Why your social media likes are dropping (and why it’s not the end of the world)
Why your social media likes are dropping (and why it’s not the end of the world)
If you’re creating content for your brand across social media and you’ve noticed your likes declining, you’re not alone. Brands, content creators and influencers alike have seen a real dip in likes (especially on Instagram) and there are a few reasons why. Read on to find out…
Algorithm changes
If you’ve been desperately trying to find reasons as to why your content just isn’t racking up the likes like it used to, you’ve probably heard a lot about the algorithm and its constant changes. In its early days, the algorithm would serve up content in chronological order so your followers were highly likely to see it and interact with it. Now platforms prioritise content they think consumers will like based on time spent on posts, saves etc. So while your content may be just as great, it’s unlikely to be seen by so many eyeballs and this inevitably will mean your likes aren’t going to be as high.
Content overwhelm
If you’re comparing your content likes today to what they were even a year ago, you have to remember that the content landscape has massively changed. Consumers are faced with more and more content and more and more platforms to consume content on, so they’re overwhelmed with choice. All of this means engagement naturally spreads thinner. Many people have now become ‘silent scrollers’ because of the overwhelm, choosing to scroll and consume content without interacting with it. So just because someone hasn’t tapped the like button doesn’t mean they haven’t found your post valuable.
Saves and shares
Following on from the concept that consumers are more passively engaging now, Instagram and other platforms have shifted the value in ‘likes’ and heavily weighted this towards other metrics like saves and shares. So even if your like count is lower, your audience might be interacting with your content in a different way.
Why less likes isn’t the end of the world
As a brand and marketing agency, we work with a variety of clients across social media in a number of sectors. And there’s one thing we always remind our clients of regardless of industry or channel: likes are a vanity metric. While you might like to see a post receive multiple likes, it isn’t always an indicator of true engagement or value add. Instead, zoom out for the bigger picture and assess all of your social media analytics - a post that sparks conversation, encourages someone to share with a friend or save for later can be far more valuable than hundreds of likes but no real engagement. And whatever you’re creating and sharing, always try to link it back to your social media strategy. If a key KPI within your strategy is to raise awareness, then views and reach are worth focusing on more than likes.
Key takeout: Building trust, storytelling, and creating content that truly resonates with people is far more worthy of your attention and focus than just purely looking at likes. The digital landscape is shifting towards deeper, more meaningful connections so the next time you look at likes and think they’ve dropped, don’t panic - social media is always evolving and so should you.
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