Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, businesses, educators, journalists, marketing professionals, Facebook administrators.

Facebook recently updated its news feed algorithm to feature organic content that’s more relevant to each user.

The news feed is where the vast majority of the action happens. So your organization should take steps to make sure you’re showing up in the new feeds of your fans.

Some of the factors that Facebook is using to decide which posts to display include:

• Content that is timely and relevant
• Content from a source the user trusts
• Content the user is likely to recommend to her friends
• Content that isn’t trying to game the news feed (for example, asking for people to like the content)
• Content the user wouldn’t view as a low-quality meme
• Content the user wouldn’t complain about seeing

Based on these criteria, Facebook built what it says is “a new system to detect content defined as high quality” using factors such as:

• The completeness of the page’s About tab
• How much the page fan base overlaps with the fan base of other high-quality pages

What does this mean for your organization’s Facebook account?

Facebook is trying to display more high-quality content from reputable Facebook pages and filter out content from pages seeking to game the news feed.

This change in the news feed means going back to square one and asking yourself:

• Is this content relevant to the cause?
• Is this content timely, useful and interesting to our community?
• Would our community share this content with their friends?

The bottom line here is that there is no trick to getting ahead in Facebook’s news feed other than truly serving your community with valuable content. I think this will always be the case regardless of how much Facebook changes the news feed algorithm.

What do you think?

Related on Socialbrite

• 5 ways to dominate Facebook’s new news feed

• 15 ways to enhance your Facebook influence

• How nonprofits can take charge of Facebook’s news feed

• 13 ways to boost your Facebook Page reach

The post Facebook tweaks news feed to spotlight more quality content appeared first on Socialbrite.

Target audience: Nonprofits, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, cause organizations, brands, businesses, Web publishers, educators, journalists, general public.

The new Facebook page Timeline layout changes the way your organization needs to think about content.

Previously, a Facebook Page content strategy was primarily focused on two things:

• Custom tabs – The the content strategy for Welcome pages (custom landing tabs) focused on engaging visitors with a clear call to action in mind. For example, Welcome pages encourage users to join and or share a fundraising campaign. They were also used as a way to convert Facebook fans to join your list or otherwise engage with your organization.

• The news feed – The content strategy for the news feed focused on engaging Facebook fans in the hopes that greater awareness would be spread through virality. For example, you’d post a photo and a fan would like it, which automatically posts an update on their news feed for their friends to see.

The news feed hasn’t changed, and so to some degree your content strategy is still about what’s happening now. But Facebook Pages now make it about the past, present and future as well!

Here are 11 things to consider in your new Facebook content strategy:

1Your second website – The Timeline allows visitors to your page to interact with a story that has a beginning, a middle and a now. Facebook users can flip through the pages in your story in a variety of ways (as shown below).

Now don’t get me wrong – the news feed is and will be where all the action is. But Facebook users will soon start seeing your Facebook Page in the same way they see your website. They’ll visit to see what’s new, what’s important, and what their friends care about.

2Tell a story in your cover image – Think of your cover image as taking the place of the default landing tab (more on that below). The purpose of your cover image is to create a powerful first impression that will convert.

Beth Kanter has put together an amazing collection of orgs that are using cover images effectively.

Rotate your cover image. You can keep fans interested by frequently rotating your cover image, communicating freshness, spontaneity and dynamism around your brand.

3Soft sell – Facebook says that your cover image should not be used for calls to action like “Donate now” or “Sign our email list.” You also can’t include any contact information like URLs, or reference any features on your Facebook page such as the Like button.

4Simplify your profile picture – The new profile picture (aka avatar) is now 180 pixels square. This means that you can no longer include a call to action (as some organizations did previously).

Because this image will be as small as 30 pixels square, it’s best to use only your logo. You don’t need to include the name of your organization in your main avatar because the name of your Facebook page travels with your avatar everywhere on Facebook.

5Complete your About section – The About section has more prominence just below the cover image. This will include your address and contact information if you have a Facebook place, or just a brief description if you have a Facebook page (as shown below).

6Create milestones – Up until now, anything posted on the Facebook page was automatically tagged with the date it was posted. Milestones allow you to select any date in the past.

The picture for Milestones can be up to 843 pixels by 403 pixels.

7Direct attention with highlights and pins – Up until now Facebook administrators had little control over how posts were displayed on their page. and visitors to that page would see updates in either reverse chronological order or in an order determined by Facebook’s EdgeRank.

Pages now allow you to control feature specific posts on your page through highlighting or pinning. Highlighting turns any page story – which normally occupies a single column – into a full-width story (as shown below). This is perfect for large horizontal photos (dimensions for highlighted photos are 846 by 403 pixels).

Pinning allows you to give any page story more attention by moving any page story to the top of your Facebook page. When you pin something on your page, it remains at the top of your Timeline for seven days, or until you unpin it, so it’s a good idea to think about what you want to feature at the top of your page each week (shown below).

