After announcing in late January that Facebook would be rolling out new emotions to your newsfeed, the company today launched “Reactions.” The new buttons give users the ability to not only like a post but also express a range of feelings from love to hate, and wonder to sadness.
The question is, what are these new emotions going to do to your news feed? And, more importantly, what affect will “Reactions” have on your organization or advocacy effort’s Facebook page?
If a fan hits the dislike button does that mean they aren’t going to see your next story on the topic? Or is it just that you riled up the right emotion in your audience?
The Advocacy / Grassroots Angle
In their press release, Facebook says “Over time, we hope to learn how different reactions should be weighted differently… to do a better job of showing everyone the stories they most want to see.”
Makes sense and it’s the right goal for FB to have in mind. But, what gets lost and what’s gained by further narrowing a user’s newsfeed based on what they do and don’t like? It seems like there’s a mixed bag for non-profits and grassroots efforts.
Pro: As we’ve mentioned before, every interaction your audience takes with your effort is another data point you can use to help understand your stakeholders. With reactions now the norm, your effort can really dive into not just what people like, but what they love, what they hate, what makes them cry, etc. These new emotions can only help you in the future craft new content that continues to engage and empower your audience to action.
Cons: The functionality is new, so any Con is simply a guess, but we’re going to keep our eyes on the potential continued drop in organic reach. As users are able to express a wider variety of emotions, it’ll be interesting to see how Facebook filters those feelings. If a hits the dislike button does that mean they aren’t going to see your next story on the topic? Or is it just that you riled up the right emotion in your audience?
Of course, only time will tell.
Until then, enjoy all the new emotions in your Facebook feed today.
Read More: News Feed FYI: What the Reactions Launch Means for News Feed
