What are Facebook Edges?
According to Get Elastic’s Linda Bustos, Edges are anything you share on Facebook–photos, status updates and even “Likes.” Facebook uses an algorithm called EdgeRank which “determines which pieces of content a user should see in his/her default News Feed.” There is more to social media marketing than just creating a Facebook account and linking to it whenever you can. In one of her more recent articles, Bustos shares news feed optimization ideas to maximize interaction with your brand’s Facebook followers.
1. Make it easy to spot. Your “Like” button or Facebook links, that is.
2. Use Tabs creatively. According to Bustos, Tag labels “should evoke interest.”
3. Choose a “landing tab” wisely. Take the case of Dell. The company uses a “quiz” to encourage “initial engagement” with a visitor.
4. Invest in iFrames. iFrames allows you to “integrate your pages with web analytics pakages or Google Website Optimizer to test which landing tabs perform best.”
5. Have calls to action on the landing tab. The first call to action is for your visitors to “Like” your Facebook page. Bustos also suggests to “avoid calls to action that link out of Facebook on your landing tab. Your landing tab’s goal is to get an initial interaction within Facebook.”
6. Be strategic. Bustos also reminds e-commerce merchants on Facebook to post frequently and to make sure it is relevant.
7. Think about the time. Plan not just the content but also the frequency and timing of your posts.
8. Share! Write and upload posts that encourage Facebook “shares.” Don’t be shy about asking to share as well.
9. Ask thought provoking questions. Do not just ask questions answerable with a “yes” or a “no.” You can even use the opportunity to come up with a simple promo by awarding the best response with a prize.
10. Variety is key. Make sure to post a healthy mix of videos, questions, photos and information. You can use sites like YouTube, Reddit and Digg as sources of useful stuff that people generally like.
11. Monitor your data. Monitor the posts which draw out the most “Likes” and comments. You can even use Insights–Facebook’s own analytics tool.
12. Be manual. Invest in time and effort to manually post and share on your Facebook page. Bustos reminds users that the company “considers content composed within Facebook as higher ‘weight’ than automated updates.”
13. Respond to comments. It’s the courteous and proper way to do it and it also boosts your comment count which increases the weight of your Facebook Edge.
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