The ultimate goal of social media is to get people talking or to get people sharing. This becomes especially true when it comes to those pages that are rooted in gaining profit margins and getting people to purchase products or services. There are several different ways that this can be achieved and many different approaches to making sure that people are interested and engaged with a page. Whether personal or privately operated, pages that want to get people reacting should know and understand that taking a stand on an issue or divisive position can be great in that it can greatly increase the free likes and free followers that a page wants and needs to thrive. It can also be problematic.

If you are going to take a stance or be controversial on a topic, that is okay but it has serious risks. If you are a business, you need to know that being divisive can alienate a customer base. It can leave a part of the population that may actually be vital to your page’s growth. But, at the same time, it can also bring a great number of individuals to your page. You can alienate as much as you gain, but you will ultimately get a reaction. Calculate and understand this before you take a stand on an issue or controversial topic.