What is a Facebook 'Like' and why should you care?

The Facebook Like button could possibly be one of the most important features to anyone trying to get the word out about their brand/product on the internet.  It's a simple little feature but getting people to click that little button can be the difference between your message being seen by 3000 people instead of 30. 

Everyone on Facebook is going to have a network of friends and family (unless you're very unpopular). This is whole purpose of Facebook; to connect with people to see what they're up to and communicate with them. 

Any time someone posts a picture, becomes friends with someone, or writes a status update, that news is shared with everyone on their network. All your friends are given an update to know that you just posted pictures of your last trip to the Galapagos Islands. The great allure of Facebook is the ease in which you can keep up to date with what's going on in your friends' lives.

So why is this important to online advertisers?

Well, when something is posted on Facebook like a picture, a funny video, a status update, everyone has the option of clicking that little Like button. It's a way of saying to all your friends "My best friend just posted a funny video of a cat jumping into a mirror and I think it's hilarious". News of that video then gets sent to all of your friends and if they then click the Like button, then that news goes out to all of their friends and so on.

Why this matters is because your message can get passed on to tons of people as a result of this sharing process. When you create your Facebook business page, if one person 'Likes' your company, their approval of your brand is then posted for all their friends to see.

The other big  benefit is that if you can get someone to Like your brand on Facebook, any message you send out is going to go to that person. If you want to advertise that your company is having a 50% off sale on sweaters, everyone who Likes your brand is going to get that message and then they can pass it on to their friends.

It's the most useful tool to anyone trying to promote a brand/product on Facebook. The tricky part though, is getting people to click that simple little button...