8Focus on photos – Again, Facebook Pages are now much more about your visual story told over time, rather than what’s happening now. As much as possible, it’s best to focus on telling that story through images and other visual content. Think Pinterest.

9No default tabs – You’ve probably heard by now that Facebook pages will no longer have the ability to set a default tab for nonfans. Default tabs in the past were primarily used as a way to increase fan conversion rates on a page. Now you’ll have to do that with your cover image, highlights and other ways to make that first impression.

10No hard-sell messaging – Facebook pages also have a messaging feature that allows visitors to send you a private message. It may be really tempting to sell them on why they should donate or volunteer, but it’s better to use these opportunities to nurture a relationship on their terms. Keep in mind, they are messaging you – not the other way around. Also, you are limited to two messages for every one they receive.

11Not about you – At first glance you might assume that the story you’re supposed to tell is your organization’s story. But this may not be an interesting story, nor is it the real story. The story you must tell has to be bigger than you. It has to be about the cause. It has to be about your community.

Share your Facebook Page

Post a link to your Facebook Page in the comments below so we can all see!

Also, check out this video tutorial on everything you need to know about converting your Page over to the new Timeline.

How are you using the new Timeline features?

Related

• What Facebook Timeline apps are really all about (Socialbrite)

• Facebook Timeline apps: A new way to engage (Socialbrite)

• Why Timeline is a colossal blunder for Facebook (Socialmedia.biz)

The post 11 ways Facebook Timeline changes your content strategy appeared first on Socialbrite.

5 tips to help you take advantage of Facebook’s twin feeds

Target audience: Nonprofits, NGOs, cause organizations, social enterprises, brands, social media managers, Web publishers, individuals.

Facebook’s enhanced News Feed and Ticker has changed the engagement game for Facebook Page admins. And those who know the rules of the game will be able to get more results simply by shifting strategy.

Facebook now has two News Feeds

Facebook users now have two News Feeds in one — the Ticker and the main News Feed (see image above).

The main News Feed is similar to what we’ve been used to, but “Top Stories” and “Recent” stories are more prevalent. The “Ticker” on the right is a Twitter-like feed of stories published by a user’s Facebook friends. These News Feeds present content in very different ways:

• The Main News Feed – This includes stories by friends and Pages you’ve liked. “Recent” is simply posts in reverse chronological order. What appears in “Top Stories” is entirely determined by Edgerank.

• The Ticker – This includes only stories by friends. Your Page only gets exposure if a user is “Talking About” your Page.

How the two News Feeds impact Facebook Pages

According to EdgeRank Checker, soon after Facebook tweaked the News Feed, impressions (the number of times a story is displayed throughout Facebook) were down 25%, but likes and comments were up by 9% and 21% respectively.

This makes sense because when a user engages with your Facebook Page, the Ticker pushes it to all of their friends. Likes and comments can also increase if users see your Page story in their main News Feed.

How to shift your strategy

There are at least five ways you can tweak your current Facebook Page strategy to take advantage of the new News Feed:

1. Increase your post frequency. To make up for the overall decrease in impressions, post more frequently. Make sure you use Insights to determine how many posts per day work best for your Page.
2. Create even more engaging content. Posts that have a high EdgeRank will now remain in the News Feed longer.

1. Get fans to stay connected. Deepen and broaden your relationships with fans so that they share your Page content consistently. You can do this by rewarding fans or using a content calendar.
2. Push engagement with other channels. Use your email list or Twitter to drive engagement on specific posts.
3. Get more airtime with Facebook Sponsored Story ads. You can create an ad featuring one of your Page stories to get you even more attention near the News Feed (ads are displayed right below the ticker).

How have you changed your Facebook Page strategy?

The post What Facebook’s hybrid News Feed means for engagement appeared first on Socialbrite.

It’s the heart & soul of Facebook — and few people understand it

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, NGOs, government agencies, educators, Web publishers, journalists, individuals. Also see Part 2: 15 ways to increase your Facebook stature

Over the years, Facebook has become a central part of our online social presence — for nonprofits, organizations and our personal brands.

So why do so many nonprofits and organizations know so little about how the heart and soul of Facebook actually works? I’m referring to the Facebook News Feed, featured in a Chevy Cruze commercial in the second quarter of yesterday’s Super Bowl.

In this series, we’ll offer tips on how to use Facebook much more effectively as a professional by taking charge of your News Feed. We’ll dissect Facebook’s secret sauce, called EdgeRank, to help you build authority with the right touch, tools and tactics. And we’ll give you tips on how to expand your organization’s reach and influence on Facebook.

How Facebook’s news feeds work

Facebook is far more than a social network: It’s also a personalized news network powered by a highly dynamic engine that’s personalized, relevant and timely. The crown jewel of this dynamic landscape is the News Feed. The News Feed consists of the content continually fed into the center column of your home page from people and Pages you follow on Facebook. You’ll see status updates, photos, photo tags, videos, friend requests, event RSVPs and group memberships.

