When you click ‘like’, is that like?…. As in… you know…. LIKE? Or ‘like’ as in ‘I feel obligated to click like to keep up appearances and be nice’?
Do you run a business page through Facebook like I do? There’s a temptation, isn’t there, to just go out and get more likes for the sake of getting likes. It feels good when someone likes your post or your page.
Before we go any further, I must make a confession: I am no marketing guru. I once said, “Hmmph! What’s wrong with a Flash website? iphones… they’re not gonna go!” so clearly I’m not a genius in the area. It is therefore quite possible that I am completely wrong in my opinion. My question is this: does a “like” on facebook count as a like if it’s not a genuine like? I’m guessing it doesn’t really count for much, at least not in the real world.
Why bother to write about this? Well, I belong to a few business groups on Facebook, and from time to time there will be a post along the lines of “Hey, everyone, let’s all put up our business pages here in this group and we can all go and ‘like’ each other. Come on! Let’s show our support!” I did add my business page to a list like this one time, and then I went and looked at some of the other businesses’ pages and some of them were great, so I clicked “like”. Others, though, left me feeling flat. I did not like them, not one little bit. I did not “like” them either.
(Clearly too much time spent with Dr Seuss in my childhood!)
Then I discovered that I wasn’t actually meant to like these businesses in the real world. What I really thought of them was not a consideration at all. I just had to “like” them on Facebook, regardless of my opinion of them, which tends to water down the meaning of “like”, does it not?
So I committed a Facebook faux pas and just carried on NOT liking other businesses.
I guess I haven’t made many friends in the business groups to which I belong — don’t get me going on the topic of Facebook “friends”! — but at least you know that if I have “liked” your page on Facebook then it’s a genuine like!
Love,
Jen.
PS: I do mention facebook friends in this little post right here.
*”Don’t like” graphic above a free download from freepic.com
Mark Ivkovic - Heeeeey Jen, 🙂
Its good to get this stuff off your mind eh?
Totally agree which is why I avoid these groups and generally try to only connect with people on facebook who genuinely appear to be interested. Yes it’s hard not to come across as a bit of a “snob” but this is business after all right? Why waste time on something that doesn’t provide any quantifiable returns (like the act of boosting the ego of similar business’ to your own) I’m pretty sure Pepsi-cola doesn’t “like” Coke on facebook, or BurgerKing doesn’t “like” McD’s”. Although I do now want to go and see if they do . . . . . . . . .
You’re doing fine Jen, keep on following your heart.
Mark.
jen - Hey, Mark. Good to ‘see’ you! I have actually liked your page on FB, and I regularly see your work in my feed. And when I click like on your images, it’s a rooly and trooly genuine like. Oh, and so, how did you go? Did you check whether Pepsi ‘likes’ Coke?
Hope you enjoy a well-earned break over Christmas. Been a big year for you!
Jen.