Don’t click ‘Like’ unless you’re paid to

In Facebook we often find many "Trending Now" news feeds as well as "Suggested Post" suggestions inspite of not having hit the 'like' button on those pages. This is nothing but paid advertising, wherein firms pay Facebook for advertising on the news feeds of its users.

That crowded and much-advertised-to news feed might get more polluted soon, as a start-up called "Social Rebate" is offering money to Facebook users for sharing their recent purchases on Facebook.

"Don't click 'Like' unless you're getting paid to" was their pitch to all the prospective customers. It's a win-win for both, the customers as well as the retailer. The customers earn back some of their money and the company spread the word about the retailer's products.

This is a cost-per-action marketing but with a twist. Social Rebate is using Facebook's platform and is not paying anything to Facebook. Retailers who participate in this kind of service integrate Social Rebate into their checkout systems offering customers the rebate if they indirectly agree to be the marketing arm of the company.

There is a lot to like about social commerce and there is a lot of value for companies in social referrals. Facebook on the other hand might not like its social space to be converted into a commerce page as it would harm Facebook in the long run.

-Karan Gandhi | 12DM-069 | Section-A | EBUS