1. Know Your Audience
Study your fans to know what content they want, when they want it and the
form in which they want it. Chad Wittman, founder of EdgeRank Checker, a site
that helps brands better understand EdgeRank, suggests that brands should
evaluate their fans’ historical consumption patterns. “Dive into Facebook
Insights as much as possible,” says Wittman. “Are your fans consuming content
at work, on a mobile device or only responding to video? Do they prefer one or
two posts per day?”
Catering specifically to your audience will result in more engagement and
increase your chance of appearing in a fan's News Feed.
2. Practice Brevity, Be Topical and Don’t Play Hard to Get
Elisabeth Diana, of Facebook, stresses the effectiveness of succinct
posts. Studies show that lengthy Facebook content goes unread and discourages
action on the part of the user. Brief, easily digestible posts make it easier
for users to consume and interact.
Diana and Wittman agree that timely posts increase fan excitement,
generate spikes in engagement and allow for further reach. Keep an eye out for
relevant current events and don't forget to post about holidays if they're
consistent with your brand voice. Fans want to engage — sometimes they just
need an invitation.
Don’t be coy with your call-to-action. Be clear and blatantly tell your
fans to “like,” comment or share your post. You’ll be surprised what can you
get if you just ask. These actions generate reach, since they'll end up in
their friends' news feeds.
3. Mind Your Content
It’s still true that no matter what you try, quality content is the most
important factor to expand Facebook reach. Provide your fans with valuable
content to properly enable your posts to go further. When it comes to format,
photos are the most engaging form of content that brands can post. Eye-catching
and easy-to-consume photos are also weighed more heavily by Facebook when
determining EdgeRank.
Asking questions of your fans is a great way to encourage comments and
keep your post visible. Research by Buddy Media shows that employing the words
“where,” “when,” “would” and “should” increases engagement. Posts that include
“would” consistently yield the greatest interaction because they allow fans to
agree through a simple “like” rather than writing a comment.
Victoria Ransom, founder and CEO of Wildfire, notes that some of the most
sharable content are “personality” apps, including quizzes, trivia and “pick
your favorites.”
"All these applications serve to shine a spotlight on a user’s
persona," Ransom says. "These apps allow the user to broadcast to his
friend’s elements of his personality, his trendsetter nature, his style and
aptitude. And it turns out, users really enjoy doing that!”
4. Engage the Engagement
Fans love to know their favorite brands are listening, and many social
media managers often overlook this. Answer questions asked in the comments
section or simply say, “Thanks!” Be sure to tag the fan in your response so
he's notified of the special attention. The fan will often “like” your comment,
thus continuing the conversation and further boosting your visibility.
5. Turn Your Fans’ Friends into Fans
Facebook Insights provides administrators with the "Friends of Fans"
metric, telling admins just how many people they can potentially reach
organically. Friends of fans are extremely important — they are more likely to
visit a brand’s Facebook Page or website, purchase a brand’s products and
become fans themselves. Organically, these Facebook fans can easily be reached
through the Facebook Ticker, which tracks all user activity. Keep your fans
interacting with your brand, and their friends will see all "liking"
activity, comments and posts in the top right of their news feed.
Now, for a not-so-organic tactic: Facebook Ads. With Facebook Ads, you
can specifically target just your fans’ friends and leverage their
relationship. Facebook Ads are not just a way to reach your fans’ friends, but
also your competitor’s fans and your own fans.
General Motors recently pulled $10 million dollars in Facebook Ads, and
EdgeRankChecker’s Wittman notes that Facebook Ads are to be used to amplify
your free content and should be a complementary, not primary, way to
communicate with more of your fans. Ransom agrees, “In order to significantly
extend reach and watch your messaging and branded content spread to 90% of your
fan base and beyond it, an investment in Facebook advertising is necessary.”