Our Hearts Will Go On: The Facebook Like Gate Story

On August 7th, Facebook Developers announced the release of Graph API v2.1 along with other various platform updates.

One of those updates will majorly impact Facebook campaigns moving forward: No More Like Gates.

We digital marketers have gone through numerous Facebook changes before, so I think it’s safe to say that we know how to deal with it. But should we be concerned with this most recent update? I personally don’t think we need to worry.

Via Facebook Blog Post:

“To ensure quality connections and help businesses reach the people who matter to them, we want people to like Pages because they want to connect and hear from the business, not because of artificial incentives. We believe this update will benefit people and advertisers alike.” – Harshdeep Singh, Software Engineer at Facebook

I have to admit, I agree with their statement.

Slapping a like gate on a giveaway application without relevant content, positioning, and audience targeting can potentially fill your Facebook page with fans that are not interested in your brand’s social content long-term. At that moment, they are just interested in liking your page for a chance to win. In the end, they may not engage with your page’s ongoing content or unlike your page altogether after the promotion period.

So what does this mean for Facebook promotions moving forward?

The first obvious thing is that digital marketers can no longer view promotional Facebook apps as a primary means of acquiring new fans. They will of course still help drive fan growth, just not with the same results we’re use to seeing.

But let’s not jump to conclusions and dismiss Facebook. All you need is a slight social strategy adjustment. Now is the time to focus on more engaging and product educational promotions to help spark Facebook user’s interests. Therefore, Facebook users will WANT to like your page, not just because they HAVE to.

Social sharing within giveaway apps will also play a much larger role as friends are more likely to have common interests. For example, application users can be encouraged to share the app with their friends and they will be rewarded each time a friend participates. Creative executions like this not only helps increase the fan base but also enhances the user’s experience with the brand. (And yes, it’s within Facebook’s Guidelines!)

You should also become best buds with Facebook advertising. Developing an in-depth hyper-targeted media plan will allow your page to reach Facebook users that are most likely to be interested in your brand’s overall social content. Besides, wouldn’t your brand prefer to have fans that will convert into loyal consumers?

In my opinion, I think this is the true meaning of social anyway. The more often a fan engages with branded content, the more likely they are to purchase your product or service. So while digital marketers might be pulling their hair in frustration, overtime their pages may begin to see an increase in engagements as a result of having more “quality” fans.