A couple of weeks ago Facebook started the global roll-out of their Reactions buttons, and the feature seems to have gone down well with most users.
With these changes, Facebook users can continue to “Like” or “comment” on posts, but now, along with the "Like" button, select from five other animated emojis: Love, Haha, Wow, Sad or Angry.
How to react
To add a Reaction, hold down the Like button on mobile, or hover over the Like button on a desktop, to see the Reaction image options, and then tap one of the available reactions.
Although the old fashion "Like" is still the most popular action, I have noticed slow but steady adoption and usage of the other Reaction buttons.
Will Reactions affect your content ranking?
Facebook confirms this is really a cosmetic change on their part to allow those that want to express themselves further, though many believe there is likely a deeper reason for the existence of these new friendly and cute emojis: richer data.
It's very early days to really accurately confirm how these new buttons will impact businesses on Facebook. We continue to affirm that businesses should focus on relevance and context and let the technical play by itself.
Content still king
There are many ways for businesses to evaluate the impact of Facebook on brand attributes and the bottom line goes beyond Liking, sharing or commenting. These metrics are a great way to uncover signals but are not the end itself.
Page owners will see Reactions to all of their posts in Page Insights and users will be able to use the reactions on “sponsored” posts by advertisers in the same way that you will use them on your friends’ organic content.
If you want to hear more about Facebook Reactions you can download our latest podcast where we discuss in more detail Facebook Reactions and other digital innovations.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lucio Ribeiro is a co-founder and lead strategist of Online Circle Digital where he works with Fortune 500 brands in developing their digital marketing strategy and execution. He is considered a thought leader on digital marketing authoring articles in digital innovation and strategy, speaking in seminars and judging global awards.
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