“Likes” are a well-accepted standard for Facebook and Instagram posts, but they might be heading out the door. For most of 2019, Facebook has been testing a new strategy that hides like counts from public view. This change is meant to promote an emotionally healthy environment for creators and users alike - but what does it mean for your current marketing strategy?
The Good: Content-Focused Profiles
The hiding of engagement metrics suggests that Facebook wants to adopt a content-focused model. Users won’t be able to see how many other people have engaged with your posts; instead, they’ll be judging your content entirely on its own merit.
This is great news for smaller brands that are looking to grow a dedicated following. Even if you don’t have a large audience, this small change will help your content get the credit it deserves.
With like counts gone, content creators should be extremely aware of the need for great titles, amazing thumbnails, and snappy meta descriptions. If your audience can’t see the like count, they’ll look for other ways to judge your content instead.
The Bad: Influencing Isn't Easy
For influencers and marketers with high follower counts, the number of likes on a post tends to snowball. First 100 people engage with the post; then when the next 100 see that they aren’t alone, they quickly follow suit.
Hiding like counts will all but nullify this strategy. Snowballing isn’t essential for high engagement, but it’s certainly effective. This change will force influencers and marketers to work a lot harder than they’re used to if they want to keep those engagement numbers up.
New Ways to Measure Engagement
If you can’t see the number of likes, how will you know that a post is doing well?
First, it’s important to recognize that only public like counts are disappearing. You’ll still be able to view like counts from your profile, although you might need to click on the options for each individual post.
Either way, this change in mentality suggests that you need other ways to measure a post's success. These are a few of our current favorites:
- Check the comments. Comments are a surefire sign of engagement. If you want to increase comments on your posts, try asking questions or inviting interaction from your audience.
- Monitor website traffic. Click-through traffic is a great way to measure engagement for posts that link back to a blog or a landing page. This will also give you an idea of how many people actually read your post.
Track regular follower growth. If your strategy is working, you should expect to see a steady increase of social media followers. This number should still be visible on both the front and back ends of your profile.
Update Your Marketing Strategy
Your social media strategy is an essential part of your greater marketing efforts. Let our team at Precision Creative help you stay on top of the latest trends; contact us now to turn your strategy into a success. We help create content, put together graphics, engage with your fans, and show you results.