likes, follows, and subscriptions

Maybe I'm particular. "Ornery" probably wouldn't be a far stretch. But the epidemic really has gotten out of control. Of course, I'm speaking of the "You should follow us on <insert social media here>!" banners that dot the bottoms of innumerable blogs, corporate websites, and products everywhere.


Now, I understand the logic behind these miniature billboards; they serve as a reminder to the viewer that he would probably like other things that the content producer has to offer. In this chaotic, information-drenched age, we're likely to forget to press that precious "subscribe" button anyways, right? And if that happened, we might miss  something that we're interested in! How fortunate we are, then, that the producer prodded us with their wonderful, embeddable icons. 


Snark aside, "Follow us here!" notifications aren't really about what you'd like; they're advertising. This might seem obvious, but it's worth pointing out because advertisements are generally bound by implicit rules. Two of these are particularly relevant:

1. Don't disempower the user. Declaring "You should buy MotoFlex Oil!" in your ad sounds like it originated from Don Draper's firm and simply wouldn't fly in 2012. If a consumer buys MotoFlex and remembers your ad, then he's merely a slave to propaganda in his mind and he'll resent it. But if your billboard reads "MotoFlex Oil has been ranked tastiest by OilGuzzlers weekly 5 years in a row", no imperatives are given; the consumer is satisfied that he has a free will and the power of choice. Furthermore, you as the advertiser have both reminded the user about your product and given a compelling reason as to why a purchase should be made.
2. Don't be annoying. As anybody who's received spam mail, seen Flo of Progressive, or heard the Geico pig can attest to, obnoxious advertising will leave a distinct negative impression on the viewer. Sure, he'll definitelyremember you - but as that one company with that one commercial that he hates. Not exactly the best PR, and he might not purchase your product just to spite you.

Let's take these tenets online: am I annoyed by these "Like us here!" banners? This answer might change depending on the person, but I'm guessing the general consensus is 'yes'. After all, the icons have become as near a fixture of the web as CSS. Now, the big one: are the banners telling me what to do? Absolutely yes. Just as in our second MotoFlex Oil example, you've probably already been given a reason for why you should like the media producer (e.g. you read to the bottom of the article, bought the product with the banner on the label, or watched the video all the way through). But instead of respecting you, the viewer, enough to acknowledge that you know when you want to subscribe for more of something, the producer thinks he has to tell you to get your +1.

Here's the error though: by the time the viewer sees the banner, he will have already evaluated your content. If he likes it, all you need to do is point him to the right medium for more of it and avoid scaring him away. If he doesn't like it, demanding that he subscribe can only harm you. To fix this advertising faux pas, change the hackles-raising "Make sure you follow us here!" banner to something more agreeable, like "For more terribly-written content, follow DarthVader here!" The revised version is original enough to stand out from every other copy-pasted banner, and it gives the user back his perceived freedom of choice. Ultimately, the viewer is happier and you have higher conversion rates.


Since you liked this post, you absolutely want to join my guild in Dark Age of Camelot!