Guest Blog: The Importance Of Being Liked.

Contributed by Mara Marich Tardy
copyright 2011 reprinted with permission of Chateau Publishing 2011

What's the latest social marketing tool advertisers are raving about? The Facebook Like Button. Marketers in the U.S. are starting to place more weight on Facebook's Like button than they are on any other form of brand awareness. Why? Simply because it is making a previously nebulous concept, suddenly measurable. Throughout 2010, I've had major advertisers ask me first to introduce a Facebook presence for their brand, then brief me to use various marketing promotional tools to pump up the Like count. They then use it as a measuring device to determine success in increasing brand awareness, important especially when justifying a budget spend to the CEO and the board. However like any other form of brand awareness, a high Like count does not necessarily translate into instant sales. Think of it as you would think of voting for your choice on American Idol. Pressing the Like button on Facebook means the viewer sees something, approves of it and endorses it. Same as when you vote by phone for your favorite performer on American Idol. The Liker, like the American Idol phone voter, feels they have a say and that their opinion counts in a way that is directly visible to the ENTIRE WORLD. They feel validated. Important. Dare I say, famous for 15 seconds? Subliminally they believe that they too are as knowledgeable - perhaps even more knowledgeable - than professional judges like Idol's Randy Jackson. And that thought creates an emotional link to the object being Liked. Having a stake in a Liked brand, advertisers believe, will translate into greater sales for that brand down the road........you know, when the economy gets better. What worries me though is that there is no DON'T LIKE or even HATE button.Until we see these additions to Facebook's repertoire, the deck is stacked, because only part of the information is being recorded. Unless the Facebook ad sales crowd fesses up and evens the playing field, it may be wise to approach the current Facebook Like button statistics with caution. And until the Like button translates into a ka-ching at the check out, it is hard for advertisers to justify its veracity or import, whether they like it or not. Mara Marich Tardy is an internationally awarded media advisor. She writes articles on popular culture, mass media, art, feminism, and politics.