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Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Most of Your Fans Never See Your Posts: Here's Why
How long has your business had an active presence on Facebook? Were you one of the early adopters, have you been on it for a few months, or are you a total newbie? No matter when you started, as Facebook grows and brings on new users, one question will come up time and time again: How do I stand out and make sure my voice is being heard? (i.e., are my posts actually seen by the people who have liked my page?) Did you know, most of your fans will NEVER go back to your Facebook page after they have liked it? This means, the only way to reach your fans is through your status updates in the news feed! And right now, the average Facebook user has 125 Friends and page likes. It’s important to remember that you’re not the only one competing for their attention! Enter EdgeRank, the holy grail of Facebook marketing. Master this one thing, and you’ll be sitting prettier than a kid in a candy store, guaranteed! EdgeRank is the name of Facebook’s algorithm that determines which posts users (your fans!) will see in their newsfeeds. Facebook uses three factors (explained below) that result in a score for your post. The higher your score for the post, the more likely your post will appear in your fans’ news feeds.  The 3 Parts of EdgeRankAffinity: How often your fans have interacted with your posts in the past. Weight: How much “action” is your current post getting? Likes, comments, and shares all raise your score and your post gets seen by more fans. Decay: Basically, the time the post has been up. The longer it’s been up, the less likely it is to stick around for your fans to see. The more you think about it, the more this type of algorithm makes sense. The brains at Facebook want to keep users on their site as long as possible and they know that the best way to do this is to display the most relevant and interesting updates from friends and pages. Some of you may already know this, others may not. Either way, it’s something each of us crazy Facebook marketers needs to remember! 5 Quick Tips on Improving Your EdgeRank 1. Post at the right time of day. Use your page’s insights within Facebook and start paying attention to what time of day your fans are engaging with your posts . Remember, the longer your post is up, the less likely it is to be seen by your fans, so it’s paramount that you figure out your business’s ideal posting time. 2. Use crystal clear CTAs (calls to action). You’ve probably noticed some companies say things like, “comment below” or “share this with your friends” or maybe “like if you agree”. As annoying as these tactics may seem, they can be very effective. Experiment with this a little by posting with and without CTAs then see if you notice a difference in engagement. Another great CTA is a fill-in-the-blank post. For example: “If I could be anywhere in the world right now, I would be in _____.” Or something to that effect. 3. Photos are king! Another way to get more action for your posts is to include a photo of some sort. In most cases, photos that are funny, compelling, or out of the ordinary work best. Whatever you post, make sure it’s relevant to your industry and consistent with your brand message. Photos stand out in the homepage feed and almost always generate more interest than just a text-based update 4. Keep it current and relevant! Post about holidays, special events, noteworthy birthdays, and current events that apply to your industry. Keep a calendar of these dates and events handy so you can be prepared to post when they come up. 5. Less is more. Most of time, the simpler your posts the better. Most studies show that posts with 80 characters or less are most effective. It’s okay to do a long post every now and then but for the most part, remember that less is more! This short list should give you a few ideas to get started. Most importantly, do what works for your business and fans. Keep track of your posts, see which ones perform the best, and repeat the process! GroSocial’s content management feature helps you find content to to post and schedule your posts all in the same place. So what do you think? What types of posts have you found to be the most effective? -The GroSocial Team  |
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