Facebook Likes And Other Reactions | Inspire Web Development

Like button is joined by Love, Wow, Sad, Angry and Haha emoji

Like the number 11 bus, you wait ages – and then six come along at once. We’re talking Facebook’s new range of Reactions.  For years you could either Like something or – er – not.  Now you can use Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad or Angry.  Originally they also considered a Yay button and some 25 others, but eventually whittled the choice down to six for ease of use.

What do Facebook’s new emoji mean for business?  The most obvious answer is that it’s going to make it much easier to see what people really think of your posts and updates.  You can only get a certain amount of information from a Like, or a comment which may not clearly convey the writer’s meaning. 

One reason for the change, which users have been asking for for years, is to provide an appropriate Reaction for bad news or for commenting on poor service.  Facebook didn’t include a Dislike button because they didn’t want to create tools that let people criticise each other.  However, the new Sad and Angry buttons will give you an instant and direct idea of how they really feel about your business.

Another reason for the extra buttons is that, with the increase in mobile browsing, people are less likely to leave comments.  The new emoji allow them to express their reactions with just one click.

As a result, you may see a drop in comments and an increase in emoticon reactions.  That won’t affect your updates’ ranking on Facebook yet.  Sammi Krug of Facebook says:

“Initially, just as we do when someone likes a post, if someone uses a Reaction, we will infer they want to see more of that type of post. In the beginning, it won’t matter if someone likes, ‘wows’ or ‘sads’ a post — we will initially use any Reaction similar to a Like to infer that you want to see more of that type of content”. 

They will be collecting data on the use of each new Reaction, though, and eventually the different emoji will be weighted to personalise people’s feeds.  Businesses will also be able to monitor and analyse Reactions in their Page Insights, and use the information to tailor their updates and ads.

So you should be able to use the new emoji to your advantage, provided you use the information wisely.  If you need any help with understanding your results or creating your content around them, give us a call.  We’ll be happy to help.