Monday, January 21, 2013

Social Media Monday—Facebook EdgeRank Information to Help Increase Your Fans & Followers


EdgeRank isn't anything to be afraid of

Many of you may have heard the term EdgeRank in regard to Facebook’s new policy for pages. It’s a new term, but its purpose should sound familiar. EdgeRank compiles information Facebook believes will be valuable for each individual user. This is done through complicated equations, not unlike those search engine algorithms use to rank sites when a topic is searched.
Facebook implemented such a drastic step because they had so many spam complaints. Many businesses saw an immediate drop in reach for their pages. This also coincided with the release of Facebook’s new sponsored (paid) promotional features. Many people assumed this was Facebook’s attempt to monetize more of their site.

Before we jump to any conclusions, we need to note that the spam reporting has gone way down since Facebook implemented the EdgeRank changes, and that’s a good thing. We could debate for days about what the thoughts were behind the nearly simultaneous rollouts, but we’d miss the point.

The point is learning to work within this new paradigm of Facebook.

Before we start though, we need to have reasonable expectations. So let’s look at what we know. At almost any time during a given twenty-four hour period, only between 16-20% of your fans will see a specific post. This is due to a lot of different variables.
  • First, the fact that all of your fans are never on Facebook at the same time.
  • Second, only a certain percentage interact with your page. Think about it, haven’t you liked a page and then never visited again?

In the new world of Facebook:
Engagement (interaction) is key to reaching more fans on Facebook.
Easy to say, but so hard to do. But there are things we can do to help reach more people on Facebook.

Here are three that will make a difference in your page:
First, post things that aren’t just consumable, but SHAREABLE! Try to post two or three things a week that you think are sharable. It could be a quote, an infographic, or an image. Then check and see what is actually being shared. To do that, go to the admin panel of your page and click on SEE ALL beside Insights. You can scroll down and see which posts at which times are getting the most reach.

Second, ask your fans to receive notifications from your page. You can take a screenshot, the picture below to show them how to do this.


Third, have your fans add you to their Interests. You can do the same thing with this.



The most important thing is dialogue. If people are talking to you on your page and sharing things you post, then you’ll see an increase in LIKES and in reach.

What about you? Do you have a Facebook page? If so, share the name in the comments section so we can LIKE it. Second, what are some things you’re doing to promote conversation on your page?

Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

25 comments:

  1. Hi Edie, I've made it a point, since the first of the year, to post something to my page 2-3 times a day. I'm not getting a lot of response, but I'm trying not to let that deter me. Each thing I post shows a marginal number as to people seeing the post, but the little graph in the insights window (people reached) has tripled from this time last month when I posted once a day.

    My question, What ever formula they use to decide who sees a specific post, do the same group of people see each post or, if you post three times in a day, are three different groups of people seeing it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sharon, there are way too many variables in that seemingly simple question to really answer. First, Facebook doesn't publish the specifics of their algorithm so we can't know the specifics of how it calculates that. Second, a lot depends on what updates a specific person has set for your page. What I can tell you is that since different people are on at different times, you'll have a different audience every time you post. That said, even if you're posting the same information, like a link to your blog. Change the wording slightly each time so no-one sees the exact same update over and over. I hope this helps. Thanks for stopping by! Blessings, E

      Delete
  2. Hi Edie,

    I appreciate the opportunity to share my fan page. I didn't know about notifications or interests ... both great info.

    http://www.facebook.com/skimhenson

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kim, thanks for stopping by and sharing your Facebook page! Blessings, E

      Delete
  3. I'm glad you're explaining these things to us Edie, otherwise I would still be bumbling my way around, accomplishing nothing.

    I've started a secomd blog, ArtFully Speaking, talking about my creative endeavors that I post on my Fan Facebook Page, Cyn Rogalski Sculptor, Speaker and Author.

    My other blog, Still Water and Ponderings, gets posted to my regular Facebook page, with tweets throughout the week.

