Get More Interaction on Facebook with 3 Tips for Quality Posts

I t seems Facebook is at it again! It used to have PageRank, which in turn became EdgeRank. These algorithms were designed to manage the flow of bandwidth, by deciding who gets to see your posts. In other words, if you interact with someone (a like, comment or share), it assumes it is important to your friend and you that each see the other’s posts. Which is why interaction in social media is crucial; it increases who sees your messages.

A person only reads or views 57% of the items on his or her news feed, on average. So if you could increase this to 70%, it would be a huge boon for your business. After all, it’s a numbers game; the more who see your message, the greater chance of a sale.

Facebook News feed

Facebook’s new News Feed Algorithm removed the “time” factor from a post, making quality the controlling factor. Quality is judged by affinity and weight. Affinity is how your public interacts with you: Do they just “like” your posts? Do they comment on it and/or share it on their own wall, or a combination of these? Weight is how many interactions you get and what kind: how many likes, shares and/or comments a post receives. A share is heavier than a comment, a comment is heavier than a like and a like is the lightest of all.

This has increased interactions from 57% to 70%! That’s a 24% jump. How? If someone likes your post and interacts with it, even if it was posted last month, it will rise to the top of your news feed again – giving those who may have missed it the opportunity to see it.

What does this mean for you? It means quality posts will have a much longer tail and deliver higher returns. The problem is many don’t know how to dissect what’s a quality post. There are three basic things to consider:

The headline and image
The experience
The content

Let’s look at these…

The Headline and Image

David Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy and Mather, once said, “If I had nine days to work on an ad, I’d spend eight days on the headline and one day on the ad.” Why? The headline is the most important! If it does not smack readers between the eyes and catches their attention, they will not bother to proceed. And with today’s more visual world, the image has to POP with impact! The combination of these two will draw a person to click on it, arrive at your website/blog and read or view what you have to share. So make sure you think your headline through and use images with impact. Test them on a small group of friends and associates for feedback.

The Experience

Steve Jobs was right when he said Apple had to control the experience from begin to end. You see, while content is king (the message), if the experience is lackluster, the content most likely will not be read. So when a visitor clicks on your link and arrives at your website, it needs to be a high-quality, soothing and inviting, well-thought out website. It should make them think, “This is a REALLY NICE website!” The colors are right (blue means trust and integrity, brown means commitment, red means passion, green means health and money, etc.), the images are powerful and evoke an emotional response, the text is laid out friendly and easy to read – in short, the overall experience is welcoming. Now they will be willing to read what you have to say, possibly subscribe to your blog and even consider buying something.

The Content

Now the most important part enters the equation: the content. This is where no shortcuts are taken. It has to be written well for grammar, voice and attitude. It must inform, entertain and help. Written well, it will move one to action and make them want to share your content. However, if the previous two are not done properly, your message will never be delivered.

So take the time to do a quality check on what you’ve been posting. Ask yourself, “If I didn’t know my company or me, would I want to read my posts?” If not, why not? Is your website everything it could be? Is it well designed from a user’s and marketing standpoint? Is your content compelling and engaging? If so, you’re doing well; if not, then fix the areas that are lacking.

Facebook is just a channel for you to find your audience; you still need to attract it! With all the noise on social media, how will your message rise above the competition? And make no mistake about it, whether someone is posting for business or pleasure, it competes for the time and attention of your public. If you become known for quality, your posts will always command attention. When they do, you will see them resurrect over and over again, reaching deeper into the long tail of Facebook and increasing the visitors to your website. Can I get a LIKE for that?

Author
Recent Posts

Follow Eddie

Eddie Velez

CEO and Founder at Success by Design

Eddie Velez is a marketing professional, designer and author. He has contributed to many portals like "Media Connections," "The 5 Minute Business Mind" and others. He has also contributed the chapter on the Internet and Websites for "Secrets of Successful Inventing: Sixteen Experts Spill the Beans." Eddie writes on many topics and has been a ghost writer and editor for authors and consultants. If you want Eddie Velez to contribute to your business content, portal or blog, contact him to discuss your particular needs.

Follow Eddie