Yesterday we talked about Facebook’s Edgerank and what it all means. In social media marketing and brand marketing, understanding how to reach your target audience is paramount, so understanding Facebook’s Edgerank should really be second to none. There are hundreds of marketing strategies to remember when marketing to that specific Facebook audience, but above all is taking advantage of Edgerank. So, now that you understand how it works, let’s take a look at how you can use it to your advantage.
Step One – Create an Accessible Facebook Page
Be inviting in everything that you do no Facebook. Remain positive at all times, and encourage interaction both between the brand and the audience, and between the audience themselves. Build your page with less professionalism and more fun…this is Facebook after all. Remember who you are targeting, who your audience is, what gender and how old they are, and build out some tabs just for them.
Create a welcome page that is, well, welcoming. It must have a strong call to action, which should be to Like that specific page, and it should be incredibly inviting. If you don’t have someone to simply maintain your Facebook Page, get someone. When Fans comment, ask questions, post on your wall, or simply Like something you’ve done, you need to respond immediately.
Step Two – Share, Share and Share Some More
Publish photos, video, news stories, blogs, jokes, quotes, polls and questions, and everything and anything regarding your brand. The only way to truly know how your audience is going to react to what you’re saying is if you say it. Keep things fresh, relevant, and always on the move. If you just sold a new product to an old customer, talk about it. If you received a new shipment of an old product, talk about it. Take pictures of the guys unloading the truck and your employees setting up the new product.
Don’t worry about going overboard with Facebook Posts in the beginning. Don’t post every 15 minutes and scare all of your Fans away, but do your best to stay relevant and fresh on their News Feed in the beginning. As we discussed this week, having a high EdgeRank is paramount, but in order to do that you’ll have to feel out your audience to understand what they want, what they interact with, and what topics work the best for generating engagement.
Step Three – Offer Incentives, Then Take Advantage of The Moment
Contests are a wonderful way to offer Facebook Fans an incentive to share your page with others, thus generating more Fans. The key with contests is offering what your audience wants. If you own a wedding venue and offer free oil changes for the winner of a contest, your contest might not go over so well. However, if you’re an OB GYN and offer a few hundred bucks to a local baby boutique, you might strike it rich with new Facebook engagement.
However, having a contest is one thing, solidifying your EdgeRank while that contest is running is another, and in truth far more important than the contest itself. When running a contest, most Facebook marketing firms will sit back, relax and watch the engagement numbers go up. Many fail to capitalize on the moment, when things are hot, the target audience is talking, and everyone is interested in what your brand has to say. If you sit back and watch them roll in, you are losing an amazing opportunity.
During the contest, post photos regarding the contest, post status updates encouraging interactions as well as contest updates. Persuade Fans to stay involved every single day of the contest. You see, when it comes to Facebook contests Fans usually vote once, maybe comment once, and go on with their Facebook lives. This is not increasing engagement and will not likely increase your Edgerank on that specific person’s News Feed.
However, if you can capitalize on that very moment when everyone is looking to your page and get those voters and new Fans to stay engaged, Like more and more posts, and comment on your shares, you are increasing your Edgerank with each and every new Fan and thus you are increasing the odds that once the contest is over you will remain high in their News Feed.
Why do you want to maintain a high Edgerank for each of your Fans? Because the more that you can stay relevant and in their New Feed, the more they will see your new products, your new stores, and your brand message and the more likely they will become a brand advocate.
Interested in getting more information and ideas for increasing your Edgerank? Talk to us today.