1. Integrated Solutions. Measurable Results.
October 4, 2011
360i POV on the New Facebook Insights
Overview
Facebook has launched a new set of metrics as part of their F8 release, in which
engagement is meant to be the focal point of brand activity on the platform. This
latest 360i report highlights the new metrics now available to page administrators,
as well as their implications for marketers.
Friends of Fans
What it is:
In addition to “Total Likes,” which was previously the only metric Facebook provided to gauge a Page’s
reach, the new Insights will aggregate “Friends of Fans.” This is another raw number, calculated by
multiplying a Page’s number of Facebook fans by how many friends they have, excluding overlap.
Implications:
The focus on sharing creates a shift in which reach becomes a function of interaction. Word of mouth
marketing becomes more important than ever, as the update places increased emphasis on the ability
to influence “Friends of Fans” through compelling content and active engagement. Brands should
consider the shareability of their posts when evaluating content calendars.
“People Talking About This”
What it is:
The “People Talking About This” score – the actual name is yet to be determined, says Facebook – is a
raw number (not a percentage) that adds up various engagement types that a brand post generates
for over a one-week period. It includes:
• Likes and comments on brand posts
• Wall posts
• Shares
• Number of Facebook user comments involving the brand
• RVSPs to events
• Text and photo tags
• Facebook Places check-ins and Deals-related activity
• Answers to Questions
This number will be public and visible to all visitors of a page – fans and non-fans.
Implications:
Marketers and users will begin looking at the "People Talking About This" score the way they do the
"Likes" tally. This number, however, might still be relative to size as a large engaged community will
drive a stronger “People Talking About This” score than smaller ones.
According to Facebook product manager David Baser, marketers and consumers will develop
expectations on what that number should look like for brands. “A brand’s business objective will help
NEW YORK | ATLANTA | CHICAGO | SAN FRANCISCO | info@360i.com | 888.360.9630
© 2011 360i LLC. All Rights Reserved

2. Integrated Solutions. Measurable Results.
October 4, 2011
360i POV on the New Facebook Insights
define what the appropriate level is for their page” (quote via Click-Z).
The fact that the score includes Wall posts allows brands to measure user-to-user conversation
generated by the brand's own presence on the platform. Facebook becomes closer to being a real
community as it now encourages branded conversation even in the brand’s absence, moving away
from its old “Big Brother” model.
Virality Metric
What it is:
The new virality metric uses a percentage to quantify how effective a post performed when it comes to
word of mouth. Facebook calculates the figure by dividing the number of people "Talking About This"
by the actual number of people who viewed the post.
This new metric can be seen as an updated version of the Feedback Score, which previously took into
account the volume of Likes and comments on a brand’s post, thus ignoring organic conversation.
Implications:
This new score helps community managers focus on what really matters: organic conversation. Brands
will now be able to measure engagement beyond the response to messages they publish.
By looking at the Virality Score, a marketer can quickly gauge the emotional connection between the
general public and is/her brand. A high Virality Score will signify a healthy, well-rounded brand
conversation overall in the broader population, not only a good response to a series of Wall posts
within a walled garden.
Page Posts
Additionally, within the new Insights tab, page administrators will be able to view their 500 most
recent posts and observe the performance of each across four key metrics:
1. Reach: The total number of Facebook users exposed to a brand's content, including earned and
paid impressions
2. Engaged Users: The number of users (not just fans) who interacted with a post, including
click-throughs and photo or video views
3. Talking About This: The number of users who took deeper action by liking, commenting or
sharing a post
4. Virality: The effectiveness metric in which "Talking About This" is divided by "Reach"
Implications:
Facebook says the new metrics are designed to help marketers better understand the drivers of the
distribution of their page posts. This means that marketers can now spend more time engaging, and
less time reporting. The transparency of the new Insights tools will allow marketers to reallocate time
from calculating compound metrics (in order to understand) post effectiveness to content optimization.
NEW YORK | ATLANTA | CHICAGO | SAN FRANCISCO | info@360i.com | 888.360.9630
© 2011 360i LLC. All Rights Reserved

3. Integrated Solutions. Measurable Results.
October 4, 2011
360i POV on the New Facebook Insights
Next Steps for Marketers
These changes are substantial and they will dramatically influence the way community managers
approach page management moving forward. Here are some action items to consider in light of the
updates:
• Redefine key interactions as everything that helps increase the “People Talking About This”
(PTAT) score.
o Consider engagement and interactions beyond likes and comments. In developing new
content calendars, marketers should consider all factors that get people talking about
their brands as clicks, shares and Wall posts will help increase a brand’s reach.
o Start reporting on overall interactions rather than simply likes and comments, to reflect a
more holistic approach to conversation
• In reporting, be aware of the missing qualitative aspect of the PTAT score. For example, a quick
or strong increase might not necessarily be positive, and regular qualitative analysis might be
necessary to verify the sentiment of the buzz.
NEW YORK | ATLANTA | CHICAGO | SAN FRANCISCO | info@360i.com | 888.360.9630
© 2011 360i LLC. All Rights Reserved

4. Integrated Solutions. Measurable Results.
October 4, 2011
360i POV on the New Facebook Insights
• As one-to-one messaging becomes more and more important, this strategy can be further
amplified depending on the depth of your audience’s network
• Marketers still shouldn’t underestimate the importance of size, but should start investigating
new benchmarks for reach versus size before setting goals.
• Expect more changes: as Facebook starts experimenting with these new Insights, marketers
should expect to see more updates in the coming months.
Next Steps
Contact your 360i strategic advisor to learn more about the new Facebook Insights and how the
changes might stand to affect your current Facebook program.
About 360i
360i is an award-winning digital marketing agency that drives results for Fortune 500 marketers
through insights, ideas and technologies. 360i helps its clients think differently about their online
presence and evolve their strategies to take advantage of the new world of marketing communications
– one where brands and consumers engage in interactive and multi-directional conversations. In 2010,
Ad Age named 360i to its prestigious Agency A-List. Current clients include Oreo, jcpenney, Coca-Cola,
Bravo and Diageo, among others. For more information, please visit blog.360i.com or follow us on
Twitter @360i.
NEW YORK | ATLANTA | CHICAGO | SAN FRANCISCO | info@360i.com | 888.360.9630
© 2011 360i LLC. All Rights Reserved