it. You’ve used it. You’ve ignored it.

Yep, the LIKE button is the head honcho over at Facebook, whether you like it or not (pun intended).  There are two sides to the LIKE story that go like this…

Side one of the story.

As the owner of a Facebook business page, you may have  100 fans or 5000 fans, but because of the Facebook mystical voodoo algorithms, only a tiny percentage of your fans will see your posts. The Facebook gods just feel that people don’t want their news feeds full of business posts. I happen to disagree. In my opinion, if I have liked a page, I’m pretty much saying that I’m willing to hear what they have to say. If your posts start to annoy me, I just unlike you. Story over. But, Facebook doesn’t listen to me, so I just have to play by the rules.

A business page may have worked hard to build up their fan base, but only about 5-7% of those fans are seeing their content. To make that number increase… first and foremost, make your content interesting. And, keep in mind what you find interesting may not be what your audience finds interesting. I sound like a broken record, I know, but don’t sell your product on social media. Instead, tell your story. If you create interesting content, your followers will most likely… LIKE it, COMMENT on it and if you are super duper lucky, they will SHARE it. With each like, comment and share, that small percentage of fans seeing your posts goes up and up and up. If you are lucky enough to post a gem that earns you lots of engagement, you might see that “reach” grow even larger than your fan base.

If your fans aren’t engaging, it’s time to rethink your social strategy. It ain’t easy. But, with some practice and some real understanding of your followers, you can increase your LIKES, thereby increasing your reach and most importantly, increasing trust in your brand.

Side two of this story.

Side two is from the perspective of the Facebook user. I don’t know about you, but I just don’t LIKE everything I see. It isn’t that I don’t genuinely like your adorable baby or sweet puppy or your keg stand. I do, really. I am just not into the whole LIKING everything thing.

But, when it comes to business pages I follow, if I don’t hit that LIKE button, Facebook will decide I just don’t care what they have to say and stop showing them in my newsfeed. In my opinion, I’m a big girl and can decide for myself whether or not to follow a page, but if I’m not engaging, Facebook will stop showing. Thems the rules.

I follow brand pages because I WANT to see what they have to say. I WANT to see Ann Taylor’s sale posts. I WANT to see new products from SEPHORA. But, if I don’t engage, I’m flat out of luck. I share this gem with you so that you can harness the power of the LIKE button and be sure to hit it every now and then for the pages you truly want to see. For those you don’t, well just do them a big ol favor and unlike them.

Whatever side you are on, business or consumer, it is important to understand the power of that quirky little LIKE button. And remember, with great power comes great responsibility, so LIKE wisely and SHARE the love.

~Tammi Murphy
Owner, Blarney Stone Marketing