Does Facebook Have Your Best Interests at Heart?

by Mary C. Long

Did you know you had an interests lists option on Facebook? And do you even know what they are? Well, I’m about to tell you, but if you read nothing further, know this: They’re pretty terrible for businesses, and they can be great for individuals. Yes, Facebook actually does help you protect your own best interests (via lists).

Facebook introduced interests lists in March 2012. Basically, the idea is to allow users to filter their Facebook News Feeds by customizing content to suit their unique personal tastes. It’s like cutting out and reading only the sections of the newspaper or magazine that interest you, but once you select your interests from a range of options, Facebook edits the feed for you.

If you’re a business promoting a product directly to targeted demographics, even if they’re designating themselves, this may not be a reliable tool (despite the suggestion of many social media managers).

On face value, having your customer add your brand’s page to their interests lists seems to be a sensible, cost-effective work-around to paid promotional posts, since theoretically, this means that they will automatically see more of your business’ news in their personalized News Feeds. And voila!Increased visibility — for free. Right?

Wrong!

The problem lies not with the destination, but with the map. You’re asking the active or potential customer to work way too hard to first find and then keep you on their radar.

Read the full post at AllFacebook!


IMAGE CREDIT: BIRGERKING