It’s no secret that the importance of growing your social community is imperative for success. But what does that look like when algorithms are frequently changing and platforms are constantly rewiring their features?
It wasn’t too long ago when that metric was measured by the number of “likes” on your Facebook business Page. After all, the more “likes” on your page, the more people would see your content, and therefore engage with it. However social media marketing has evolved over the years, and metrics that were important in the past just aren’t as relevant today… in fact…
Facebook is permanently removing business Page “likes.”
Ah, yes. Yet another reminder that “change” is the only constant with social media marketing. Only a few short years ago, growing your social media presence all started with that initial action of liking a Facebook Page. So, why is Facebook removing that iconic ability to “like” a Page? According to the company, a Page’s number of “likes” ultimately misrepresents a Page’s actual popularity. Years ago, many Facebook users had once “liked” a specific Page, but later unfollowed that same Page to remove constant updates popping up on their News Feed as they outgrew interest.
Facebook backs this bold decision by stating, “We are removing Likes and focusing on Followers to simplify the way people connect with their favorite Pages. Unlike Likes, Followers of a Page represent the people who can receive updates from Pages, which helps give public figures a stronger indication of their fan base.”
Those infamous “likes” on your Facebook Page used to be important because, well, it helped people see your content. But over the last several years, that feature has become more of a vanity metric instead of a valuable asset for measuring your social media success. Back At You has been saying for a long time that the success of your brand doesn’t rely on vanity metrics such as Facebook Page “likes.” If you’re looking to truly evaluate whether your social media marketing is working, start by analyzing your reach, impressions, and engagement. But what exactly do those terms mean and, more importantly, how do they affect the success of your social media marketing efforts?
Engagement: The number of actions your content received from users (likes, comments, shares, clicks, etc.) Engagement is arguably the most important social media metric when evaluating your marketing success in 2021. Why? Because engagement is the only metric that involves the user directly beyond just seeing your content. If your content is inspiring someone to take an action, you are much closer to converting them into a viable lead.
Impressions: The number of times a social media platform shows your content. Impressions are different than reach (see below), and people may see multiple impressions of the same post. Brand awareness is often a leading objective when using social media, so continuing to drive impressions will be a key to success! Increased impressions creates a snowball effect that leads to greater reach, and ultimately greater engagement.
Reach: The number of unique people who see your content. Your content’s reach may be less than impressions since each unique person is only counted once, even if they see your post multiple times. For example, if ten Facebook users each saw your piece of content twice, the result would be 20 impressions (the number of times displayed multiplied by the number of unique people who saw it) and a reach of ten (the unique people who saw it).
As you can see, Facebook’s removal of “likes” from business Pages won’t hurt your social media success. In fact, it’s just one less metric to worry about when evaluating your online marketing! Combining the metrics of engagement, impressions, and reach will give you a 360º view of your social media marketing’s performance. When in doubt, focus on creating engaging content to spark online conversations and you’ll be smooth sailing in no time.
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Interested in learning more about how Back At You can automate your Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter presence? Email hey@backatyou.com to set up a personalized consultation with one of our social media experts!