Understanding the Facebook News Feed – And How to Get Your Posts Seen

Did you know that Facebook decides who sees your posts, and who doesn`t? It`s Facebook`s goal to show the right content to the right people at the right time so that these people don`t miss the stories that are important to them. Facebook accomplishes this with their News Feed algorithm, formally known as EdgeRank. If you`re not sure what the News Feed is, it`s the constantly updating list of stories from people and Pages that you follow on Facebook. News Feed stories include status updates, photos, videos, links, app activity and likes. It`s what you see when you`re logged in on a desktop computer and on Facebook.com in the center column.

Facebook decides what`s important based on several factors including the number of comments, who posted the story, and what kind of story it is (ex: photo, video, status update). Thousands of pieces of data are analyzed within the algorithm to determine the best posts to show people, so that they aren`t overwhelmed by seeing everything as it is posted in real-time, like Twitter. By doing this, only a small percentage of your total likes will organically see your posts in their News Feed on average, especially if you`re posting content that doesn`t seem "important" to that user. And if someone liked your page months or years ago and hasn`t interacted with you since then, chances are they are not seeing your posts at all, unless you promote the post and pay for them to see it, or if the post receives a higher than average engagement rate - a post that is popular, with a lot of likes/comments and/or shares. If you use Facebook to market, you might have noticed a significant drop in the number of people you are reaching in 2014, which led to a significant drop in engagement (people liking, commenting or sharing). This is because people may not be seeing your posts in their News Feed. Here are a few tips on how to increase your reach organically, meaning you don`t have to pay: 1. Photos and Videos. Photos and videos generally have a heavier weight in Facebook`s algorithm, meaning Facebook likes those types of content pieces and will often show those post types to more of your fans than a regular status update. They might also keep those types of posts in your fan`s News Feed longer, giving it additional exposure. Check your Facebook Insights to see which kind of posts you get the most reach and engagement on.

2. Content important to your fans. Content that speaks to your perfect customer will stand out from the clutter and promotions that other brands post. Be human and be relatable. Step into the shoes of your customers. What would they comment on, share or like? The more the content relates to your customers, the more reach and engagement you`ll receive. 3. Engage. Don`t forget to ask questions and engage with your audience. The best way to get people to comment is by asking them to do so in a question or by asking for their opinions.

4. Re-engage. For those people who liked you months or years ago, but haven`t engaged with you since, try running an engagement campaign where you`re giving something away to someone who likes your page. To enter to win, they must like and/or comment on your page. To re-engage these people, you`ll need to promote the contest post but just target the people who like your page, these are warm leads and because it`s so targeted, you`ll spend less. After the contest, post content that relates to your customer, content that would be important to them so they continue engaging with you. The good news for you and your business page is Facebook has a very targeted advertising platform. This does cost money, but the more targeted you are with your efforts, the less you`ll spend. I strongly suggest learning how to use Facebook Ads and getting taught by a professional so you don`t waste time and money trying to figure it out yourself. I recently talked to a jeweler at the JCK Show in Las Vegas who spent $1,000`s on Facebook Ads and Boosting Posts and didn`t see any significant results. Consider joining Social Edge to gain instant access to the Facebook Ad Training Course, plus several other social media resources to help drive traffic to your store and website. Learn more and join at Crystalmedia.co/rdidiamonds.