Social media users were in an uproar when rumors of a “dislike” button for Facebook began swirling in September. CEO Mark Zuckerberg never actually said they’d be releasing a dislike button, and today we found out exactly what it was he meant when he said they were intending to expand on their Like Button.
Currently in beta testing in Spain and Ireland only, their brand new feature is called “Reactions” and it allows a user to empathize with a post in six different ways (instead of the current thumbs up). These new Facebook emojis include love, laughter, happiness, shock, sadness and anger. Facebook says they plan to test it in these two countries so they can tweak it before rolling it out to bigger audiences.
If and when they come Stateside, these new Reactions would be available on both desktop and mobile, though there are no plans to integrate them into other Facebook products like Messenger for example.
You might be wondering how these new Facebook emojis differ from the currently available stickers. These six emojis will appear when you hover over the like button with your mouse or touch the like button on your mobile device and will inherently be easier to use.
Thanks to TechCruch, we can see what these new Facebook emojis look like here:
This opens a new data stream for marketers because we will be able to get a better understanding of how our communities engage with the posts. Imagine how much easier it will be to determine the type of content that resonates with your community when you can literally see their reactions! Facebook says that this data will eventually make it into their analytics dashboard (which means it will inevitably be used for future advertising targets).
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Rachel Creveling has 15 years in the industry and is the Owner of Belle Strategies Marketing Agency. As a Digital Marketing Consultant, she helps clients strategically plan and build campaigns based on ROI. Her highly custom consulting method has earned clients including the Hilton Head Wine & Food Festival, Four Seasons Resort and Residences, South Beach Seafood Festival and many others. Rachel’s expertise helps companies push past revenue goals by leveraging their data and identifying areas for efficiency and growth.