The Obsession with Facebook Likes

What do clients like to see? 1 million Facebook likes with a $100 budget to be used over a span of 1 month. Because it is difficult to put sense in the minds of such clients, many agencies have no option but to resort to ineffective means to meet the expectations of clients. Many marketers then either approach clickfarms that increase Facebook Page Likes through social bots, or do as general ad targeting as possible. What happens as a result is that you get many people who have liked your page not actually going on to convert.

You don’t just want an audience, you want them to do something for you as well, right? But some clients still want to touch the 1 million likes mark simply because they feel it gives their brand a psychological edge in the minds of the customers. While this may make your brand seem more reliable, it also cheapens your brand by eroding its brand equity. By taking away its exclusivity, it only turns into a mass market brand, which the elite of our society would not even go near to.

Marketers should rather treat Facebook likes as leads who will later turn into your customers. And it is never cheap to find the right leads for your brand. These leads can then be nurtured further through Facebook advertising which will constantly increase brand recall and recognition. If such leads are not carefully selected, many people would unlike your page or hide your ads if they are re-targeted often, simply because they aren’t even interested in your brand. They just liked your page because their friends liked it. So while it may cost a handsome amount initially to find the right leads, it only pays dividends in the future by constantly maintaining a high return on investment.

So take your pick; would you want to pay money to increase just your reach, or your sales?