You’ve heard it before… “Facebook Likes.” What is this crazy notion? I can hear you now–who gives a rip who “likes” the photo of my spaghetti dinner? Well, I’ll tell you who. Your prospects, your clients and your competitors do. Yes, as crazy as it seems, those little likes mean big business. You may think it simple, but sometimes the simplest things confound the wise. The Facebook Like Button is WAY more important than it seems.
Andy Warhol: I think everybody should like everybody.
Gene Swenson: Is that what Pop Art is all about?
Andy Warhol: Yes, it’s liking things.
Facebook “Likes” are a type of social media voting system whereby humans are in rank the content that they find to be worthwhile. We are in the “Attention Economy” where human attention is in short supply. Facebook “Likes” serve as a sorely-needed relevancy-filtering system to combat the dilemma of info-overload.
Human ranking trumps computerized ranking. (Hence, Google’s recent dilemma with spammy content and the need to enact their latest algo-update against content-farms.) Which explains one of the reasons people prefer receiving data through Facebook which is human-edited, rather than through Google which is largely computer-edited.
A stroke constitutes a fundamental unit of social action. An exchange of strokes is a transaction. “An exchange of strokes is a transaction, which is a unit of social intercourse.” (Games People Play, Eric Berne, MD)
The Like button communicates volumes to both the reader (relevancy, worthiness) & the content producer (reach, sentiment). Facebook Likes Measure the following:
Network Engagement / Involvement
If your network is not actively involved with your content, then it will naturally Like what you’re posting. An engaged network is the best type of network for marketing your business.
Customer Sentiment
The Likes you receive on your content measures the sentiment of your audience. A Like is a positive affirmation to the brand and the content produced.
Content Value
You can find out the value of the content that you produce by Like totals. The Likes serve as a content-qualifier, teaching you what your target market prefers to hear from you.
Content Relevancy
Content that is most relevant to a given niche network will be Liked more. This is along the same route as content value above.
Part of the beauty of the Facebook Like Button is in its simplicity. It doesn’t sound like work at all, since “liking” is something we do each day. In reality, liking the content that comes through our news stream constitutes to work. The click of a button works to show the marketer, or friend or associate that the content they’re producing is worthy for others to see, since most social media actions take place in a public forum.
Wow! If you think about it. One of the main keys to Facebook’s domination is that little LIKE button… (MySpace should have caught that)
As humans we are not in control of very much that occurs outside of ourselves. We can do everything right and have adverse outcomes in this life. As such, we love power. The Facebook Like Button gives us a feeling of control by allowing us to “vote” for the content we find likable. This sense of power further conditions our use of Facebook and keeps us clicking that button over and over again.
The success (or not) of your social media efforts can be measured in “Likes.” Businesses and corporations are judging the success of their social media campaigns not by the number of Likes and Comments received, somewhat like rankings determine the value of a website in the world of organic search.
Facebook will take over the internet with the “Like” button.
Some people will Like your content because they like you, not just because the content is good. Some people use the Like button as a system of approval and affirmation for the business or brand as a whole.
The rooting-tooting Facebook Like Buttons goes the extra mile in prompting users to post more and better content. It reminds me of the slot machines in Vegas–quite addicting. Users gamble with different types of posts to see what will get the most “Likes.” And these likes are powerful affirmations of behavior.
The genius of Facebook is in this little thing we call the “LIKE BUTTON.” Who *doesn’t* want people to like their face, their image, thoughts and lives? It plays into the fiber of our human need for connection and gives us the affirmation we crave. Powerful!
We each have the basic human need to be affirmed by others. The Like Button causes us to experience real-time affirmation for our most basic thoughts. The feeling of getting Facebook Likes causes the flow of endorphins to curse through our bodies–the same chemicals, in fact that surge when a person falls in love, or gets high on drugs. Facebook is ADDICTING.
Cure for Aloneness
Not to mention, the core problem of existence is the fact that we’re each alone. This “alone-ness” is central to the thoughts of man. Social media Likes and Retweets helps us to feel more connected and integrated with our fellows like a web of minds and hearts. Strong and powerful solution to feeling and being alone in this world.
The Like Button also reaches deep into the recesses of the human psyche to solve problems of individual self-worth and esteem. Proper posting on Facebook builds self-esteem. See this article in Science Daily.
Facebook Likes are condition us to use Facebook.
I could go on for days about that tiny little button that we click to accept that which we like on Facebook, but then how would I pay my mortgage? 
The point I’m trying to make here, folks, is that the Facebook Like button is powerful. It is this button that makes the world of social media so interesting, rich and rewarding for those of us who use it.
If you think social media is going away, you’re sorely mistaken. The Like button will keep us coming back for more, and more and more.
