What To Do When No One "Likes" Your Facebook Posts

We’ve all been picked last in gym class (I’m sure that wasn’t just me? I’m really bad with a soccer ball). As humans the need to be liked is ingrained in us. And just when we think society is moving away from the obsession with being liked and fitting in; just when we think we’re done with that high school bullshit; just when we start to realize we’re adults, and we are awesome, and who the fuck cares if people like us or not…. along comes social media and throws our whole operation for a loop.

And social media when you’re starting a business – don’t even get me started. It’s bad enough for the everyday person who uses it to compare their lives to all of their high school friends (and constantly finds themselves falling short). But add business to the mix and the level of not-good-enough stoops to whole new level of UGH.

Here’s how it usually goes down when you’re starting to play around with social media in your business:

1. Create a Facebook page.

2. Ask all your friends and family to ‘like’ it.

3. Spend hours agonizing over what to post, trying to find the perfect background image for your obsessively thought-out photo quote

4. Share your post in every Facebook group you can think of, hoping it will lead people back to your page and praying they will like it, and you.

Then you wait. And obsess. And check over and over again how many likes your posts are getting.

And then they barely get any and you convince yourself that you are doomed to fail and you will never be a part of the cool inner circle of online business, and you decide you may as well pack up shop right now because no one is ever going to care what you have to say.

 

Ok, so first off – the fact that I am writing this means that you are NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO THIS HAPPENS TO. I think this is important to be aware of.

 

In fact – it happens to me too. I’ll post something and 50 people will like it… which may seem like a lot, but when you have 5.5k+ fans on your Facebook page, it’s peanuts. Actually, it’s about 1%. So basically, Facebook is shitting the bed when it comes to actually showing your people your posts (unless you pay for it through ads). This means that you can post all you want and only a fraction of the people who like your page will even see the post show up in their newsfeed, and an even smaller fraction of them will take the time to “like” it or comment.

Now, this 1% is not an official stat – the algorithm is changing all the time and I’m not sure exactly how they decide how many people to show stuff to. It used to be based on engagement, but that doesn’t even seem to be making a difference these days. But let’s assume that about 1% of your people are liking your posts…. if you have 200 FB likes, that’s 2 post likes.

Sound about on par with what you’re seeing on your page? Great then – you’re right on track.

On the opposite side of the coin, I know MANY businesses who have 50k+ fans on their Facebook page and their stuff gets shared hundreds of times and they have comments for days… but guess what? Their businesses are struggling.

 

I have some good news though that will make all of this irrelevant. As much as we all love Facebook, Facebook is NOT your business.

 

If you were my client, I wouldn’t give two shits about how many people are liking your posts. It’s not something I EVER even look at with my clients, because social media is not your business.

You know what IS your business?

Your clients.

Your email list.

Your content marketing strategy.

Helping real people with real problems in the real world.

I’ll repeat it again because it’s worth repeating – Social media is not your business. The number of likes you get on your cute photo quotes tells you nothing about how much people need what you are offering, and it definitely isn’t an indication of whether your business will succeed or fail.

I am amazed at how many times I work with clients who are launching new programs or trying to get more traction in their business, and I ask them what they are trying, and their answer consists of exasperated cries about how they posted it on Facebook and twitter and got NO replies. Then I ask the what else they have done, and I get blank stares.

There’s something else you can do OTHER than post on Facebook??

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The worst part is that these folks often have an existing email list – people who have said “Yes please I want to hear from you!” – and they haven’t emailed them yet. Or they have send one email and no one bit so they gave up and went back to Facebook.

If the above sounds like you – don’t feel bad! No one teaches you this shit when you’re just starting out, so you look at what everyone else is doing and figure posting on Facebook must be the way to fill your client spots.

But Facebook is not your business. Say it with me: “Facebook is not your business!”

 

You can still rock the fuck out of your business even if no one likes or comments on your Facebook posts.

 

Ahhhhh. That’s the sound of a sigh of relief that just came out of your mouth, right?

Focus on the things that matter and you’ll soon be raking in enough money that you can run Facebook ads and start actually using Facebook in a way that works!

And click here for a checklist of what those things that matter ARE. I’ve created a detailed course to walk you through the first 3 months of business, so you know you’re staying on track and you can stop obsessing about making more quotes in Canva and crying because you feel like you’re getting picked last in the social media equivalent of gym class.

And now – get off Facebook and get into your actual business.

Screen shot 2013-02-15 at 8.24.14 AM

Posted in Marketing

49 Comments

  1. Rebecca on April 21, 2015 at 12:21 pm

    Definitely needed that right now. Would love to know the logic behind FB algorithms.

    http://Www.fb.com/Artemismindsetcoaching



    • Rebecca Tracey on April 21, 2015 at 10:51 pm

      I hearrrrr they are favoring videos and want to be the nest YouTube… but who knows. It would be impossible to keep up – better to focus on the rest of your business!



