Do more likes lead to more clicks?

A new Journal of Marketing study sheds light on the dynamics of likes in social advertising and their impact on user engagement. Conducted by Song Lin (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) and Shan Huang (The University of Hong Kong), the study explores how social cues such as likes affect ad effectiveness on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

The study, titled “Do More ‘Likes’ Lead to More Clicks? Evidence from a Field Experiment on Social Advertising,” reveals that “likes” drive two distinct forms of social influence: normative and informational. As Lin explains, “Our research shows that the first ‘like’ serves as a critical cue, encouraging users to both like and click on ads. However, additional likes enhance the liking rate without significantly increasing clicks.”

Key Findings

The research highlights the different effects of social cues:

• Normative Social Influence: Users are more likely to like an ad when they see others doing so, driven by the desire to conform to social norms.
• Informational Social Influence: Clicking behavior is more influenced by the perceived credibility and relevance of an ad’s content, which diminishes as likes accumulate.

Huang notes, “The first like on an ad creates a powerful ripple effect, boosting both liking and clicking. However, as likes grow, their informational value weakens, leading to a plateau in click-through rates.”

Practical Implications for Marketers

The study provides actionable insights for marketers designing social media ad campaigns:

• Brand Awareness Campaigns: For brands focused on building awareness, leveraging normative social influence through visible likes can enhance brand perception and increase ad likes.
• Performance-Driven Campaigns: To maximize click-through rates and conversions, marketers should balance normative and informational influences, carefully considering how many likes to display in ads.

Huang suggests, “For ads aimed at driving clicks, showing just the first like or a limited number may preserve the perceived informational value, encouraging users to act.”

Implications for Social Media Platforms

The study also underscores the role of social media platforms in shaping ad effectiveness. Lin advises, “Platforms should consider how design features, such as whether to display likes, impact user engagement and advertiser outcomes.”

For platforms testing the visibility of likes, such as Instagram’s recent experiments with hiding like counts, the findings suggest that balancing normative and informational cues can create a more authentic and effective advertising experience.

Broader Implications

The research offers a roadmap for leveraging social influence dynamics in digital marketing. By understanding the interplay between normative and informational cues, marketers can design more engaging campaigns, while platforms can refine their features to maximize user interaction and ad performance.

Full article and author contact information available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429241307608

About the Journal of Marketing 

The Journal of Marketing develops and disseminates knowledge about real-world marketing questions useful to scholars, educators, managers, policy makers, consumers, and other societal stakeholders around the world. Published by the American Marketing Association since its founding in 1936, JM has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the marketing discipline. Shrihari (Hari) Sridhar (Joe Foster ’56 Chair in Business Leadership, Professor of Marketing at Mays Business School, Texas A&M University) serves as the current Editor in Chief. https://www.ama.org/jm

About the American Marketing Association (AMA)

As the leading global professional marketing association, the AMA is the essential community for marketers. From students and practitioners to executives and academics, we aim to elevate the profession, deepen knowledge, and make a lasting impact. The AMA is home to five premier scholarly journals including: Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Journal of International Marketing, and Journal of Interactive Marketing. Our industry-leading training events and conferences define future forward practices, while our professional development and PCM® professional certification advance knowledge. With 70 chapters and a presence on 350 college campuses across North America, the AMA fosters a vibrant community of marketers. The association’s philanthropic arm, the AMA’s Foundation, is inspiring a more diverse industry and ensuring marketing research impacts public good. 

AMA views marketing as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. You can learn more about AMA’s learning programs and certifications, conferences and events, and scholarly journals at AMA.org.