Will Facebook’s Dislike Button Affect Your Social Media Strategy?

Have you ever run into a terrible Facebook post and thought, “Gee, I wish there was a dislike button so that I can tell people how much I hate this.”

Well, as you’ve probably heard, planet Facebook is testing different ways for people to express shorthand emotions other than “Like”. The big question now is: will marketers give this idea the thumbs up?

Is Facebook Really Working on a Dislike Button?

Well, technically it’s called an “empathy button” and the idea behind it is to allow people to express emotions like compassion towards posts where the traditional “Like” would be inappropriate. For instance, a post mentioning a bad breakup or the loss of a loved one are some of the situations that require something else than a thumbs up.

The idea is not bad. Humans are complicated creatures with complicated emotions. Facebook is trying to provide them the tools needed to express themselves. In fact, two of the most popular social media platforms on the internet, YouTube and Reddit, utilize a balanced system that allows users to express support or dissatisfaction with content. But, here’s the problem: while on YouTube and Reddit users can express their feelings behind the protection of an online persona, Facebook is tied directly to your real self.

So, how would this change affect brands?

How Will the Dislike Button Affect Your Small Business?

Although nobody knows for certain how the dislike button would work for Facebook business pages, some marketers believe that the button poses some risks, especially for a small business. And here’s why.

Most people don’t have the time or the energy to write well-thought-out comments or reviews on a Facebook business page. Unless they are truly dissatisfied with business, they usually choose to stop using their services. But, the introduction of a Dislike button will eliminate the hassle of writing posts and might encourage users to express their negative thoughts impulsively. Even big brands could gather hundreds of thousands of dislikes per post, which might jeopardize their online image.

More than that, if “dislikes” work similar to “likes”, the number of negative impressions you get will boost your reach. In other words, the more dislikes you get, the more people will see your unpopular post.

However, it’s not all that bad for your small business. A Dislike button can be an opportunity for increased social media engagement. Just think about it: you would never respond to every person who liked a post or your business page. That would be ineffective. Not to mention exhausting. However, you might want to respond to those who dislike a post on your page.

Responding to negative feedback is a great way to understand your customers’ problems and help them solve them. If someone clicks on the Dislike button on a post you share, consider starting a conversation with that person. You might get valuable insights regarding how some customers view your small business, the type of content they are interested in, or other potential problems.

Overall, an empathy button wouldn’t affect your social media game drastically. If you know how to use it to your advantage, it might actually benefit your small business.