Facebook recently introduced a new feature that lets users choose from a number of reactions. Users can still ‘like’ a post but they can now select different reactions. Users can show that they love a post or express their hilarity, happiness, surprise, sadness or anger. This new feature has provided users with a brand new way to interact with their friends and family, but what does it mean for marketers?

Facebook Reactions

Richer Communication

The new feature is available on the posts shared by brands and brands have the possibility to use the reactions to respond to comments and feedback shared by Facebook users. The Facebook reactions should provide Facebook users and brands with a new range of interactions that will allow for richer communication.

 

Facebook reactions mean that users can tell you more about what they think of your posts. While keeping track of the number of likes a post receives is a good way to track user engagement and to get an idea of the kind of content your audience wants to see, Facebook reactions allow users to go one step further and to tell you exactly how they feel about a post. You can then access richer data that shows you which posts amused your followers, which ones were the most loved and which ones created shock or surprise.

 

Better Target Audience

Facebook reactions will make targeting Facebook users easier. If you are targeting users who liked a specific post by having ads displayed in their news feed or on the right side bar, you should try using Facebook reactions to improve your targeting strategy. For instance, it would make sense to display some ads about a product to a user who loved a post about this same product while a user who only liked the post might be less likely to purchase the product.

 

React with Empathy

The Facebook reactions also add more human dimensions to social media. Human interactions are extremely rich and cannot be summed up by a simple thumb up. Facebook reactions give Facebook users the possibility to connect with your brand on a more profound level by expressing their feelings about the content you share. Facebook reactions also give you the possibility to respond in a more human way when you receive comments or feedback. You can for instance show empathy when a customer shares a negative experience or love a positive review instead of only liking it.

 

Better Understanding of Audience Feelings

Facebook reactions should benefit marketers by providing them with richer data that can be used to get a better idea of how an audience feels about the content that is shared on a page. Reactions can also be used to connect on a deeper level with your audience and to improve your targeting strategies if you run ads on Facebook. However, this new feature has just been launched and only time will tell if Facebook reactions will be a game-changer for marketers.

 

Possibility of the Dislike Button

The introduction of this new feature could also mean that Facebook might one day add a ‘dislike’ button, which could help marketers improve their social media marketing campaign by giving the audience the possibility to let you know if they do not like a post. Facebook hasn’t said anything about a dislike button yet but the Facebook reactions could be interpreted as a move in this direction.

 

Facebook reactions are still a new thing for Facebook users and it might be a while before users actually start going further than liking your posts by selecting a reaction. Encourage your audience to use this feature by selecting an appropriate reaction when you get a comment or a review written on your official Facebook page!