WTF is Facebook? I

WTF is Facebook? (1)

50% of the US population

610 million global

30 billion interactions a month

If you don’t have a Facebook page, I strongly suggest you create one and spend an hour on the network, at the very least, chat with your family members who are using it. You’ll learn more by doing than from me telling.

How does it work?

Content spreads on social networks because people choose to interact with it. Facebook gives people lots of ways to interact with content; they can like it, share it, tag it, comment on it and every time they do it increases the likelihood that the content will spread.

News feeds & Edge Rank

When you log onto Facebook, the page you arrive at lists the latest interactions from yourself and your friends. This list is called a newsfeed. The default setting is to show your top newsfeed, this is the list of interactions that Facebook thinks is most relevant to you.

The algorithm Facebook uses to filter and curate your feeds is called Edge Rank. Edge Rank is shaped by a number of things but most critically by interaction – the more likes, shares, tags and comments, the higher the edge rank and the more likely it is a piece of content will appear in your news feed.

The Ideal World

You tell everyone you know about your new Facebook business page and ask them to like it. You publish your first piece of content and it appears in their newsfeed. People are interested in the information so they “like” it and “share” it with their friends and in doing so, introduce your content to other people who in turn “like” your Facebook page ensuring that your next piece of content appears in their newsfeeds.

The Reality

The vast majority of commercial content is of little interest to people; your first piece of content may appear in newsfeeds because it is new, but if people don’t interact with it not only will that content get buried, but your next piece of similar content will have a lower weighting.

The Very Minimum

Yes you should have a business Facebook page; it should be clean, professional with your contact details and a link back to your website. You should make it easy for people to connect with you through Facebook by adding appropriate buttons on your site and newsletters, however…

If you would like to discuss a Facebook strategy for your business, raise it with me in your next session or book one now.