Recommended Pages on Facebook: Will It Ever Stop?!
Like Michelle Obama? Sure. NPR? Of course. Anchorman? Who doesn’t? The ever-evolving internet behemoth Facebook has updated its homepage to occasionally include a small area with two “Recommended Pages”. Much like a regular ad on Facebook, these recommendations include a small picture and the title of a page that Facebook’s algorithm deemed most relevant to you. Also included is the line “Many who like [a page you already like] like this” followed by the “Like” icon. An immediate call to action to “like” a page you’re, statistically speaking, bound to love!
What I found most interesting about the new feature was its endlessness. If you do “Like” a Recommended Page you are not sent to its landing page, but stay on your home News Feed. Within seconds, the “liked” page fades away and is replaced by a new band, movie, brand, etc. that you’ve loved for years. If you get tired of “liking” every pick Facebook throws at you, you also have the option of removing a recommendation. In which case, a new winner pops right up.
I find this perpetual perfectness of picks to be addicting, and I don’t think I’m the only one. This is great news for page managers of any kind.
Before this change, Pages were only able to recruit new ”people who ‘like’ this” through person-to-person interaction. You had two options:
- invite your friends to a page you “liked”
- notice a page your friend “liked”–either on your News Feed or on their personal profile.
If you didn’t have a friend who had already “liked” the page, you would not be able to “like” it yourself unless you searched for it.
By adding Recommended Pages, “likes” are now generated through what could be called public-to-person interaction. The pages recommended to you are not only things your friends “like”, but also pages specific to your current likes and interests. These pages are decided by the actions and overall behavior of Facebook’s 400 million users. Recommended Pages are in-your-face, accurate, and seemingly infinite.
What does this mean for businesses, bands, and celebrities? It means an influx of “likes” from a demographic most suited to liking your product, music, or career. It means customers and fans more likely to be influential brand advocates. Most importantly, it means constant, incredibly-targeted marketing that doesn’t cost you a dime.
How much of an effect do you think Recommended Pages will have? Do you find them intriguing or annoying?
peterahall:
BrandonSings:
dominicdimarco:
AndyinColor:
lpmaynard:
Room_214:
JamesOClark:
bencastelli:
JasonCormier:
on Jul 07, 2010
Great post Nate – definitely generates a lot more visibility for pages on the right side of the page in addition to the news stream. I’d say about 50% of my recommended pages interest me…
on Jul 09, 2010
I think it will be a boon to the Page administrators, but it annoys the heck out of me personally.
It is pretty amazing that there’s no end to the suggestions – I had the same experience – new ones keep popping up!
on Aug 09, 2010
I must say, it is slightly annoying and not to mention, I think it clutters up Facebook space giving it a “spammy” feel, but honestly, it works, people are “liking” pages more because they are there in your face. This goes to prove that Social Media works, if something is in your face all the time, the more the likely hood you will be responsive to it, and vice versa.