Why should I like your page?

Since social media caught fire, all sorts of companies and organizations have been aggressively trying to court followers. You get the solicitations through Facebook and other platforms asking you to like their pages, follow them on Twitter, or take whatever action is correct for the specific channel. When you visit a store or a restaurant, you see signs asking you to do the same. Billboards, radio commercials — the pitch is showing up everywhere.

So why should I like your page or follow you? Do you expect it just out of the goodness of my heart? Do you think I’m overwhelmed by your awesomeness and want to bask in your glow?

Simply put: what’s in it for me? That isn’t greed; it’s a simple reflection of the fact that most people won’t act unless they’re likely to receive some personal benefit — and basking in your glow, pretty though that glow will be, generally doesn’t count.

Now, if you give me some kind of a reward for liking your Facebook page — maybe a discount off my next meal, access to products you don’t sell the general public, free content that’s useful to me, or some kind of other incentive — you’ll be more likely to get me to act.

But without some kind of personal benefit, I’m more likely to say “fat chance” and move along.