Facebook's Reactions - Harness Digital Marketing

One of the biggest complaints Facebook has had since its inception more than 11 years ago is the dreaded like button. When your friend said her dog just died, you want to show support, but do you really want to “like” it? “Yeah, I saw you had to put down your dog. I liked it on Facebook.”

Well, after over a decade of people griping and complaining about the one thing that Facebook HASN’T changed, they are finally taking the plunge and possibly breaking up with the like – sort of. The like button will still be there, but it will be enhanced ten times over. The new Facebook Reactions button will be more than like – it will include emojis for “love,” “haha,” “yay,” “wow,” “sad” and “anger.”

Now don’t get too excited just yet. While this long-awaited feature is everything everyone has been asking for, Facebook is only teasing our poor hearts with this feature. Right now, the only lucky few to actually try out the reactions are in Ireland and Spain. There is no word yet when (or even if) they’ll be rolling it out worldwide.

So what do these reactions have to do with your business? A lot. Right now, when you post, you may get likes, and you may get nothing. Some people don’t care to like something they don’t feel they actually like, causing your business to potentially lose interaction on otherwise engaging posts. These interactions will help people express their true feelings and personalities, giving customers more ability to interact with your page without publicizing their opinions with a comment. It seems like a win-win for everyone!

We at Harness Digital Marketing (except for our emoji-resistant Tom Harness – iSmile) will be anxiously awaiting these amazing new reactions. But until then, we’ll still be growing engagement and interaction for our clients through social media using that same-old like button. If you are interested in learning more about how to increase your engagement online, call us! We’ll help you #TurnTheLightBulbOn for your social media. Now that’s something you can give a “yay” to!

Nicole Firebaugh | @nicole_fir