Facebook is one of the most visited websites in the world and, therefore, draws an almost supernatural aura. Is Facebook the end-all, be-all of Internet marketing? No.

When new clients contact our company to jump-start a social media campaign, one of their most common requests is to increase Facebook likes. Businesses believe that by increasing the amount of likes on their fan page, money will begin flowing through the window like birds in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 flick, The Birds. Well, this isn’t the case.

A Facebook like is just that: a Facebook like. Nothing more, nothing less.

Businesses need to realize that cultivating relationships and converting sales comes after one has liked a page. The goal is to create unique, interesting, helpful content to inform the masses, which will establish a level of confidence, then produce a level of trust. If an individual trusts a company, they will buy from them.

Before spending thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars on increasing Facebook likes, take a step back and reevaluate your priorities. Would you rather have 50,000 Facebook likes or $50,000 in sales? I think you get the picture.

Aaron Schoenberger
The Brainchild Group