In the past few weeks I have been thinking about how to view edgeranks/analytics/insights/stats for social media in a more “user friendly” way. How could I make sense of them so that they are meaningful for me and my clients? How could I cut through the thousands of figures and pick out the ones that work for businesses wanting to cut to the chase?
All the figures got you in a spin?
Today I want to share with you one of the easy ways I have found to think about how posts on Facebook will be recognised by Facebook… Note: this is just my interpretation. I would love your feedback as to whether you think I am on the right track. In short, in future posts, I want to give you some quick tips for sorting out the digital overwhelm and coming out the other side with something that matters for your business.Before I get to the “question”, there may be some of you that want to know more about Edgerank and how it works. If that is you, then please check out this great article from Practical Commerce.
For the rest of us, here it is. Ask yourself one simple question when posting on Facebook:
How long will this piece of content keep my fan/follower/liker engaged on Facebook?
That's it. Simple.
Let's look at it more closely.
When you post something on Facebook, it will consist of one of the following types of posts: status update, photo, question/survey, link (to an article or video), or a video. If you look at each of these individually, they are likely to “keep” the reader engaged for differing amounts of time. I would hazard a guess that the order of “engagement” would be as follows from least to most (which for the most part matches what is suggested in the above article):
- Status update (written information – very quick to read
- Link to a video or article (take longer and keeps the person engaged for long, especially if it is a video)
- Photo (visual and Facebook loves photos, given the new way that photos are often highlighted in the newsfeed and timeline).
- Question/survey (this one can float between 2 and 4 – it depends on the complexity of the question and whether fans can add their own responses, which may keep them engaged for longer). As per the article featured above, there is a general consensus that “Questions” do carry a lot of weight with Edgerank.
- Video – this is by far the most engaging type of post and is rated highly by Facebook.
So that's it. It's not perfect, and it may differ from the recommendations of others, but if you are one of those people that can't remember figures, facts and rules, then it is a good way to judge your posts – what will keep people engaged the most and therefore keeping them “ON' Facebook. Which for the most part, keeps Facebook happy.
Even though video is obviously a winner, remember too, that are definite advantages to mixing up your posts. It is more likely that your fans will read your content if you keep up some variety. By all means post a lot of photos and videos, but mix it up with other post types to cater for all types of fans. Experiment with it!
Do you use any quick easy “rules” for posting and keeping up engagement, and what, if any analytics/insights do you refer to on Facebook?
Donna Moritz
