do likes matter?
Can businesses even strive without a following anymore?
Do they even have a chance if they don't have a qualified number of likes?
The book this week explained how just 10 steps can transform an idea into a business. If followed and thought out, your business will take off. But my question is can this even be possible without likes?
Yes, targeting an audience, establishing goals, finding a tone of voice, organizing content is necessary for becoming a brand but likes also do a lot for the company (Charello 2021). We all know likes aren't everything on platforms anymore, it's more about who the likes are. Are they loyal followers or just wondering? Some likes could be out of hate or mock. Either way, having a following and likes establishes a platform for more viewers to see and share. That's how a business takes off. People become intrigued, then they will share the liked post to similar followings.
It's how social media works. The more views, the more likes, the more likes, the more followings, which end in viral content. However, this may not matter to some. Many companies try to reach as many humans on the planet but others just try to reach the ones they want. It depends on the idea of your brand. Would you rather have more random followers or less loyal followers?
In class, we mentioned that a lot of followers could be detrimental. Some of the followers could follow your brand just to make fun of it. Or even worse make a viral meme. Followers are tricky to trust but when likes start to increase, your brand will portray more activity. More likes and comments on posts result in high engagement. These benefits from likes can increase views on the brand as well as revenue.
However, followers are a whole different story. If a company has millions of followers but barely any likes it's clear to notice the company has minimal engagement. In social media today, the number of likes and comments are much more impactful than the number of followers.
So yes, to conclude my questions I would have to say likes matter. But the type of like is what matters more.
I agree that having a lot of followers and likes is important, but I think too many followers can be bad as well. If a company is just chasing followers, engagement is likely to be low. This low engagement could indicate to the platform that it is a bad post and cause it to be shown to less users. A strong core of followers that engage regularly can indicate to the platform that it is a good post and have it be shown more often, even to non-followers.
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