Last week, an Australian company got hammered by the Facebook community for putting conditions on providing aid to victims of massive brush fires in Tasmania:
Their stunt was reported in the news and the post was hastily removed and an apology issued. Of course, a quick Google search shows us that the practice is still alive and well.
But in the hunt for likes, shares and comments (which is how Facebook determines what does and does not show up in news feeds) a host of Facebook pages have taken to using any and all cheap tactics to “engage” their user base. There is even hilarious Facebook Page dedicated to them.
Ultimately, these tactics attempt to evade the hard work of actually creating value for your Facebook Page. It is absolutely true that likes and shares spread the word about your page and increase your reach. But these kind of quick likes are essentially the empty calories of social media marketing or engagement.
Instead, give your community something that has “nutritional” value: inform, entertain, converse – or even better all three. Otherwise, you'll never get off the cycle of hunting for likes.