With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms for businesses and organizations to establish an online presence. Creating a Facebook page allows you to connect with current and potential customers, share updates, run promotions and more. When someone comes across your Facebook page, they have two options: they can like your page or follow your page. But what exactly is the difference between liking and following a Facebook page, and which is better for your business?
What Does Liking a Facebook Page Mean?
When someone likes your Facebook page, it means they are connecting with your page and subscribing to see updates from your page in their News Feed. Liking a page is an easy way for people to show support for your business or organization and become part of your community. Here are some key things to know about page likes:
- When someone likes your page, they will start to see your page updates, photos, videos and more in their News Feed. This helps increase your reach.
- People who like your page may also see it suggested first when searching on Facebook.
- Page likes are public, so a user’s friends will see that they liked your page.
- You can see a list of everyone who has liked your page under the “Likes” section of your page’s admin panel.
Overall, page likes represent an easy way for people to connect with your brand and content. The more page likes you have, the more visibility your page will get on Facebook.
What Does Following a Facebook Page Mean?
Following a Facebook page is similar to liking a page, but with a few key differences:
- When someone follows your page, they will also see your updates in their News Feed without publicly liking your page.
- Following a page is private – a user’s friends will not be able to see that they followed your page.
- Only page admins can see a list of page followers under the “Followers” section of the page admin panel.
- Users have the option to unfollow a page later if they no longer wish to see updates.
The main advantage of following over liking is that it allows more privacy for the user. They can consume your content without publicly endorsing your brand. This makes it easier to build an audience of engaged followers.
Likes vs. Follows: Key Differences
Here is a summary of the key differences between liking and following a Facebook page:
| Likes | Follows |
|---|---|
| Public endorsement of your page | Private way to connect with your page |
| Friends can see pages you’ve liked | Friends can’t see pages you’ve followed |
| One-click opt-in to see page updates | One-click opt-in to see page updates |
| Increase page visibility in Facebook search | Don’t directly impact page visibility |
In summary, liking a page shows public support for a brand, while following allows for a more private connection. Both can help increase your reach and visibility on Facebook.
Benefits of Liking a Facebook Page
What are some of the benefits your business can gain when people like your Facebook page? Here are some of the top advantages:
- Increased visibility – Pages with more likes appear higher in Facebook search results and suggestions. Likes signal popularity.
- Social proof – A high number of likes looks impressive and influences others to like your page too.
- Brand awareness – Users will see your page updates and name in their feeds, increasing familiarity with your brand.
- Engagement – Fans who like your page are more likely to engage with your posts than non-fans.
- Targeted advertising – You can create ads targeted to people who have already liked your page.
- Analytics – You can view demographic data on the people who like your page to inform marketing tactics.
Overall, likes equal greater visibility, credibility and engagement for your Facebook presence.
Benefits of Following a Facebook Page
What advantages can you get when people follow your page instead of like it? Here are some of the benefits of page follows:
- Broader reach – Some users may not want to publicly like your page, but will follow it for updates.
- Customer insights – The list of page followers can provide useful demographic data even if they don’t engage.
- Lead generation – Followers represent potential leads you can target and convert later.
- Increase awareness – Followers will become more familiar with your brand by seeing your content.
- Stay top of mind – Your page will remain visible in their feed keeping your business top of mind.
- Future likes – Followers may eventually convert to page likes after following for a while.
While follows don’t provide the same visibility boost as likes, they allow you to reach people who want to consume your content without publicly endorsing your page yet. Follows represent longer-term potential for lead generation and engagement.
Best Practices for Getting More Likes and Follows
How can you drive more likes and follows for your Facebook page? Here are some best practices:
- Post engaging, shareable content regularly (videos, photos, links).
- Run Facebook ads promoting your page.
- Add a prominent “Like” or “Follow” button to your website.
- Ask current followers to share and invite friends to like your page.
- Offer discounts or exclusives only for page likers/followers.
- Respond to all comments and messages to provide good customer service.
- Use hashtags and tag relevant Facebook groups/pages to help people find your content.
Optimizing your content strategy, using promos and leveraging existing audiences are some of the best ways to build your community of fans and followers.
Should You Prioritize Likes or Follows?
So which one should you focus your efforts on – getting more likes or more follows? Here are some tips:
- Aim for likes in the early stages of growing your page for visibility.
- Once you have an established following, shift focus to increasing follows for lead gen.
- Regularly post shareable content to drive both likes and follows from new audiences.
- Analyze your follower demographic data to turn them into customers.
- Promote your page through both public channels (for likes) and private channels like email or chat (for follows).
- Set specific numeric goals for monthly likes and follows to track growth over time.
The best strategy is to leverage both likes and follows to grow your community. Likes help with visibility in public Facebook spaces, while follows allow you to reach audiences privately in their feeds. Focus on posting engaging content, running promotions and utilizing your existing audiences to drive both metrics up. Analyze the data on both groups to inform your marketing and conversion strategy.
Conclusion
Liking and following serve different purposes for Facebook pages, but are both valuable for your business. Likes boost visibility and credibility publicly, while follows enable you to reach people privately without the endorsement. The best practice is to track and increase both over time by optimizing your content, leveraging your current community, advertising and promotions. Prioritize likes initially for visibility, then follows for lead generation from those consuming your updates. By understanding the difference and tracking both metrics, you can grow a strong community of engaged fans and followers on Facebook.