1. Further Tips for improving your Facebook
EdgeRank
In May we wrote a post on providing the top 5 tips on how to improve your brand’s Facebook
EdgeRank. However, with many brands still unsure of what exactly it is and how vital it can be we
have now outlined additional suggestions to boost your Facebook EdgeRank.
There are now more than 750 million Facebook users. 50% of these users log on to Facebook on any
given day and the average user has 130 friends. These statistics mean that it’s becoming increasingly
difficult for friends and brands to gain a place on users’ News Feeds.
Optimising your Facebook EdgeRank - the unique algorithm which decides what posts appear in your
Fans’ ‘Top News’ stream - is therefore becoming increasingly vital.
This algorithm ranks posts based on three main factors: affinity, weight and timing. The higher your
ranking for these factors, the more likely your posts will be visible on a Fan's 'Top News' feed.
Though there is no way to officially identify your EdgeRank score, using Facebook’s Insights tool is
vital in gaining an understanding of how you are doing and how well you are interacting with your
Fans. Insights can tell you how many active monthly users you have in relation to your overall likes.
This will give you a clear indication of how high your EdgeRank is.
To put it simply, EdgeRank is all about engagement. EdgeRank is weighted so activities that require
higher levels of user engagement get a higher score than those activities that don't. This means the
higher your engagement level with Fans, the higher your EdgeRank score will be.
Here are our Dos (and a Don’t) on how to increase engagement within Facebook and boost your
EdgeRank:
DO:
Run a poll or competition
A good competition or poll not only drives interest in your Page but also increases engagement.
They’re fun and actively ask users to interact with your content, increasing the number of ‘edges’ it
receives. By building up excitement as the competition comes to a climax you can really build an
engaged and receptive audience who are incentivised to interact with you.
Post videos
In our previous post on EdgeRank we recommended using rich media to stand out - but it’s a point
that bears repeating. Videos rank highly compared to other ‘objects’ such as status updates. Not
only this, when done correctly they are also easy to digest for the audience, are eye-catching on the
page and can succinctly get your message across in an entertaining way. If you create your own
videos this is a great opportunity to leverage already existing content you have on YouTube.
August 2011 www.agency2.co.uk 0207 775 5608

2. Ask questions
Another great tip is to phrase your Facebook post as a question. People generally won’t respond
unless they are invited to, so this is a highly effective way of increasing engagement on your
Facebook Wall. Social media is about conversations after all! What’s more, ask them questions that
are brand relevant and you can gain insights into how your brand can better meet your audience’s
needs.
Use links
Social media is all about sharing. Posting links to interesting and relevant content produces a
thumbnail for your post (helping it to standout) and also encourages people to click and share the
information. It drives traffic back to your site and social presences such as Twitter or Flickr. This
approach not only helps with EdgeRank for existing users but also increases visibility amongst non-
fans.
Reply to your fans
It’s important to remember that when you Post it doesn’t mean your work is done. If someone
responds to your Post take the opportunity to engage them in conversation. (This must be done in a
timely manner and you should only respond if you can add value). This helps to build up a
relationship and shows them that they are a valued member of your community. It’s also a virtuous
circle as it will encourage more people to engage with your Page – in turn increasing your EdgeRank.
And finally DON’T:
Autopost
Using tools like HootSuite and TweetDeck might seem efficient but it’s important to remember that,
when it comes to EdgeRank, manual posts have more weight than posts automated through apps.
Your audience can tell which posts are automated or have been specifically written for Twitter (e.g.
featuring hashtags) and which have been personalised – and for this reason autoposts do not
produce as much engagement. Autoposts also have a tendency to disappear from your Fans’ News
Feeds more quickly.
Why should you care about EdgeRank?
Optimising your EdgeRank means that your brand is found on your audience’s News Feed – and you
are part of an exclusive and trusted club. You are able to talk to your audience every day, build
greater engagement and you are ideally positioned to create deep, meaningful and long-lasting
relationships with them. Understanding the benefits of Facebook EdgeRank and implementing our
strategic insights can help create an engaged community, gain a trusted and receptive customer
base and, ultimately, maximise your ROI.
August 2011 www.agency2.co.uk 0207 775 5608