      • mark on April 24, 2015 at 12:31 am

        I concur on FB’s current preference for video views Becca, one of my FB pages is seeing engagements levels (in some instances) 1000% better when posting video’s tho it’s a ‘cute’ page so it may be down to the demographic more than anything 🙂



  2. Keith Clarke on April 21, 2015 at 10:11 am

    BOOM!

    Exactly what I needed to hear right now. It really is only one (now pretty shitty) piece of the larger picture isn’t it? Unless it has money pumped in strategically to achieve a particular objective.

    But you’re right. Facebooks success with individuals AND businesss is through tapping into that need to be liked. And it works. So we get sucked in.

    Time to relegate it to its proper place in the toolbox and to pull out for specific jobs only.

    Cheers



    • Rebecca Tracey on April 21, 2015 at 10:49 pm

      BOOM chica boom. Thanks Keith! Pumping money into Facebook is a GREST strategy when your business is ready for that (and THEN you can obsess over likes because you are paying for the ads and can make changes as you go)…but yep – back to the REST of our businesses!



  3. Crystal - Prenatal Coach on April 21, 2015 at 10:43 am

    I used to have an amazing community on my FB page with a big organic reach. Now that things have changed I want to work on getting those “likes” to subscribe to my new email list so I can keep in touch with them and provide value that way!

    Here’s my page: http://FB.com/prenatalcoach



    • Shauna Sanders on April 21, 2015 at 10:50 am

      Crystal, I liked (and like!) your FB page. I really like your photo with the tree belly!! A’some.



    • Rebecca Tracey on April 21, 2015 at 10:49 pm

      Awesome strategy and WAY better for business in the end!



    • mark on April 24, 2015 at 12:28 am

      Thanks for the awesome post Becca. I also think your page rocks Crystal. Just be careful of running competitions on your Facebook page where people need to ‘like’ your page to enter. Its unfortunately in breach of Facebook’s TOS and it could result in your page being taken down.



  4. Shauna Sanders on April 21, 2015 at 10:48 am

    Oh. My. Gah. SO true. I actually just launched my first challenge and was struggling to reach people without paying for ADs (felt cheap on my first try). I am choosing to focus on the quality and engagement of the people I have, rather than the numbers 🙂 Here’s my page- https://www.facebook.com/shaunasanderslifecoach



    • Rebecca Tracey on April 21, 2015 at 10:50 pm

      Awesome! Ads are sooooo worth it, especially for challenges and list building, but I love the idea of focusing on the quality people you have now and giving them your best!



  5. Tracey on April 21, 2015 at 11:04 am

    Wham Bam THANK YOU Ma’am! Big reality check sized slap in the face that comes just in time! Thanks Becca. You totally nailed this.



    • Rebecca Tracey on April 21, 2015 at 10:50 pm

      You know it, name twin!



  6. Sibylla Nash on April 21, 2015 at 11:39 am

    Great reminder! It can be so depressing when you see that NO ONE has seen your post lol. Darn FB and their algorithms. I’m really excited to read your to-do list Becca. Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees – thank you for providing a map!
    My page is http://www.facebook.com/collegeprepped



  7. Tiffany on April 21, 2015 at 1:28 pm

    This message landed in my inbox on exactly the right day! I am feeling a bit like I’m in a battle between keeping up with social media and working on getting my website and business up and running. The algorithms are so strange, one day you’ll reach 200 people and the next its only 20! So yay to “FB is NOT my business”! Thanks for this post!

    https://www.facebook.com/yourfithealthylife



    • Rebecca Tracey on April 21, 2015 at 10:52 pm

      Website website website! That’s the goal of FB, right? To drive people to your site. SO that’s a definite first!!



  8. Jo Tucker on April 21, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    Dude, you nailed it on this one. I’ve been mulling this over for weeks… and i know that the more time I sink into the facebook, the less time I spend on my actual LIST. Yet still, I stay there because it’s safe. It’s safer to just post quotes and musings rather than blog posts. Time to dig into that fear!

    https://www.facebook.com/jotuckercoaching



    • Rebecca Tracey on April 21, 2015 at 10:52 pm

      Dig in Jo… you can do it!



  9. Charity Nicole on April 21, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    Ugh, Facebook is dead. Thanks for writing this! I keep telling people about the engagement rate and how it sucks, so thank you for reiterating! I always say, “Instagram is the NEW Facebook!” So unless you’ve got an ad budget of a few hundred bucks a month, stop paying so much attention to FB. 🙂



    • Rebecca Tracey on April 21, 2015 at 10:56 pm

      Whoaaa dem’s fightin’ words!! LOL

      I don’t think it’s dead, but I do think there are better ways to use it than endlessly obsessing about your page!



