What is a like and why does it matter to your page’s engagement? Well in many ways a “like” is almost like an acknowledgement from someone to say “I’ve saw your content in my news feed”. But does it infer that they’ve read your post?
If you know anything about Social Media, you will know that almost all Social Media platforms favour content which is meaningful, particularly if you are using Facebook in your social media strategy. Reactions are a way of users interacting with a post to show Facebook that this is content they are interested in and would like to see more of this.
There are currently 6 reactions a user can choose from on Facebook to interact with a post. Like, Love, Ha ha, WOW, Sad and Angry.
So why reactions? Why not just keep it simple with a like?
Consumers are driven by emotion, and emotion is key in deciding whether to purchase something. A like is something a Facebook user can click quickly and move on, like we mentioned earlier, it does not necessarily mean that the person has read the post. They may have liked the image, they may have seen a word they were drawn to when scrolling.
Reactions require thought, they require a user to have stopped, read and decided which emotion the post invokes. They allow a business to understand how current, past and future clients/customers feel about their business and brand. They also provide useful metrics for strategy planning for future content and advertising campaigns.
For example: By measuring how many negative, or angry reactions you get on a certain type of post, allows for future planning into ensuring that this type of post and content is omitted in future. Measuring positive reactions such as love allows you to plan more of this type of post or content as it is what your audience want to see.
Engagement Bait
Facebook is cracking down on ‘Engagement Bait‘ posts, the type of posts they believe are undercutting their algorithm. You know the posts. Like if you are an Aries, love if you are a Capricorn etc. They want to see more authentic engagement, users engaging with businesses because they are interested in it.
How can you boost reactions?
Boosting the reactions you get on posts is easier than you think. Believe it or not, business ‘selling’ posts should only actually account for around 25% of your posts. Any more than this makes your audience switch off.
So what should you post instead? You could;
- Make your audience giggle with a meme or a joke post.
- Post about something current but non business related (just be wary of anything that could offend, antagonise or alienate people – that’s a sure fire way to getting an angry reaction).
- Post about something relating to your business – for example; an estate agent could post about tips for moving day.
- Tell a story – this could be a live (or even pre-recorded) video giving insight into your day to day life in your business, showing the production of an item you sell, giving an introduction to a member of your team!
- Post about the office/shop/work environment.
- Post Selfies – you or one of your team happen to be working somewhere other than the office? Having a meeting in a coffee shop? Your environment might not seem that interesting to you but people love to see the people and the places behind the business/brand.
- Have a random thought? Still wondering if penguins have knees? (They do by the way!) Share it… you never know who might also be thinking it.
- Share uplifting and inspiring quotes – tap into the user’s feelings.
There are so many more ideas for posts that would invoke a reaction from the Facebook community. By building a Social Media strategy plan for your business, you can plan your social media content to include all of these reaction promoting post types. If you need any help in building your business’s Social Media Strategy, get in touch.
Recent Comments