To Like or Not Like Your Own Facebook Posts....
....That is the question I've heard more than a few times and the topic was front and center recently in a Social Media Today article regarding Facebook etiquette by Sarah Snow.
According to Daniel Zeevi: "These [liking your own posts] are typically the moves of self-proclaimed social media gurus or people who just feel insecure about their status posts."
Sarah's opinion: "It's like black hat SEO on Facebook. It reads as smarmy."
So where do I stand on it? "I'll spare you the reading - I like my own Facebook posts.
Follow the social conversation under #SYLYOFP.
To be clear, I'm certainly not a self-proclaimed guru and I'm not insecure about my content. Why do I do it then?
Prior to the latest Facebook algorithm change in April, posts about friends liking content was routinely shown in our news feeds. While not every post a friend liked would show (Facebook did it based on matched interests), liking my own content was a great opportunity to potentially have it show in a friend's feed. It was a great way to leverage my personal audience without directly targeting them. While that tactic is now effectively null and void, actions you take on posts will still show in the ticker scrolling on the top right side of the page.
When the ticker was first introduced I remember how many people hated it. I embraced it. While it meant I could always see what you were liking and commenting on (and yes, it can be annoying), it also meant the opposite. When I like my own posts, my friends can see that activity.
#BeTactical Tip: Watching the ticker shows who is active making a great way to target the 'right' set of eyes. (I'll assume you built your personal audience strategically.)
Plain and simple, liking my own Facebook posts is a tool, like any other, to potentially drive additional eyes to my content. Besides, I really do like what I have to say even if no one else does!
The Art of Shameless Self Promotion
So what about it being a black hat practice to build reach as Sarah mentioned? Liking your own Facebook posts is no different in my eyes than sharing your content from your business page to personal profile, tagging yourself in a business post or tagging others (when appropriate) in comments to drive visibility. I see it as the art of shameless self promotion. I built my personal network and as long as I do it tactfully, why shouldn't I tap into that resource?
What's your thought?
"Shameless self promotion, sign of insecurity or black hat? Do you intend to start liking your own Facebook posts? Or do you already do it?
Drop me a comment below or follow the social conversation on your favorite platform under #SYLYOFP.
Footnote 1: Jilly Jesson Smyth added a great comment on the Facebook discussion making the comparison to politicians voting for themselves. They certainly don't do this for vanity or insecurity. It's a tactic to boost their chances of being elected.
Footnote 2: It was brought up on Twitter by LocalLifeAgent that: "As a rule, humility is a virtue. Only vote for yourself where there's a secret ballot..." For me, transparency is important. If I'll do it secretly, I'll do it publicly.