      • Charity Nicole on April 29, 2015 at 11:02 pm

        LOL! Didn’t mean to offend– I just am sick of lovely rising entrepreneurs wasting their time & money obsessing over it like you said. Haha!



  10. genie goldring on April 21, 2015 at 7:21 pm

    Yikes, you read my mind and I absolutely relate to “Facebook is not your business”. Let me add that it’s not a measure of how much I empower underservvved communities in New Orleans, or how many dogs I save through education and outreach. It’s not even a measure of how much people like me or relate to my message. I’m born again, with gratefulness, woofs, wags and puppyluv! genie



    • Rebecca Tracey on April 21, 2015 at 10:56 pm

      <3



  11. Cheryl Woodhouse on April 21, 2015 at 5:21 pm

    Haha – I love how we agree on SO many things Becca. It’s like we’re two sides of the same coin sometimes 😉

    I don’t even promote my Facebook page. I won’t post it here either. It exists purely so I can run Facebook ads and so people can find my business through my profile – that’s it. I do have some likes, but they’re purely accidental.

    Yes, those of you reading this did read that right – I don’t even freaking *use* my Facebook page. And do you know what?

    *I still get clients from Facebook.*

    Crazy, I know, but pages aren’t the only way things roll these days – right Becca? *wink*



    • Karen Winkelman on April 21, 2015 at 6:24 pm

      That’s so cool Cheryl! I noticed it didn’t make a huge difference if I was posting regularly to FB or not. What made the bigger difference was my mindset and energy around my biz. The same with my videos. I put them out there and am delighted that people find and connect with them. Also if I posted with attachment to outcome (as in “get likes, shares, or something”) it tanked. If I post and let it go, that’s when the connections happen.



    • Rebecca Tracey on April 21, 2015 at 10:55 pm

      There are definitely great ways to use Facebook (as long as you’re not being a dick (theuncagedlife.com/dont-be-a-dick) LOL

      I definitely don’t think we should all abandon Facebook yet!



  12. Karen Winkelman on April 21, 2015 at 6:19 pm

    Thanks for your post today. I’ve been building my Facebook page after year of resisting doing so. People have been bitching about FB changes in a couple of the groups I’m in, and I can understand why they’re freaking out. Thanks for the reality check and reminding us that FB isn’t everything! Sometimes we need to step away from the computer and allow our work to come through… that will also attract our ideal clients, rather than trying to chase them down on FB or other Social media.

    Here’s my FB page; This weeks theme is Value. https://www.facebook.com/karen.m.winkelman.lifecrafting



  13. Jenny Rieger on April 21, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    Rebecca, thanks for the reminder. I have definitely been spending too much time crafting FB post and sharing in all the groups. “Facebook is not my business” – that’s going to be my mantra for whenever I am obsessively checking if someone liked my post. It’s funny how we forget about the whole algorithm sometimes. In the gym analogy it’s like picking people who are behind a curtain that is only opened halfway. Definitely something to ponder for today. Thanks again! 🙂

    At synnection we are creating a tribe of people who live life on their own term. You’ll get weekly inspirations, a bit of “how they did it” and most importantly actionable tools we can use right now to create our ‘dream’ life.
    https://www.facebook.com/synnection



  14. Ro on April 21, 2015 at 9:10 pm

    Great post and a good reminder that chasing ‘likes’ is not a great way to do business. You always nail it with your messages Becca. Looking forward to the checklist of things that matter. Thanks 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/GrowTalentRo



    • Rebecca Tracey on April 21, 2015 at 10:57 pm

      Thanks Ro! Keep your eyes peeled next week – SUPER simple checklist so time wasting is at a minimum!



  15. ling | business-soulwork.com on April 21, 2015 at 11:26 pm

    Amen! Not that FB is not a useful marketing venue but I see so many people putting too many of their eggs on their social media following and negating what they OWN – their email list, their blog, or (gasp!) their local community. Instead of chasing likes, it’s better to get people to move from social media to email list. The measure of how successful our social media effort should be trackable – e.g. convert to email list and then clients/customer. I am always wary of “digital sharecropping” and it’s always good to get social media following into something you own asap.
    The mechanism of “likes” and “shares” really tug on our fears of not being liked or approved, and we have to be aware of not letting our fears divert us from what is truly important, and revenue-generating.



  16. Stefanie on April 21, 2015 at 11:53 pm

    You hit the nail on the head. Facebook is the bane of my existence!! I get more joy seeing my Twitter viewership increase! Thank you for being so blunt about it!



  17. catherine on April 24, 2015 at 2:51 am

    My experience exactly. Can’t wait to read about marketing strategies… I’m clicking on to read your other posts.



