"Everyone who clicks the 'like' button on a brand's Facebook page volunteers to receive that brand's messages — but on average, (Facebook) only shows each brand's posts to 16 percent of its fans,"
This is due to the way EdgeRank works - you get low exposure if you make page posts that do not get viral uptake. I know people that routinely get over 70% engagement because they make content that people, you know, like.
There is a problem with a focus on getting "likes". It doesn't convert. Neither does it increase sales. It's a vanity metric. I just wrote a post to explain how small of a mileage like actually brings for the effort exerted. http://thomasdiong.com/post/65443615643/social-media-vanity-...
I've never pushed for a focus on getting likes; instead, it is just one stage in the conversion funnel.
I consider them akin to email addresses, just with a much more variable ROI. You do have to manage your fan base, cultivate it and engage it as you would a large mailing list. They are definitely not a direct revenue driver though.
As an affiliate I've not used FB pages to profit, but I've got a few friends in the industry that have pages with massive followings. They are very skilled at monetizing their followers, but it is also an extremely tough thing to do. It is definitely not for the faint of heart - or wallet :)
This is due to the way EdgeRank works - you get low exposure if you make page posts that do not get viral uptake. I know people that routinely get over 70% engagement because they make content that people, you know, like.