You Don’t Have To Like Us, We Just Want You To Look At Us

Being a teenager today has got to be a nightmare. (Being a teenager in general is a nightmare but at present, somehow, it seems even worse.) So much self-esteem is inevitably tied up in how many people like your pic on Instagram or are friends with you on Snapchat. It’s almost to the point that, if some mean kid wanted to, they could statistically prove that you’re a loser by pointing out that you don’t get many likes on your posts. Like we said, it seems like a nightmare. Obviously the sound advice here would be DON’T TIE UP YOUR SELF WORTH IN SOCIAL MEDIA LIKES. Easier said than done for a kid, probably, but it wasn’t so hard for us.

There’s something of a debate in social media marketing between marketing firms, advertising agencies, etc. about what’s more valuable to a post, especially on Facebook. Likes? Or views? This is muddled by the fact that a post that has more likes is typically rewarded by Facebook’s ever changing algorithm. (The Facebook algorithm is changing again and it’s going to affect media and advertising big time, by the way. We sort of want to go egg the Austin Facebook offices. God knows our CEO Annie would be the one most down to do it.)

But what’s more valuable? A post with 100 likes and 500 views? Or a post with 10 likes and 1000 views? The unsatisfying answer could be: it depends on what you value, engagement or reach. But for us it’s clear. We want people to see what we create. The wider the net the more of an impression we make. It’s why when we put money into Facebook we’re all about reaching as many people as possible. If the content is good — and we won’t post content that isn’t — the engagement will come naturally. But reach, well, that’s something Zuckerberg makes you pay for. Besides, even if someone someone does enjoy something that doesn’t mean they’ll hit like. As Zuck himself says, a “like” is passive engagement. It’s as much up to the whim of the viewer as it is the quality of the content.

The most important thing for a brand, generally, is to be known. To be known, you need to be seen. Everything else is secondary. That’s why Rock Candy Media has opted to focus on video. Its reach on Facebook and Instagram is unmatched. We go video, and then we put money into reach. The likes might come, even though the content is good, but we want to be seen. We don’t need a self-esteem boost.