Need to upgrade your brand’s reputation on Facebook? You may not want to rely on your fans constantly visiting your fan page. Jeff Widman, strategist at Brand Glue, a Facebook fan page management company as well as a Facebook analytics expert, found that 99% of comments on client status updates come from the News Feed, not the page Wall.
Facebook uses a unique algorithm called Edgerank to decide which comments get placed at the top of an individual user’s news feed. A few factors matter, here:
- The affinity score, which is basically a measure of the “closeness” of the viewer and the person posting the item (status update, link, etc.)
- The edge – i.e., what kind of interaction is happening? Comments, or likes?
- Time. If an “edge” is old, it is less important.
So how can you leverage this information for the benefit of your brand? You’ll need to learn News Feed Optimization.
Here’s how to optimize your posts so that your users will want to interact with them:
Engaging Content
If you want people to engage with your post, then you’ll have to act as if you’re in constant conversation with them. Widman suggests putting the question first instead of last, and asking questions where people don’t need to click on a link to give the answer. Make sure the questions are relatable and simple–not jargon-heavy. Make sure to focus on yes-no questions that will encourage your users to explain and defend their positions via comments. If you’ve run out of questions, then try a fill-in-the-blank method.
Posting image and video in your status updates can entice a user to click to enlarge or watch, which also boosts your Edgerank. (But don’t forget to ask a question alongside it; even a simple “What did you think of this?” will suffice.)
Asking For The “Like”
Also, don’t be afraid to ask for the “like.” The direct request method is powerful–don’t shy away from it. For example: “Click the ‘like’ button if you like our new homepage design!” is great way to get customers to engage.
Tools
Need to monitor your Facebook analytics? Need a boost for FacebookInsights? A tool like PageLever, currently in beta, can help you monitor the following:
- What content excites your fans and motivates them to comment or engage
- Whether your page is performing better over time
- What your fastest growing fan demographic is
- How many of your fans are using mobile
Be Welcoming
This is probably the most important part of your strategy. Make sure your fan page itself is up-to-date, visually pleasing, and not spammy-looking. And be adaptable! Remember that Facebook fan pages aren’t static placeholders for your brand image; they should be constantly evolving, right along with your customers.
