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Don't Be A 'Like-Baiter'
April 15, 2014
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Facebook has announced that they are implementing a series of improvements to their News Feed to reduce the types of posts people complain about. They want to "ensure that spam content does not drown out the content that people really want to see."
So if you are initiating any of the following tactics, Facebook will start to de-emphasize your "like" page (meaning hiding it even more from users' News Feed). The types of posts that have been red-flagged are "like-baiting," sharing frequently circulated content, and trickery.
"Like-baiting" is that desperate act of luring action on Facebook. They offer this example:
But you don't really need Facebook's example – just scroll through your own News Feed. There's no doubt you'll see examples like these that I found in mine:
Other posting ploys that have been downgraded are sharing over-used content - when a brand posts the same content every other person and page is sharing and 'spammy' links.
This is when brands use inaccurate language to trick people into clicking through to a website. Facebook says it's for posts that "claim to link to a photo album but instead take the viewer to a website with just ads."
All three of these tactics are really just the type of lazy activity that happens when we forego storytelling and communicating values, and lack real objectives – besides amassing a lot of "likes."
Facebook (and all social platforms for that matter) is about much more than simply setting "like" goals. But in order to get the most out of these platforms, we must first respect the motivations behind why consumers enjoy specific social outlets to begin with. For Facebook – it's all about family and friends.
We saw this in spades in Jacobs Media'sTechsurvey10. Respondents told us overwhelmingly the reasons they enjoy Facebook is connecting with those they know:
And while you see connecting with brands and even playing contests are low on the scale of importance, it's not to imply they aren't valued. It's just that the motivating factors for folks using social are connection and expression – especially with friends and family.
Canned, superficial behavior (baiting people for interaction) contradicts the nature of being social. It also handicaps brands from developing motivated relationships.
There's a code of conduct that applies to every strong brand, especially in the social space. And if your station doesn't have these principles or avoids real dialogue, you will continue to struggle with the social metrics that matter the most.
It's time to take the social space more seriously in regard to creating and communicating each brand's core tenets. And it starts with understanding why consumers are there and the types of interaction they deem to be most important.
That means every person speaking for a station brand should be trained and be in a position to continue to learn:
- Why fans share content and tapping into that.
- How to always speak to the passion of the fans.
- What it takes to maintain an active social fan base.
The days of handing over social to just anyone who is perhaps native to it or is on Facebook "all of the time" has run its course.
There's a required skill set that means knowing how to effectively communicate in a way that speaks to what fans value about your brand (what you do), and elevate its reputation (what they remember).
Reach out to me anytime on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.
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