Facebook’s recent edge rank algorithm update has hit many fan pages. Facebook marketing has got more complicated because of the fact that the reach of the fan pages have decreased significantly. According to a latest post on Just Ask Kim, in 2009/10 the fan reach was 20%, 2 years ago it was 16%, 8 months ago it was 12% and now for some it has gone down to a measly 3%.
Even though the reach of the fan pages have decreased, you still need to maintain atleast some presence on Facebook.
Images have higher Edge Rank
Everyone might not know this, but images have a higher edge rank on Facebook, then your normal updates with just a link. If you don’t believe me, use a image to post an update and use a link in the writing space, you will see that your updates will get significantly more reach.
Also, images have a higher psychological edge than normal links. They tend to appeal more to the viewers. An attractive image will have a higher CTR than just a simple link with a thumbnail.
Higher Engagement = Higher Edge Rank
Facebook edge rank has a very simple concept. Higher the engagement you have on your posts, higher your edge rank goes. The key to getting a higher engagement is to plan out your marketing strategy.
The strategy also has to include reaching as much as audience as you can to get the maximum social media exposure. Few months ago, I wrote a detailed guest post on how you can increase your social media exposure using some effective strategies. You can check that out to get some fair idea.
Make People Follow Your Page
Follow and Like are two different things on Facebook. If you like a page, you may not always get it’s updates depending on the relevancy of the content being shared. But if you follow a page, you will have a significantly higher chance of seeing the updates (in some cases all of them).
If you go to my Facebook profile, you will see that I have liked about 900 pages, though I receive updates only from a handful of pages ( mostly Mashable and Tech Crunch ).
You can verify this yourself using a little experiment. First go to your fan page, and unfollow the page if you’re following it.
Now after unfollowing it, share an update on that page and go over to your news feed. Do you see the update ? If you see it, it’s great ( but chances are you won’t ). Now go back to the page and follow it again. Share another update again and go to your news feed. Now you should see it.
So, now you need to think what happens on a fan’s news feed. If the same thing happens to your fans, then most of them never see your updates. It doesn’t matter how many fans you have. So, go to the developer section on Facebook and get yourself a Follow button and get yourself as many followers you can.
The same principle applies to profiles as well. Even if you’re not friends with someone, but following them will get you their updates on your news feed.
Use Facebook Page Insights Wisely
If you still haven’t checked out the new Facebook page insights, you should do it right this instant. It has been updated for a while now and it has loads of new features providing you with all the data that you need.
I have already covered how to use the details effectively in one of my previous posts. It includes how you can target geographically separated audience to eventually reach out to all of them.
Paid Reach
Facebook has made it clear that you won’t get much reach without paying money. On the other hand, it has reduced the cost of paying to get more reach. A few months ago, it was more expensive then it is now.
For example, for INR 310 (around $5) you can now reach anywhere between 5,600 to 15,000 people which is not bad. It used to be a lot more expensive ( at least in India, not sure about other countries ).
Conclusion
Facebook may have pulled the ropes for most new and intermediate marketers, but all hope is not lost. You can still get quite a bit of reach if you follow some clever strategies like I mentioned above.
What do you think about the recent Edge Rank algorithm update ? Join in on the conversation in the comment section below.
