MasseyMedia, Inc.

Remember when you were a kid and you would come home crying because someone was mean to you? Your mom would tell you, "Don‘t worry, honey. You don‘t need everyone to like you." But deep down, you knew that people liking you was important.

I wish I could say that has changed, but with Facebook rapidly taking over the marketing plans of companies everywhere, I‘m here to tell you that "Likes" are very important. Facebook "Likes," that is.

You may have heard some or all of these stats: Facebook is the No. 1 social network. All major companies now have Facebook pages. Facebook currently has approximately 750 million users, with more joining every day. By the way, 750 million equals one in nine people on earth, just in case you needed some perspective. Also, Facebook accounts for 90 percent of time spent social networking.

We all know Facebook is important for businesses. But simply creating a Facebook page and then leaving it alone is not going to get you anywhere. You need to make that page likable. You need to increase your "Likes."

A Facebook "Like" is when a Facebook user with a personal profile clicks the "Like" button of a Facebook page. You may be wondering, "If they‘re already visiting my page and reading my content, isn‘t that good enough? Why is it so important for them to click the "Like" button?" I‘m glad you asked.

It is important for users to click "Like" because that is the way Facebook knows to push your news, updates, and the content of your Facebook page to their news feed. If a user visits your page and leaves without pressing the "Like" button, no information was exchanged to let Facebook know that user is interested in receiving your updates.

Additionally, the average Facebook user has 130 friends. When a Facebook user "Likes" your company through Facebook, you have the potential to also reach their 130 plus friends as they interact with your gage.

Here are some ways to bring in the "Likes":

• Set up a "Like" gate. A "Like" gate requests that Facebook users first click the "Like" button before accessing the rest of your page. Some examples of large companies that employ a "Like" gate on their Facebook include: Oreo, Coca-Cola and Zappos.com.
• Give something away. This can be any item of perceived value: a coupon, a discount or a freebie.
• Interact frequently, through updates, news, promotions, photos and more.
• Answer questions quickly. The worst thing you can do is wait three months to answer a question from a client or a potential client. At that point, the question is no longer relevant and it looks like you don‘t care.
• Engage users when you are mentioned in a tag. If someone is talking about you on Facebook, use it as a customer service opportunity. If it‘s something good, say thank you. If it‘s something bad, see if you can make it right.
• Post links to your blog, website, etc., to Facebook and encourage others to share.

Overall, make your company "Like-able." If there is a benefit to liking your Facebook page, users will be encouraged to do so.

If they see that your company has real, caring people behind the scenes, it‘s going to make your business that much more attractive, both online and offline.

Besides, let‘s face it. No matter what mom used to tell us, it just feels good to be liked.