Facebook’s news feeds have evolved significantly since the first one was introduced in 2006. With close to 600 million members, Facebook handles billions of individualized feeds — an impressive feat of engineering, if you to stop to think about it. Some members may not realize it, but the news stream you typically see on your page displays only a small portion of the updates posted by your Facebook friends.

Your News Feed comes in two flavors:

• Top News contains what Facebook calls “the most interesting content that your friends are posting.” This filtered feed is the default view on Facebook (until you change it), and Facebook said in late 2010 that more than 95 percent of its nearly 600 million members using the Web interface see the site through this prism. (This figure doesn’t count members using mobile apps and third-party apps.)

• Most Recent shows you “all the actions your friends are making in real-time,” Facebook says (though that’s not literally true, as we’ll see below). On Dec. 22, with little fanfare, Facebook updated the Most Recent feed, giving you more filter options, including just photos, just updates from Pages, and posts from the Friend Lists you create. Pretty cool! Behold:

If you’d prefer to see Most Recent as your default, you can scroll down to the very bottom of your Top News or Most Recent page, click Edit Options, and select: Show posts from: All of your friends and pages. (See this Help page for more details.)

You can also choose to hide certain kinds of applications — if you hate quizzes, you can banish quiz apps from your feed — or you can hide posts from selected individuals or Pages. This can come in handy if you have a garrulous buddy you don’t want to defriend or a brand that you’ve changed your mind about. Roll over the X at the right of any post and you’ll see options, which are different for Pages and friends:

A few things to note about the Most Recent feed:

• If you use the Facebook for iPhone or Facebook for Android app, this is the feed you see — the Live Feed gusher, not the filtered Top News feed.

• Does your Most Recent feed contain absolutely all of your friends’ updates? Well, it probably contains 98 percent of them. At the Daily Beast, Tom Weber conducted an experiment and found that updates, links, photos and videos posted by a Facebook newcomer did not appear in some of his friends’ Most Recent feeds. And others have noticed that the Most Recent feed doesn’t contain a few of the updates you see in the unfiltered Live Feed on your mobile device or a third-party app using an API like TweetDeck or Hootsuite. Try it — it’s an interesting experiment!

• I should also mention that an update by a Facebook Group — as opposed to a Facebook Page or personal Profile — does not appear in either anyone’s Most Recent or Top News feeds. Groups may contact their members via in-box messaging up to a maximum of 5,000 members, which Pages cannot do. But today it’s almost always better for a brand to create a Page, rather than a Group, to maximize visibility within the News Feed.

You may also want to check the settings found by clicking on the “Edit Options” button of your Most Recent feed at the top or bottom of the page.

Fine-tuning your Top News feed

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. We don’t recommend turning your Top News into a Most Recent firehose. The idea behind Top News is this: You want to see news from the Facebook members, brands or causes that matter most to you. And we agree: You want to be selective about who to devote your attention to, especially if you have hundreds or thousands of friends and follow scores of Pages. Your time is valuable, right?

So you need to teach Facebook’s Top News feed how to behave. And you want to set up lists for more targeted updates, which we’ll cover in part 2.

What makes it into your Top News stream? Facebook uses a formula called EdgeRank, which takes into account just three factors:

• Affinity: The more often you engage with content by a person or Page over time, the higher your affinity will be for that content creator.
• Weight: As posts are commented on, liked and shared by other Facebook users and their networks, their overall weight increases, even if you’re not connected with those users. A posting with 10 comments and 15 Likes carries a greater weight than one with no comments or Likes. Not all interactions are equal. A comment probably counts more than a Like does.
• Timeliness: The more recent the post, the higher it ranks. As time goes by, its value decreases.

Top News will show you hours-old updates from some friends while ignoring newer posts from others. You probably wonder which of your friends see which of your posts. It comes down to this: A high EdgeRank leads to visibility while a low EdgeRank leads to obscurity.

New tool: The EdgeRank Checker app

Last week social media strategist Mari Smith wrote about a new tool that measures your Facebook Page’s EdgeRank score. If you have a Facebook Page, EdgeRank Checker — pictured at top — steps you through the process of determining how effective your Page is in reaching your followers. No download necessary.

Here’s how it works. Just log in as an administrator, go to your Insights page and select the Page you want to check (image above). Choose a date range, click the Export button and be sure to tab over to select CSV (not Excel). Then upload the CSV file to EdgeRank Checker and it spits out your score in a few seconds. The resulting page will show what your score means. Facebook expert Chad Wittman, founder of social media management firm SBN, created the tool. There’s also a fan engagement checker at Fangager.com – enter your Page username to get a full summary (hat tip to Brian Solis).

The exact way EdgeRank works is part of Facebook’s secret sauce, but we’ll explore how to increase affinity and weight — that is, how to enhance your influence and visibility — in part 2 of this series.

Thanks to Bryan Person of Liveworld for fact-checking and editing this series. Cross-posted to Socialmedia.biz.

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