It finally happened.

Mark Zukerberg heard our cries about having more options to react to posts – apart from the standard ‘Like’ button. Especially when you don’t have the words, but still want to express sorrow for a friend who has lost a loved one or ended their relationship. Or you want to show your happiness for a new life entering the world.

Unless you’re one of the few who has adamantly avoided getting a Facebook profile (for whatever reason), you’d be aware that at the end of February 2016, Facebook introduced Reactions. There are now six (very cute) options for you to choose from – Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, and Angry. Any of these can now be selected upon hovering over the word ‘Like’ beneath each post.  You can also see the other (mixed) emotions of the audience – and I guess the challenge is to somehow attract all six for one post! Could it be possible? I guess with creative writing (and no bribing), it could very well be! (If you see any, please let me know by commenting below.)

Personally, I welcome the change. Simply selecting ‘Like’ seems so very passive. Like, yeah, I like it – now I’m going to go on living my life… Whereas the Reactions allow you to really show your actual…erm..reaction upon reading the post.

Here are some examples of where you may use each Reaction:

• Like – Yeah, yeah. Another selfie. I’ll click ‘Like’ so that you keep your self-esteem.
• Love – Aww, a newborn announcement. How can you not love that? *cluck cluck*
• Haha – That meme like, totally, describes my life!
• Wow – That random stranger said what?! I am gobsmacked…
• Sad – Oh no. I am devastated to hear about your loss. I’m here for you.
• Angry – I can’t believe the injustice of <insert political or poverty statement here>!

So what’s your reaction to Facebook Reactions? Do you think any others should be added? (I’m kind of surprised that ‘Sexy’ isn’t one of them, but that could possibly open a massive can of worms in regards to self image…and what if you accidentally selected it for a child’s photo? Eek!) From a business point of view, I think it’s a great way to better understand your engaged audience and know what type of posts that they want to see. I’ll keep an eye out for research that outlines the impact!

If you need any assistance with writing effective Facebook posts, feel free to drop me a line!

Until next time,

Leanne