    Thanks for the opportunity to share my website!

    www.cynrogalski.com

    Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cyn, I've liked your Facebook Fan page. Thanks so much for dropping by and for posting your info. Blessings, E

      Delete
  4. Thankes Edie,
    I've snipped your graphis and will post them on my page. If we all did this we could train people. :)
    Blessings,
    Diana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diana, Great idea! I'm going to post them on my page as well. Thanks for sharing! Oh, for those who haven't liked it yet, here's Diana's Author Page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianaLesireBrandmeyerAuthor?fref=ts
      Blessings, E

      Delete
  5. Wow! I learned so much. Didn't know how to save screen shots. Thanks!

    Would love a "like" on FB.

    http://www.facebook.com/zinovysjourney

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ginny, so glad we've connected! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Blessings, E

      Delete
  6. Mercy me, once again I'm behind the times. :) I only post (please dont' tell) ONCE or TWICE a week and that's usually just a link to my weekly blog post. Like Kim H., I didn't know about notifications or interests on facebook either.
    Thanks, Edie. I'm on it. I appreciate your bite-size chunks of wisdom. Otherwise, I'd be overwhelmed by my ignorance. :)
    Find me at http://facebook.com/sallymatheny and at www.sallymatheny.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sally, you're not behind, promise! I'm glad this was helpful. Thanks so much for stopping by, Blessings, E

      Delete
  7. Edie, once again, I'm amazed by all that you know! I guess that's why each time I've got an issue on BFB or Twitter, you're the one that gets the "help" text! :-) My fan page is:
    www.facebook.com/connectingtheheartofwomen

    Would love to have some "likes" today! And yes, I need to start posting more! Love you, sweet friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jamie, thanks for stopping by! I'm excited I'll get to see you in person in a couple of weeks. Blessings, E

      Delete
  8. Edie, Thanks for such an informative post. After a year off from writing and promoting, I'm ready to jump in. Sharing the link to my FB page is a great way to start. To all writers out there with only one or two books in print, don't feel less important. I've struggled with this myself. Whether we have one book, or fifty, we can all benefit by putting ourselves out there.
    Here's the link to my page: http://www.facebook.com/CountryAuthorBooks
    Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda, Wise advice! Thanks so much for sharing your FB page and for leaving a comment, Blessings,
      E

      Delete
  9. I get aggravated when I 'like' a page, forgotten I liked it, and then find out something awesome has happened there because I didn't see it on my newsfeed. Thanks so much for this post!

    Here's my fb page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelly-Martin-Author/136506059763138

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kelly, I'm so glad you stopped by and left a comment. I LIKED your page and can hardly wait for your book to come out next month. Blessings, Edie

      Delete
  10. Wonderful info. I've learned so much from you! Here's my FB page and I'm a new DEDICATED follower! Thanks so much, Edie. https://www.facebook.com/JessicaRoachFerguson

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess, Thanks so much for stopping by! I've LIKED your page and I appreciate you taking time to leave a comment. Blessings, E

      Delete
  11. I am barely three weeks into (finally) having a Facebook page and I am pretty overwhelmed at the learning curve. So this was a do-able chunk of info I can use right away. Thanks for the illustrations! I would really appreciate Likes at http://www.facebook.com/#!/BuriedBibleTreasuresByGrehan?fref=ts

    Looking around your page, I'll probably be here for quite awhile catching up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Judy, Thank you so much for stopping by! Try to take things in small bites, it is so easy to get overwhelmed. I'm glad you've found this helpful. I've LIKED your page and hope you'll be a regular visitor here. Blessings, E

      Delete
  12. Edie, I know I've left a comment earlier today, but I just had to share! For all of you Facebook and Twitter users who are new, this is the lady to get help from! She's taight me so much in the past 2 years. She's taught me about social media, but she's taught me about life in general as well. (Yes Edie, I'm giving you credit!) Love you, sweet friend!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for the info, Edie! I love your blog and look so forward to reading every day. I have already learned to much. Thanks for the opportunity to share on your page. My page(s) are: https://www.facebook.com/csucapsonline
    and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Azalea-Magazine/156181554409198?fref=ts
    And my personal (and fledgling) blog is: katiedepoppe.blogspot.com. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Edie, I know I've left a comment earlier today, but I just had to share! For all of you Facebook and Twitter users who are new, this is the lady to get help from! She's taight me so much in the past 2 years. She's taught me about social media, but she's taught me about life in general as well.facebook

    ReplyDelete