The "Like" feature on Facebook is simple in nature.

October 24, 2011 By valerie Leave a Comment

Great article on the power of Facebook “LIKES”

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/likes-mean-facebook-marketing-perspective-28729.html

The “Like” feature on Facebook is simple in nature. Users click “Like” to communicate what they think about anything. From a marketing perspective, it may be the most powerful tool Facebook has to offer. If you own a business and run a Facebook page, Facebook users can “Like” your page or any content you post on it, telling their friends that they like what you have to offer.

Exponential Exposure

Because of the viral nature of social networking, brand and product exposure on Facebook grows exponentially. At the time of publication, there were more than 750 million people on Facebook, each with an average of about 136 friends. Every time someone “Likes” your page or something on it, he exposes it to all his friends, who then have the opportunity to expose it to their friends.

Targeting

When Facebook users “Like” your page or its content, his friends will notice either in advertisements or on their News Feeds. Since friends often share common interests, when someone likes your product or business, he exposes it to other people who are more likely to have similar preferences than someone picked at random. In this way, you naturally target the audience who is most likely to be interested in your brand, service or product.

Validation

People ask their friends when they want a second opinion about where to go or what to buy. If someone “Likes” your business’ Facebook page or something on it, he validates it to his friends. Furthermore, when someone clicks on your page, he sees a list of which of his friends “Like” it. Your advertisements also display to any user which of his friends “Like” your page.

Customer Community and Loyalty

Facebook users who “Like” a business’ Facebook page receive updates about that page in their News Feeds. In this way, they have the opportunity to stay informed about your business and can even engage in conversations or applications on your page. This builds a customer community around your page and generates customer loyalty.

“Likes” Linked to More Business

The proof of Facebook’s marketing effectiveness is in business website visitation rates. People who “Like” your Facebook page and their friends are more likely to visit your website and use your products or services. According to research published by the web analytics service KISSmetrics, 2.7 percent of average Internet users have visited Southwest.com, while 12.4 percent of Facebook users who “Like” Southwest have visited the site and 7.1 percent of their friends have visited it. Similarly, people who “Like” Bing and their friends consistently use Bing for Internet searches more frequently than other Internet users.

About the Author

Gina Poirier has been writing professionally since 2009 and has published articles for various websites. She specializes in culture, management and administration and she also regularly writes about outdoor recreation. Poirier has a Bachelor of Arts in international studies from the University of Washington and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

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