Are you confused about the difference between Facebook Page likes and follows?

You're not the only one! The explanations can be confusing so I've ploughed through all the info on the internet to give you a definitive guide.

Essentially you want people to come and like your page - Facebook will then start showing them your posts.

When people like your page, Facebook automatically makes them follow you.

To keep these people engaged you want to create content that gets them to like, comment or share. That way Facebook will know they are interested in your content and show them more of it.

Why would you Like a page but unfollow, or follow without liking?

Lets deal with the first scenario...

Say your aunt has created a Facebook page for her new business and you want to support her, so you give it a like. We know that Facebook will automatically give it a follow as well.

But your just not that interested in what she has to say. By unfollowing you will still show up in her audience (and make her look popular by having a few likes), but her posts won't show up in your news feed and you won't see them anymore.

So in the opposite scenario, why would people follow you but not like you?

People who follow you will still see your posts in their newsfeed, but they won't show up as a like.

This means that if you wanted to advertise on Facebook they wouldn't show up as part of your audience, so if (for example) you boosted a post on your page to people who like your page, they wouldn't see the advert.

There are also other options under the follow banner.

You can on the follow butto and see some drop down options. There you will see 'see first'. If your audience clicked this it would mean your posts would always be at the top of their news feed and they would never miss anything you had to say!

Essentially Facebook is giving people options in the way that they initially engage with your page.

I'm not really sure whether the average Joe on the street knows the difference between a follow and a like, which is why generally these figures will look pretty similar.

Facebook is constantly updating its offer, so this may change in time. I believe in the keep it simple principle, and if most people simply like and follow, then Facebook may see this option as redundant - only time will tell!

Are you interested in increasing your reach and engagement on Facebook? These following posts may just help you!

Facebook – are you getting enough reach?

http://debbiedooodah.co.uk/blog/2017/5/25/facebook-are-you-getting-enough-reach

The top 3 things you need to stop doing on Facebook – now!

http://debbiedooodah.co.uk/blog/2017/2/28/the-top-3-things-you-need-to-stop-doing-on-facebook-now

And if you're interested in finding out how we could work together to get you in front of more customers and ultimately making more money go here!