...on losing and liking ...

Losing and liking .... well, facebook likes.  It seems to be a hot topic on the interweb at the moment, and it came into sharp focus for me this week.  Let me explain ....

Facebook is having a surge it seems in 'ladders and silent tagging' .  If you are not sure what this is .... it is in essence, you 'liking' a  business page, and them 'liking' your business page in return.  The reason being that you will gain more 'likes'.  

For some people running their business, increasing their likes is important.  They see it as validating their business, promoting customer confidence in their goods.  Which for some customers, it really will help.  With this ladder method, there is a general unwritten rule that you returns the likes.  Which generally I do.  However, I came a little unstuck this week.  A minor mistake on my part that has really got me thinking.

I had liked a fair few pages; I had asked for links because I wanted to support some new businesses and do some networking.  (A very clinical term for a lovely thing to do!)  The extra likes for my page are also a great bonus.  After I had done this I thought no more of it, and didn't have time to look at the pages in much detail, a job I would get back to at some point when I didn't have orders to fill.  I quite like this job, just meandering through pictures of lovely handmade goodies!

Until !! ... A customer of mine pointed out that I had liked a particular page that did not sit well with the products that I make, and it made them question my work.   I don't mean they contradicted my style of work, but they produce items that go against the ethics of some of my work.  I was surprised, but once pointed out, oh so obvious!!  So went through the pages I had liked, and just check them out more carefully than I had done, and 'un-liked' two of them.  

Apologies for sounding vague- I am not criticising or passing comment on anyone else's pages, far from it.  I am reflecting on my own actions rather than the other pages- I realised that I needed to be more aware of what MY clients needs and interests are.  I don't intend to sound judgemental nor am I making comment on those two pages at all,  I had been shown that I had gotten careless. I had worried more about my 'likes' than my customer base.  D'oh.  The fault is with me.

Within an hour of sorting it out, I happened to read a great post on a forum of someone questioning why they had lost a fair few likes over night.  (Not mine, but those gained from a night of using ladders)  And it really got me thinking about how best to use the likes, and for everyone's benefit.

Sat in my workshop, mostly alone, I LOVE to reach out to fellow crafters on FB.  I love a particular group called IRASB forum, which allows NO advertising, which means it is a great community to talk with others about all the things that I am going through, business ideas, finding out where to watermark photos, or just saying you have had a bad day.  THIS for me, is the best of FB.  

What I try to do (what I failed to do this week!)  is use ladders occasionally in the same way.  I go through the pages I like, interact with the owners.  Like pictures that are great - showing the owner what products I think are fab.  I try to strike conversations when I can, or give positive feedback on items they are selling.  And I love it when people do the same.  For example,  this week someone passed comment that text colour I used on my website was too light for them to read ... so I changed it.  Something I would never have thought about without that helpful objective eye. Which I gained through thoughtful networking.

The likes I get are a great bonus, but 'likes' don't buy products.  [Note to self!] People do, and its the people I want to interact with.  Not just for sales, but I mean to get to know people. So I try not to over promote, and I do take an interest in the pages I  like.

Its only that I had been careless.  And had supported a page, then had to remove the support. Something that I did not like to do.   But I think that for me it was a huge learning curve.  

Using 'likes' to network must be done with care, and thoughtfully and respectfully.  And sometimes we can get carried away and forget that our actions represent our business to our clients.  I think manners apply on FB too... don't like a page so you get one in return only to take yours away once you get what you want ... it doesn't help either party.  Always be polite and give positive feedback, and constructive criticism is great, if asked for. Only give it freely if you have a rapport with someone else. 

Behind every computer, every business, is a person, just like me - trying their best, and I think we all need to remember that when we interact online.

Has anyone else found that they have had people treat them disrespectfully? Have you found it only helpful on FB networking sites?  I would love to hear your thoughts and stories too ....  Anyone else had a steep learning curve this week?!

'Likes' lost in the time it took me to write this post ...

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See you all soon  X