Dude, Where's My Like?

Facebook recently released a statement announcing that page administrators will see page likes diminish in the near future. By the time you read this article, it may have already happened to your brand’s page.

“Over the coming weeks, page admins should expect to see a small dip in their number of page likes as a result of this update,” the company stated. “It’s important to remember, though, that these removed likes represent people who were already inactive on Facebook.”

Why is this happening you may ask? Facebook is doing some housekeeping. The company is removing voluntarily deactivated and memorialized Facebook accounts from pages’ like counts. Depending on who you ask, this could be considered a negative change, especially if you or the owner of your page are only focused on the number of likes you have.

If you are a glass half-full type person, then see this as a positive move from Facebook. With organic reach constantly dwindling, it is more important than ever that your page likes are real. This ensures the dollars you put behind paid media toward your current fans is being spent on the right audience and giving you more ROI. Facebook has described the two primary benefits of this change as:

“Business results: Removing inactive Facebook accounts from page audience data gives businesses up-to-date insights on the people who actively follow their page and makes it easier for businesses to find people like their followers through tools like lookalike audiences.

Consistency: We already filter out likes and comments generated by deactivated or memorialized accounts from individual page posts, so this update keeps data consistent.”

When it comes to Page likes, quality is better than quantity, so brand page managers should take the time to explain to their bosses/clients that this is a ultimately a positive change.