I Really Don’t Like Everything I “Like” on Facebook

I’m a big believer in the power of the “like” button on Facebook. But just because I “like” a particular fan page on Facebook, it doesn’t necessarily mean I really…well…like it. Same goes for the blogs or Twitter accounts I choose to follow.

When it comes to Facebook business pages, there are actually a number of reasons why I choose to “like” something:

1) I actually DO like them – For the large majority of pages that I “like,” it’s because I happen to like the business and want to show my support. I’ve blogged before about how we like to complain, but I try to do my part by supporting the things I like, more than tearing down the things I don’t like. Plus, I need to “like” them if I ever want to “tag” these businesses in a status update.

2) To support local businesses – I may not actually have ever patronized a certain business, but I do like to support much of what goes on locally. By clicking the “like” button, I’m not just becoming another “fan,” but I’m spreading the word about that page to my Facebook friends. Remember, what you do on Facebook doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking that it’s just about you. Everything you do on Facebook is like throwing a pebble in a stream.

3) To support friends – There are some Facebook pages that are set up by friends, and while I might not ever use their business, I do want to show my support, both as a fan, and as someone who spreads the word. Remember: social platforms like Facebook act as an amplified version of word of mouth. For instance, my friend Sam owns a property management company, Hometown Property Management Services. At this point in my life I have no use for his services. But, he is a friend and I want to support him. And I also have plenty of friends who just might be interested in what he has to offer.

4) I actually dislike them! – This hasn’t actually happened yet, but I can think of a number of scenarios where it might. Suppose I go to a restaurant and have a bad experience. I want to let them know, and in order to do so, I need to “like” their fan page so that I can post a comment. This is how customer service works. I’d rather tell them about the bad experience than post a comment on a third party site like Yelp, either anonymously or not. If we want companies to excel at product development or customer service, they need our feedback. They might not always like it, but they need it.

5) Research – I’m in the marketing business. If I’m working on a marketing program for a client, I need to “like” their competitors in order to see what the competition is up to. Also, since I blog every day, I often “like” pages for the sake of researching a blog post. In most cases, if you don’t “like” the page, you don’t get full access to see how they are handling themselves. For that reason, I recently “liked” quite a few politicians on Facebook representing both major political parties. I actually don’t really like any of them…but I “liked” their pages. Additionally, there may be some businesses who are doing a particularly good job of utilizing their Facebook pages and I want to see what they are doing, and how they are doing it. Research is a big part of what I do. And I would encourage businesses to “like” their competitors pages. It’s no different than checking out what your competitors are doing in other forms of marketing or advertising. It makes smart business sense.

What does this mean to you?

Well, if you’re my friend on Facebook, don’t read into everything you see me “like.”

If you’re the owner of a Facebook business page, don’t necessarily read into my “liking” of your page. This is why we need to be extra careful of playing the numbers game in Social Media. Not everyone who “likes” your page is really there because they like you.

I used to worry about this more and was concerned about what people would think when they saw me “liking” a particular page, so I was very careful. Not so much anymore.

So if you see me “liking” Justin Bieber’s fan page…it’s just for research. I promise!

What are your reasons for “liking” particular pages?

Tagged as: business, facebook, Facebook Business Page, Facebook Fan Page, Marketing, Online Communities, Social Media, Twitter, Yelp