Facebook Changed its "Like" Button, But What does That Mean for Franchising?

The infamous Facebook “Like” button has been upgraded to include a wider range of reactions. As a brand, here’s what you need to know.

By Nick Powills1851 Franchise Publisher

SPONSOREDUpdated 3:15PM • 04/21/16

A short time ago, Facebook introduced their new animated “reactions,” giving users even more freedom to express their thoughts on Facebook content. According to Facebook, the new reactions were “designed to give people a more nuanced way to share a response to a Facebook post quickly and easily.” Now, instead of simply “liking” a piece of content on Facebook, fans can share their feelings directly with brands by letting them know if they “Like,” “Love,” “Haha,” “Wow,” “Sad,” or “Angry” the post.

Sammi Krug, Facebook’s product manager for Facebook, said that the company has been conducting research to determine the reactions people would use the most on the social platform.

“We also looked at how people are already commenting on posts and the top stickers and emoticons as signals for the types of reactions people are already using to determine which reactions to offer,” said Krug in a blog post.

Utilizing a simple action, such as selecting a common reaction, is an easier and more effective way for a fan to share with the brand how they feel about a post. This could encourage more overall engagement on franchise brand pages by making the feedback process simpler for fans.

But while Facebook sees this new feature as an opportunity for businesses and publishers to better understand how people are responding to their content on Facebook, many brands are hesitant about the platform change. There is no doubt that this new feature will encourage users to become more comfortable with sharing and interacting with content that they don’t agree with.

Before a brand gets nervous about the prospect of negative reactions, there is a silver lining. If a fan is reacting to the post with an “Angry” or “Sad” reaction, it’s still better than unfollowing and hiding posts from the page altogether. This also provides the brand with feedback, giving them an opportunity to adjust their strategy before losing a fan completely. Consider this an opportunity to monitor what provokes the negative vs. positive reactions, and work towards adjusting your content accordingly.

This is also a chance to make sure that your ad targeting on Facebook is accurate. If you are boosting posts, or advertising actively on Facebook, ensure the content is going to an audience who finds it relevant to prevent it from annoying the users who find it irrelevant.

For franchise brands that are utilizing Facebook’s advertising platform. They should notice the addition of the reactions on their ad reports. As of right now, the reactions will be treated the same way as “Likes” for ad delivery and they won’t be broken out as individual reactions. This means that one reaction won’t necessarily carry weight over another.

Whether you “Like,” “Love” or “Feel Angry” about the new animated reactions added to Facebook, one added advantage is clear—brands will now be able to better understand how their customers really feel.