  18. Cristi on April 23, 2015 at 11:19 pm

    Great read! It’s nice to hear that this isn’t all that uncommon – Facebook algorithms are practically impossible to figure out. Looking forward to your checklist.

    http://www.facebook.com/thekeeperofthememories



  19. karen lopez on April 25, 2015 at 1:03 am

    Such a timely reminder, so easy to get sucked in to ranking the worth of a business by seeing how many fans they have on social media. Want to move away from that measuring stick and invest in something meaningful. I don’t fit into the standard box so I want to achieve my success in my own unique “unstandard” way. Can’t wait to read more.

    My Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ThePerfectMatchStudio



  20. Angela on April 28, 2015 at 4:04 pm

    So true! I’m constantly telling clients not to worry about how many ‘Likes’ they get (even though I teach business owners how to use social media). I instill in them the notion that ultimately social media is a means to getting people to come on over to where you ACTUALLY run your business (website, store etc).

    Here’s my FB page if you wanna come say hi 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/DottiMedia



  21. Kerry on April 29, 2015 at 4:38 am

    What a great article, I’ve added you into my WordPress reader list as this is exactly what I need to hear. I see my competition getting heaps of likes and obviously I’m biased but I think my finished product is often better but seems to go unrecognised. I need a strategy



  22. Katrina on April 30, 2015 at 12:23 am

    Well, as a bootstrapping about to launch website/e-business woman who has probably read waaaay to many blogs on how to post awesome stuff (and get a zillion likes)on FB, that blog was winning!! For the fact that I was talking about similar and same topics about half an hour ago with another creative business woman. Good to have the reinforcement of ideas and opinions. Thanks!
    My FB page address is http://www.facebook.com/eb.sun.swimwear if you wanna check it out.



  23. Rachel on June 5, 2015 at 9:50 am

    THANK YOU! It took me a long time to get up the courage to share my blog and create a facebook page. It was a little disheartening to see how few likes my page and shared posts have received. This is an important thing to keep in mind in order not to get discouraged.

    My page is here: http://www.facebook.com/thisheartsvoyage



  24. Susan Hubbard on August 26, 2015 at 2:14 am

    The likes have been slow to trickle in, although we did cross over the 200 likes which is a big deal for us. I have a handful of people who interact, but would like more just to see if they’re alive.

    http://www.facebook.com/wnypetphotos



  25. Yolanda Crowley on August 26, 2015 at 7:17 am

    It is soooo frustrating! Thanks for this post.
    Here is my page… I help entrepreneurs save time and money:
    http://www.Facebook.com/crowleyassistant



  26. Desiree on October 15, 2015 at 3:46 pm

    You can still rock the fuck out of your business even if no one likes or comments on your Facebook. <<<—-YESSSSSSS. Love me? 😉 facebook.com/findingweproject



  27. Tamuria on December 3, 2015 at 6:37 pm

    Great reminder about what is important and not letting lack of ‘likes’ reduce you back to that left out school kid. I seem to spend more time on Facebook than I do on my blog, for little return. Good to remember why I started.Thank you for this post.Having said that, I still want to feel the love, 🙂 so my page is https://www.facebook.com/gleefulgrandiva/



  28. Sharla on December 14, 2015 at 6:35 pm

    Great advice! Thank you so much! It helps to know that life doesn’t begin and end with Facebook. 😉 Crazy world we live in.
    Here’s my page: https://www.facebook.com/thehappygut1/



  29. Philip on February 12, 2016 at 10:27 pm

    Great article. Thankyou 🙂
    https://m.facebook.com/home.yacht.finest.bed.linen/



  30. Jenny on June 21, 2016 at 5:01 pm

    Just what I NEEDED! ?

    Please show some support: http://www.facebook.com/dearjennyle. I will obviously return the favour 🙂



  31. Emily on June 28, 2016 at 12:36 am

    Happy to find this article today! Am getting hundreds of post ‘views’ but only 2 or 3 post ‘likes’….. was beginning to think maybe people just don’t like my products! 🙁
    Will push on & keep posting & just remember that every little thing i do will make a difference…. eventually 🙂
    https://www.facebook.com/JewellerybyEmC/ in case you want to check it out! 🙂



  32. Jennifer Singleton on July 6, 2016 at 6:19 pm

    This all makes soooo much sense! I’m so glad I found this article. I’ve been saying for awhile that I needed to get out and into the world and begin working my business with real people. So, I am glad I read this. I will be sharing. https://www.facebook.com/Jenni4Wraps



  33. Chris on August 1, 2016 at 11:17 am

    The thing with me is, I do get some likes (I have only about 300 friends). I never get comments though, I have seen other people on my friends lists do the same exact thing with their pictures and they get twice as many likes as well as comments. Why don’t I ever get comments? Even if I’m the first person who did something with my pictures. The same people who like my pictures will often like and comment on each other’s rather than mine.