5 tactics to increase your visibility in Facebook’s Newsfeed

A Facebook Page Like does not equal people checking out your content each time you post

It’s getting harder to get your content noticed by fans – and with Facebook’s new Timeline, making sure people see your updates becomes even more challenging. Facebook ranks everything you post through a complex algorithm that you have no control over. It’s important to know how your content is being discovered and what drives engagement so that you can draw up a successful Facebook strategy.

People don’t normally come back to your Fanpage after they’ve clicked the Like button just to check out what you’ve posted – so your brand needs to remain a top-of-mind name through the content shown in their newsfeeds. Only 16% of Facebook fans actually see content that companies post organically on the social network. Put this on top of the fact that content receives most of the attention in the first hour or so after publication, and you’ll understand why a content strategy is necessary.

How does Facebook decide how well your content performs?

1. The type of content that drives the most interaction are PHOTOS. The main reason why this could be happening is the fact that Facebook doesn’t want you to leave the platform and would rather have all the action happen on their territory. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t post links or videos, it’s just that photos are a lot easier to understand and digest, therefore they catch more interest.

2. Updating your FB page using third party apps results in posts that are less visible than if you posted them manually. Also, automating your status updates is not desirable, since now updates from the same APIs get collapsed into a single story. Could this be a sign that Facebook doesn’t want you posting from social media management tools? If you use a management tool, chances are that you’re posting updates on multiple platforms at the same time or that you’re scheduling them – and that means less engagement on the platform itself.

3. Less is more: The frequency of your posts should be moderate, which means no flooding people’s newsfeeds with your updates every hour (nobody wants to be considered spammy), but at the same time you need to make sure you stay on their radar – so at least 2 or 3 posts per day should do the trick.  It’s probably even better if you get your fans used to a schedule, for example, starting every week with a “tips and tricks” type of material, or each day with a significant photo. Also, it seems like status updates perform better if they don’t contain more than 80 characters. Once again, quality trumps quantity, so make sure what you post is relevant to your followers.

4. Ask questions – it’s the most clear call to action you can find. Even fill in the blanks type of updates work, as long as you give people the chance to post simple answers.

5. It’s better to use full links instead of shortened ones. This tactic increases interaction, because it’s easier for users to see what the posted content is and they’ll be more likely to click on the link.

And remember – the more your content is shared, the more exposure time it gets, which increases your visibility in people’s newsfeeds. Fans mentioning your brand’s name are another great asset for your awareness level, especially since the new timeline displays these mentions in a highlighted box, making sure people know who of their friends have previously interacted with you.