Engagement Rate Versus Likes – Which Is More Effective?

Facebook Marketing

For your business, if you are not experienced with Facebook, if you don’t know the ins and outs of the social media tool, you may feel that getting people to “like” your business’s Facebook page is enough. On the other hand, if you have more experience with Facebook, you probably understand that engagement rate is a whole other  thing entirely.

Proceed carefully

Interestingly, and often not well-known, Facebook has a great deal of tools that can help the business owner to analyze the results of their business’s social media efforts. One of the things that you will want to take advantage of on Facebook is People Talking About Us, which can help you to gauge the engagement rate of your fans. It is essential that you capture that information and it should be a major part of your social media marketing campaign. When it comes to likes and engagement rate, you should proceed carefully and wrap your mind around the information so that you understand not only what the metrics mean but also how those statistics contribute to your professional success. If you focus on your engagement rate, that means that you are focusing on the interactions that you are sharing with your readers. That is one level up from merely “liking” what you are offering. In other words, you are starting to build meaningful, long-lasting relationships with those people and, as everyone is well aware, the heart of successful social media interactions is the relationship itself. If people are interacting with you, they are not only connecting with you but they are also connecting with your brand and with your offerings. Once you have established a solid foundation in your relationship with your online connections, the other person’s willingness (and excitement) to buy what you are offering is just around the corner. The higher your engagement rate, the more likely you will be to sell more.

Wrap your arms around your competition

According to research results, a relatively small number of people on Facebook engage with brands. They are far more willing to engage with people directly. With that in mind, it is pretty easy to understand exactly how your direct competition is doing on Facebook. If your competitors are doing well on Facebook, you will probably be able to figure out what they are doing and do the same thing with equally positive results. Conversely, if your competitors are not doing well, you can identify that too and steer clear of those particular practices. It is probably well-known that all business should be paying much more attention to engagement rate than likes. However, if they are paying a great deal of attention to likes, they may wish to rethink that. Engagement equals interaction. Interaction equals relationship building.  When you build a relationship, you take a large number of factors into consideration. It is important to remember that not everyone is a part of your ideal target audience. First and foremost, you must identify your target audience. Next, you need to engage the members of your target audience. Once you have been able to accomplish that, you can build trust and credibility between you, which will hopefully stand the test of time.

Conclusion

The conclusion that you can draw here is that engagement is the next step beyond “likes” and  you can safely assume that if the person engages with you, they also “like” you and your business. Of course, the opposite cannot necessarily be assumed. A part of your engagement with your online connections is being able to solve the other person’s problem(s). Their satisfaction is the key to your professional success. It is critical that you understand that you should never rely only on a single metric. Whether all of your metrics are of equal importance or not, it is important to pay attention to all of them and to make that a strong part of your engagement strategy. There are many different facets in your engagement rate, such as page size, industry, reach, and brand. It is critical that you give each one the time and attention that it deserves.

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Author

  • Michael Cohn

    Michael Cohn is the founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of CompuKol Communications. He has decades of experience in IT and web technologies. Michael founded CompuKol Communications to help small businesses and entrepreneurs increase their visibility and reputation. CompuKol consults, creates, and implements communication strategies for small businesses to monopolize their markets with a unique business voice, vision, and visibility. Mr. Cohn earned a Master’s degree in project management from George Washington University in Washington, DC; and a Master’s degree in computer science and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ.

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9 Responses

  1. Ramzan Amiri says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Business Strategy & Competitive Strategy Forum
    Discussion: Which Is More Important for Your Business, Engagement Rates or Likes?

    Both are important. Engagement, if performed effectively and to your client’s satisfaction, will lead to likes. Therefore, one leads to the other and the more likes you have the more credibility you are able to build which hopefully will lead to more engagements. I see it as an on going cycle.
    By Ramzan Amiri

  2. Bob Woods says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Network – #1 Group for CMOs
    Discussion: Which Is More Important for Your Business, Engagement Rates or Likes?

    “Likes” make you feel good… “engagement” means you’re a step (if not several steps) closer to gaining a customer or client.
    By Bob Woods

  3. Jerry Nordstrom says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Network – #1 Group for CMOs
    Discussion: Which Is More Important for Your Business, Engagement Rates or Likes?

    Clearly a rating or review carries more information and thus is more valuable. Likes are ambiguous if not an entirely misleading indicator of value.
    By Jerry Nordstrom

  4. Denise O'Berry says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Small Business & Independent Consultant Network
    Discussion: Which Is More Important for Your Business, Engagement Rates or Likes?

    Likes are okay, but the key is moving people onto your mailing list so you can build a relationship.
    By Denise O’Berry

  5. Joaquin Hernandez says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Succeed: Small Business Network, Powered by Staples
    Discussion: Which Is More Important for Your Business, Engagement Rates or Likes?

    I always look for engagement rates. Excellent engagement usually leads to more likes, especially if the content is engaging. More likes doesn’t necessarily lead to more engagement.
    By Joaquin Hernandez

  6. Tom Dewell says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Network – #1 Group for CMOs
    Discussion: Which Is More Important for Your Business, Engagement Rates or Likes?

    “Likes” on FB are potential customers, but potential customers don’t pay the bills! Treat them like prospects with a follow up strategy Then sort out the 80% tire kickers from the 20% possible customers.
    By Tom Dewell

  7. Daniel Caccamo says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Network – #1 Group for CMOs
    Discussion: Which Is More Important for Your Business, Engagement Rates or Likes?

    Stop dating your “Likes” and get engaged. If a potential customer gets engaged enough to move from your FB to your website then you have progressed to the “Awareness” stage in the Path-To-Purchase (10% of the way to conversion – defined as a paying customer). As a CMO, don’t you think the CEO and other C-Suite peers will view you as adding more value by focusing on the customers that are further along in their purchase journey?
    By Daniel Caccamo

  8. Dirk Dieters says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Consulting Success
    Discussion: Which Is More Important for Your Business, Engagement Rates or Likes?

    Well put and I like your approach. The problem all people experience with social media is developing metrics that can evaluate your effort.
    By Dirk Dieters

  9. John Ferrughelli says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Linked-N Bergen County NJ
    Discussion: Which Is More Important for Your Business, Engagement Rates or Likes?

    Engagement rates are way more important. Likes mean nothing. That’s just people clicking the mouse.
    By John Ferrughelli