I am a member of several social media groups on Facebook. Today, one of those members posted a link to a tool their company had developed called "Like Exchange". This program allowed you (after it gained access to your facebok page) to "like" other brands and they would in turn "like" you back. This is not the first time I have been greeted with an opportunity to use a tool of this nature. However, in an effort to educate myself about the process in general, I decided to give it a try.
After a few minutes of liking page after page, it became apparent that this process is a huge waste of time. Every time I "liked" someone, it posted on my wall. Every time someone "liked" me back, it posted on my wall. I realized that there will never be an easy solution to gaining followers without compromising your own social media networks to potential "spamy" activities. There is also much to be said about the kind of involvement (or lack of) your new "likes" will provide. Is that worth YOUR time?
This "Like Exchange" is an easy way to create a followship. However, the engagement level of that followship is yet to be determined. My hunch is that the "likes" your page receives through this process will be no more than a number. That number will do nothing more than provide your page with a small level of credibility. As a community manager and social media guy, I would MUCH rather have 100 engaged followers than 1000 random, non-targeted, unengaged Facebook users on my "like" list. This "like exchange" reminds me of the "follow trains" that were used on Myspace a few years back. Not that the likes you receive are from spam bots (this is how the Myspace follow chains worked) but in the low level of interaction you receive after signing up. In my opinion, tools like this will do very little to aid your company in social marketing.
In the end, it is my belief that a true, engaged followship is one that is grown through good old grassroots techniques like seeking out potential relevant followers and engaging them socially. Like Exchange is a semi-cool tool and an easy solution to the biggest issue all community managers face ... How to build a followship. Something that we must all come to terms with is that there is no easy answer to this. Nothing done RIGHT is ever easy.
My advice for those of you wanting to build your brand is to open your laptop, hop on Facebook and engage.