Here’s what happens when you “like” a brand on Facebook

It seems that companies are fascinated today that you want to “like” them on Facebook.

It’s demanding to browse the internet without being bombarded with requests for like company page on Facebook or with competitions and offers depending on doing this.

From a company’s perspective, a Facebook like is a chance to stay “top of mind,” a marketing concept that means that a consumer thinks of a particular brand first for a particular product or service because its promotional messages appear in that user’s Facebook newsfeed. Being liked can also be used as a metric to determine the effectiveness of social media campaigns and other promotional efforts. The more liked a company is, the more effective the promotion is considered to be.

But is this really true? To find out, we surveyed hundreds of Facebook users delve into the meaning and value of a Facebook Like. We wanted to understand the motivations behind liking certain types of brands and discover how this affects user-company interactions. We also wanted to understand how this varies by brand type (i.e. product manufacturers vs. service providers).

The results of two studies we conducted show that what likes say about consumers and what they think about the brands they like is surprisingly diverse.

Loyalty of liking

In the first study, we asked 150 Facebook users to tell us about a brand they currently liked on Facebook. We then asked them to describe their motivation for clicking the “Like” button for the first time, their interactions with the brand since liking it, and any changes in their relationship with the brand since then.

Our results show that the main reason consumers choose to like a brand on Facebook is a sense of existing loyalty or commitment to supporting the brand. The largest proportion of respondents said they liked the brand simply because they thought it was something a true fan should do. The next largest proportion seemed to be more focused on receiving something in return for liking, such as information, social recognition, or entry into competitions.

Interestingly, only a relatively compact percentage of respondents said they “liked” a brand on Facebook because they simply liked (had a positive attitude toward) the brand. This is different from loyalty in a subtle way.

For example, I may have a positive attitude towards the Rolls Royce brand after seeing its products in advertisements, product placements, etc., but I have never owned any of its cars; therefore, I do not feel any loyalty or commitment to the brand. This finding shows that some users who may not have purchased products from that brand may still like the brand on Facebook for various reasons.

In terms of level of interaction since first liking a brand, more than half of users said that while they may have read the brand’s posts or viewed its photos in their Facebook newsfeed, they did not provide any information to the brand. Only a fifth said they had reposted or shared the brand’s content, while only 17 percent reported that they had actually commented on the brand’s posts.

Finally, an engaging and contradictory group of cases emerged in which respondents reported no change in their relationship with the brand but at the same time detailed positive brand-related consequences.

For example, a respondent initially noted that their relationship with Ford did not change after liking the Ford page, but later noticed that they viewed more photos of novel Ford trucks posted by the company on Facebook. This could be interpreted as a change in their relationship because they are interacting more with the brand.

This suggests that generating likes on Facebook can have positive effects for a company, including allowing it to interact more with its fans.

Are all likes created equal?

While the first study produced engaging results, we wanted to see if there was a statistically significant difference in the way Facebook users reported interacting with product and service brands.

Although different types of businesses may strive to achieve the same result, there is evidence that there are differences in the way brands offering products and services interact with potential customers, and the latter require different engagement strategies.

Just as not all brands are the same, not all likes are created equal. It may seem more natural to like a brand that produces an actual product, such as your favorite car manufacturer or clothing brand, than a service, such as a plumber, cable TV provider, or pet groomer. This is because, due to their ethereal nature, services can be much more hard for consumers to evaluate. As a result, service companies must initiate social interactions with your customers to convey values ​​and set appropriate expectations.

So in our second study, we surveyed 300 Facebook users to explore these differences. We found some engaging similarities and differences in how they interact with brands that sell products and services.

For example, we found that “fans” of product brands were more likely to report engaging in passive interactions with the company, such as reading or liking posts, compared to fans of service brands. They also reported a higher intention to make future purchases.

However, we did not observe any differences between groups in terms of their willingness to engage in more dynamic interactions on Facebook, such as sharing or commenting on posts.

Analysis of results

What does this all mean?

First, it tells us that simply adding up Facebook likes doesn’t necessarily tell us how engaged a customer is with a company’s brand. Many of our respondents liked their brands for reasons other than a desire to engage in an interactive relationship. In other words, the number of likes does not equal the quality of the relationship.

Additionally, brand and social media managers shouldn’t automatically assume that novel Facebook followers are novel to the company. Many of our respondents felt they had a duty to a brand they loved or frequently shopped for to like it on Facebook.

While passive follower engagement isn’t what gets the most attention when pundits discuss the benefits of Facebook engagement, it still offers benefits, such as becoming more “first in mind.” Brand managers shouldn’t always assume that their loudest, most dynamic Facebook followers are the only ones getting the message.

Finally, our research offers several lessons for service- and product-based brands. For service- and product-based brands, a sense of brand connection was a mighty outcome of Facebook interactions. These companies should perhaps focus more on personalizing their Facebook messages to further stimulate and amplify this elevated sense of connection.

For product-based brands, while brand affinity was lower, purchase intent and brand sentiment—the positive or negative associations someone has with a brand—were higher. To capitalize on that, these companies should probably include more calls to action on Facebook and showcase their latest and greatest product offerings.

So next time you “like” a brand on Facebook, think about what you’re saying to the company. And whether that’s the message you want to send.