6 ways to improve your Facebook EdgeRank

Last week I described what makes up Facebook’s EdgeRank in plain, simple English – and I explained why it is so critical to work within the algorithm in order to get your content seen by your fans.

This week I provide you with 6 ways to improve your EdgeRank and get seen by more of your Facebook fans.

6 ways to improve your Facebook EdgeRank  

1) Add photos to each post. 

HubSpot’s Dan Zarrella conducted a study where he tracked and analyzed more than 1.3 million posts from the 10,000 most-Liked Facebook Pages, and he found that photos work best on Facebook. (It is called “Face”book after all.)

Text and video get the next highest level of engagement.

Remember, engagement gets your content a longer shelf life in the News Feed, and thus, more eyeballs and attention.

2) Post at the right time of day.

Buddymedia published a study where they discovered a 20% higher rate of engagement on posts published in the mornings and evenings.

Dan Zarella’s study found that content posted later in the day (EST) got more likes and shares – peaking around 8 PM.

Link shortening/tracking company bit.ly claims that the optimal posting times are 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM, with Wednesday at 3:00 PM being the optimal time (to post a link).

Of course, you should always use your own Page’s Facebook Insights to determine when your Facebook Fans are looking at and interacting with your posts.

For example, if your target audience is teenagers or teachers, you may not want to post when they are in school.

Consider the “decay” factor – the longer a post is up the more it decays and the less likely it is to be seen. Optimize your posting schedule to get the most engagement.

3) Ask for interaction.

Ask people questions, but don’t make people think about their answers.

Think about how people consume Facebook – while watching TV, while waiting in line, while doing work.

Make it absurdly easy for them to interact with your content.

Questions that work:

• Fill in the blank – “My favorite back-to-school memory was when____________.”
• Like if you agree!
• Comment if you disagree!
• Share please!
• Yes or No questions

You can always test and measure your Facebook Insights to see if posts with a call to action get more engagement.

4) Think outside the work week.

Post on Saturdays and Sundays, when there is less noise on Facebook.

However, less noise may mean less of your fans are on Facebook, so you need to measure, track and improve. Rinse and repeat.

5) Be relevant.

People go on Facebook to see what the world is talking about. They go on Facebook to have fun, to interact with friends and family – all in real time.

My entire Facebook News Feed this past Sunday was filled with chatter about the new football season starting. 3 out of 5 posts were in some way referencing the Patriots!

Make sure to keep your pulse on what people are interested in, talking about and thinking about – insert your commentary or ask people for theirs.

Topical posts include holidays, current events, fun/weird facts and items of interest to your online community (National Grandparents Day, etc.)

6) When in doubt, post a graphic.

Graphics featuring inspirational quotes are fantastic for injecting some energy into a stale Facebook Page.

You can find them on Pinterest, or share what others have found and posted to their Facebook Pages.

What tricks do you use to conquer EdgeRank and show up in your Fans’ News Feeds? Anything to share? Please leave your thoughts in the Comments section below. Thanks for reading!