Just when more and more marketers were getting into a groove promoting their “become a fan” message, Facebook goes and announces a shift away from this terminology in favor of the existing “like” feature. While many were quick to panic at first, most are seeing this semantic shift as a way to make it easier for users to build lasting connections to brands in the future. Yet, rather than taking pressure off marketers looking to increase their impact in social media, this shift places even more emphasis on the need to be “likeable” – i.e., deliver valued content on an ongoing basis that users will like, share and recommend.
One of the keys to this new approach is its ability to sidestep the mental hurdle involved when users are asked to overtly declare they are a “fan” of a particular brand. Soon they will simply need to “like” a brand’s ad, content or activity on Facebook in order to establish an equivalent connection. With Facebook users currently using the “like” feature over “become a fan” by a ratio of nearly 2:1, the implications in brand reach on the platform could be seismic.
According to an internal memo within Facebook, which has already been widely reported:
“‘Like’ offers a simple, consistent way for people to connect with the things they are interested in.” It continues, “These lighter-weight actions mean people will make more connections across the site, including with your branded Facebook Pages.”
Currently, Facebook users “fan” pages they value and “like” content they value. As Facebook moves to phase out the “become a fan” terminology, it appears that the biggest winners will be brands that can provide the most likeable content that gets shared and promoted across the platform.
In the new paradigm, social media content creation will have to go far beyond intern-authored status updates. Content planning across text, photography, video, and interactive experiences will continue its rise as an increasing imperative in the growth of valued brand communities.
What great social media content will you be rolling out this quarter?
Great idea. This should make it much easier to acquire fans…I mean (I likes)! Nice post