Late last week, Facebook announced that it is changing the way it counts “Likes” to your business page. Moving forward, FB will no longer count “Likes” to your page from 1) people who have voluntarily deactivated their accounts or 2) users who have passed away.

“Over the coming weeks, page admins should expect to see a small dip in their number of Page likes as a result of this update,” stated Facebook. “It’s important to remember, though, that these removed likes represent people who were already inactive on Facebook.”

So what does this mean for your business page?

7 Facts About Facebook’s Recent Update That You Should Know

1. It’s not your fault: expect your “Like” count to drop soon, but understand that these removed Likes represent people who were already inactive on Facebook, and who shouldn’t have been counted to begin with.

2. It actually makes a ton of sense: In reality, this is something Facebook should have been doing from the beginning. These changes will offer your business a clearer, more accurate idea of your Facebook audience, since neither inactive or “memorialized” accounts are active FB users.

“Removing inactive Facebook accounts from Page audience data gives businesses up-to-date insights on the people who actively follow their Page and makes it easier for businesses to find people like their followers through tools like lookalike audiences.” – Facebook

3. This will affect you: This update is specifically intended for business pages like yours, not personal profile pages.

4. When it will happen: The shift won’t happen immediately; Facebook says it will roll out this update in “the coming weeks.”

5. How many likes might you lose? It’s tough to say. Facebook says you can expect a “slight dip,” but it’s all relative to how many Likes you have to begin with. If your page only has a few dozen likes, you might not even lose one; if it has a few million, that slight dip will feel a bit bigger.

6. “Inactive” does not mean dormant: It should be noted that this only accounts for profiles that have been manually deactivated. Accounts that have sat dormant because the user hasn’t logged in will still remain.

7. Can I get these Likes back? You don’t want these Likes back. They’re inactive accounts and will only hurt your ability to reach real, active users. That said, in the event that an inactive account becomes activated again, those Likes will be tallied back, says Facebook.

Conclusion

Over the coming weeks, expect your business page to lose “Likes”. Rather than fill your heart with indignation, rejoice in Facebook’s desire to start afresh, just in time for spring. Actually, think of it as spring-cleaning, only for your FB page: out with the dead of winter, in with the vernal awakening of FB fandom. This is a good thing. If you have any other questions or concerns about your online presence, contact us at (800) 949-0133 or schedule a one-on-one.

Erving

Incredible Marketing

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