Do brands need to care about Facebook Reactions? Absolutely not

Amid much fanfare, including a major advertising campaign to support it, Facebook rolled out its new Reactions buttons globally last week. Now, instead of just giving a status a thumbs-up in the form of a “like”, you can respond in five new ways, including “sadness” or “anger” through the use of cute little emoticons.

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However, research from Ehrenberg-Bass Institute among others, has shown that the propensity of likes has little direct correlation to business metrics. Facebook itself has already said that engagement metrics aren’t a reliable indicator of whether social marketing has improved or benefited your business. Adding a few more ways of doing this won’t change the fact that a reaction is a throwaway, quick moment carrying no lasting impact; it’s as much an acknowledgement of the content rather than an endorsement or a clear measure. By its name, it’s reactionary, and not thought out in any deep way.

Read the full article at The Drum.