Facebook has just announced the availability of ‘Reactions’ – now accessible globally.
For a long time now, we’ve been anticipating the potential introduction of the ‘dislike’ button on Facebook. However, the Facebook team had something else in mind. Why stop at that? Late last year we were told that ‘Reactions’ would be coming – a full range of emoticons, ensuring you can express your feelings about a post in any way you like.
It’s rather simple to use, by just holding down the Like button you’re able to view a variety of options including Love, Laughter, Wow, Sadness, or Anger.
After months of research, Facebook says they have put a lot of thought into the roll out, saying it is definitely one of their biggest changes yet.
So what does this mean for your brands? Well, for starters, measurement metrics will change. Engagement can no longer be counted in its linear fashion with options like Sad or Angry available. What it also means is brands are able to get more creative in terms of the content they create – you’re no longer limited to audiences liking or commenting meaning questions can be asked more specifically around opinions. However, there may be challenges when it comes to traditionally negative emoticons – by sharing things that may shock or sadden people doesn’t necessarily mean that feeling is reflective of the brand. Is this a move to more meaningful metrics for brands going forward then? Will the need for engagement numbers fizzle out as we find more value in reach and frequency instead? We’re hoping so.
To find out more about how Reactions will work, watch the video here.
Written by Wendy Tayler
