Big Facebook Secret Revealed!

Ok ok, I might be exaggerating a bit with this title, because it's certainly not a secret. This is more of an addendum to my post about how a lot of Likes on a Page mean little if no one is engaging with the page. Did you know you can check basic stats on any Page?

If you ever want to see what sort of reach a Page has, click on the "Likes" section under the name of the page (I circled it all nice and clear for you in the photo). It shows you some basic insights of the page, including a graph of activity (bonus fun- hover the mouse over points on the graph). You don't have to be a page manager to see it! Just one more thing to distract you as you play on Facebook!

Remember, if your favorite pages aren't doing so great, you can help give them a boost just by liking, commenting, and sharing their posts a little more. The more you engage with a Page, the more of that Page's followers will see all of their great posts, and will encourage more of your friends to check out more Pages! I've found many a new page to like because of my other friends engaging. 

Now get out there and like something! As for me, I'm going to hunt around and see if I'm supposed to even use Page as a proper noun.

Thanks for reading! If you feel so inclined, you can follow my daily ramblings on Twitter, and get all sorts of information from my Facebook Page! See you around the interwebs! 

Posting Etiquette: What's Right And Wrong?

I read many posts about the correct way to post on Facebook and Twitter. I'm using these two as the example because they are the two most popular, but it really applies to other social media sites as well (Google+, LinkedIn, etc.). There are some things that those of us who manage sites are in agreement with, such as knowing your audience and knowing how each site works so that you can get your posts out there and seen in the best way possible.

One thing I vary on with my colleagues is auto-posting directly from Facebook to Twitter and vice-versa. I have read in several places it's considered a huge no-no. Business-killer. Makes you look like an amateur. I agree with this assessment, but only to a point. While I agree that you should not post as actively to Facebook as you do Twitter, in some cases it is ok to have updates automatically post from one place to another.

Facebook now allows you to choose the type of posts you would like to automatically go to Twitter. I keep mine at Photos, Video, Notes, and Events. Status Updates are definitely a no-no because you need to keep posts to less-than-10-a-day (some say 5, I say it depends on your business). There is also a different dialogue on Facebook versus Twitter. At times you will talk about the same things, but you have to present them differently. Not to mention if your all of your Facebook updates post automatically to Twitter, then you are never on Twitter (and again, vice-versa). How would you know if someone is responding to your posts, or trying to connect with you?

Links are are also bad to auto-post. On Facebook when you post or share a link, you can set up the link in your status with a comment. Most of the time that goes way over 140 characters (I always try and say a little something about the link I'm posting, rather than just share with no comment). When that link is automatically posted to Twitter, your words are cut off, and the link will go to whatever story or blog post you were talking about. It takes away from your message, and looks sloppy. It's better to make two separate posts.

Again, and I really can't stress this enough, you need to know your business, and more importantly your audience. For instance, if you are a photographer, it could be a good idea to have your photos automatically go to Twitter. I would hope in this case you are using Twitter for more than just a Facebook post dump. People are looking for different things on each site, and cross-posting can work if you use it smartly.

This post applies to Facebook Pages. I'm not a big fan of suggesting how to run your personal page, because that's YOUR playground. You do with it what you want, and your friends can decide if they want to see it or not. To me that is a completely different thing than promoting a brand.

Thanks for reading! If you feel so inclined, you can follow my daily ramblings on Twitter, and get all sorts of information from my Facebook Page! See you around the interwebs! 

Size Means Nothing If No One Sees It!

I see a lot of posts on Facebook pages patting themselves on the back for reaching milestone followers: 100, 1,000, 10,000, etc. When I first look at a Facebook page, I don't look at how many likes, but the number next to it. I want to see how many are talking about a page. What exactly does that mean? Well, here's how Facebook describes it:

People Talking About This: Number of people who have created a story about your page. Story is created when someone likes page; posts to wall; likes, comments, or shares page post; answers a question; mentions page; tags page in a photo; checks in at location or recommends.

Basically the point is this: A million people can like a page, but if no one is sharing or talking about the content, it doesn't matter. 

 Now don't get me wrong. Likes are a good thing, and they will increase stats- temporarily. It gives the page potential when people are interacting.  The more likes, the more people see content. If only 10 people like a page, then sure, if 5 are talking about it, that's a great percentage! Yes, having people like the page is very important.

Think about your News Feed for a minute. What are the things you see when scrolling? You see a mixture of posts from your friends, pages you follow, the same photo shared 10 times. What else? You see what friends comment on. You see what statuses friends like. You also see what PAGES friends like, as well as comments on pages. I've found many a page to like because of someone else liking it. 

Businesses- if you want more people to see your page, you have to create the content to make interaction possible. Sometimes a few "likes" are all you need to get that ball rolling. Encourage interaction. Ask questions, have a "call to action" in the post. People love photos and video. Links are less likely to be seen. Don't slam your page with posts, either. If you start going over 5 or 6 in a day, people might not like that in their feed. Then again, it all depends on your business and what you are posting.

It's important to know your audience. As you see, some pages have more talking about them than likes!

Casual Users- A simple "like" can go a long way. If you believe in a business, or want to support one, all you have to do is like a status occasionally. Leave a quick comment. Share something they have posted. You all ready know it doesn't take any time to do it. Now you also know that you could be helping that business increase their presence, and in turn helping them grow and become successful.

PS- all the pages here in my examples are great pages, and should be given a look- and a like. Look them up!

Thanks for reading! If you feel so inclined, you can follow my daily ramblings on Twitter, and get all sorts of information from my Facebook Page! See you around the interwebs!