A great blog I follow (InsideFacebook) had a post the other day on some of the questions marketing folks are asking. It dove into how to get a Fan Page’s posts seen, and other things.

It’s a good read. If you have time, check it out here:

http://www.insidefacebook.com/2012/11/08/news-feed-edgerank-and-page-posts-whats-really-going-on-with-facebook/

But Here’s a quick summary:

EdgeRank is a tool Facebook uses to try to figure out what it should show users.
Marketers get upset when their posts don’t get seen by their fans.
But without EdgeRank, it would be worse.

How does EdgeRank work? It looks at past behavior of the user, and their friends, and tries to give them more of what they probably want. (And perhaps less of what the marketers want them to see).

Other reasons fewer posts are getting viewed include: more posts by others, people using a new “hide” feature or creating Interest Lists, ongoing updates to the EdgeRank algorithm and the sheer luck it takes to post at the same time your fans are using Facebook (and much more.)

Some feel the new “Promoted Posts” feature means Facebook is showing your fans fewer updates in order to make you feel you need to pay to promote your post. Facebook says this isn’t true. Others tend to agree.

So what can be done to get those fans you worked so hard for to see your posts? Inside Facebook recommends, your posts “be as interesting and engaging as possible. Before making a post, admins should consider, “Would I want to see something like this in my feed?”

Adding photos is another good thing to try.

And you might educate your fans that there is a tool called the “Interest List” and “Get Notifications” that can help them see your stuff if they really want to.

One last thought: What InsideFacebook doesn’t mention in their blog post, but I will point out, is that Facebook is just one tool for communicating with your customers and prospects. Getting them to opt-in to a more direct communication tool, such as an email newsletter or text message alert system, can really help you stay in touch with your most passionate fans.

-Andy

I recently posted about the fall from grace of using the plus sign operator in Google searches (you have you use quotes now). I thought it had something to do with Google’s new social network (OK, not that new) called Google+.

So this news of Google Now allows Business Pages on Google+ is not only important, but also explains the mystery.

Similar to the way Facebook and Yahoo use the @ sign to designate and link to fellow users and business page, Google is now using the + sign. So a mention of +andy commons would link it up to my personal profile.

As for business pages, there is a lot yet to learn. But I’d recommend business at least claim their page, and link it up to their website. It’s a super easy, and could save you hassle of trying to fight for it later.
Here’s a good article at Mashable on how to create a Google+ business page.

As always, I’ll try to stay up to speed on all this, and I’m always available if you have questions.