Facebook recently revealed how its News Feed algorithm selects what content to show individual users. The visibility of your brand’s page depends heavily on the following:
- How often someone interacts with your page
- How many of the person’s friends have interacted with your posts
- How often the person has interacted with similar content in the past
- The type of posts the person has hidden in the past
Facebook also announced some new developments:
- Story bumping: Facebook used to display all unseen news stories on top of the News Feed. Now, it “bumps” older posts to the top if they are more relevant to users.
- Last actor: Facebook looks at the last 50 people a user interacted with and displays more of their content.
How can you help your content gain more visibility within this context? In a nutshell, be more engaging. Here are three tactics:
- Solicit feedback: Encourage comments by posing a question or asking for feedback from fans. People like being able to talk to a brand. Choose your questions thoughtfully, and listen and reply to what your fans say in response.
- Give people more of what they want: Use Facebook’s free analytics (here’s a cheat sheet) to determine which types of content elicit the most engagement from your fans. Then, provide more of that content. People tend to like and share photos and videos; long, text-heavy posts yield less engagement.
- Provide a clear call to action: If you want people to like or share your content, just ask! A simple “Share /Like this if you agree!” can go a long way in driving engagement and increasing brand visibility.
As new changes to Facebook continue to roll out, high-value content is the most important asset. Good content will share itself – increasing engagement and your brand’s News Feed presence.