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How to Get an Edge When Promoting Your Web Development Facebook Page

It seems like it took marketers forever to finally get the gist of EdgeRank, Facebook’s old algorithm. EdgeRank decided what each individual Facebook user saw or didn’t see in her/his timeline. Then, EdgeRank was suddenly gone and marketers were once again scrambling to try to understand the Facebook algorithms. And, with the latest changes being aimed towards businesses, you need to have an edge when promoting your web development Facebook page.

Facebook went to great lengths to recreate its algorithms in order to create better experiences for its users. Unfortunately for businesses, this had a negative impact on organic traffic immediately following the new algorithm rollout. According to Facebook’s November 2014 announcement:

“As part of an ongoing survey, we asked hundreds of thousands of people how they feel about the content in their News Feeds. People told us they wanted to see more stories from friends and Pages they care about, and less promotional content.”

So, with all these changes to the Facebook algorithm and the ways it handles business page posts, how can you get ahead? Are there ways to promote your web development firm’s Facebook page without breaking the marketing budget’s bank? Yes, there are.

How are Your Facebook Page’s Posts Ranked?

Many social media marketers are upset about the drastic decline in Facebook newsfeed activity for Pages. Some believe it’s all a ploy to get entrepreneurs and small business to dish out cash for those paid ads or promoted posts. It’s widely believed that promoted content is the only business content actually getting exposure in users’ Facebook news feeds.

Whether all of that is true or not, one thing is fact: You must be willing to put in extra work promoting your company Facebook page, or your posts will never be seen by users. So, how do you get an edge up on Facebook’s algorithms to ensure that your Page posts are actually seen in timelines… ORGANICALLY?

Does EdgeRank Still Matter?

Although EdgeRank is now a thing of the past for Facebook, it’s almost certain that the site’s new algorithms include its basic concepts. There were three key elements that EdgeRank used to decide what hit the timelines of users, all three of which you should consider when promoting your web development company’s Facebook page:

  1. Affinity Score – Measurement of how strong your brand’s relationship is with a specific user based on the user’s engagement with your Page on Facebook. In other words, those who liked, shared or commented on your Page’s posts had higher affinity scores. The higher the score, the more likely it was they’d see your posts in their newsfeeds.
  2. Weight – Each interaction had a specific weight. For example, likes carried less weight than shares or comments. So, theoretically, posts with a lot of shares and/or comments will be shown in more timelines.
  3. Time – The older the post became, the less relevant it was… that simple. So, it would show up in newsfeeds less and less over time.

Promoting Your Facebook Page

5 Tips for Promoting Your Web Development Facebook Page

Ready to start marketing your web development business online? Already have a Facebook Page, but it’s just not getting the results you’d like? Well, here are five tips to help you be more effective when promoting your web development Facebook page.

1. Use Eye-Catching Images and Videos in Your Posts

Facebook news feeds are filled with text updates from friends and family members. It’s no wonder the social media site doesn’t want to clutter newsfeeds with text posts from businesses, which may end up being spammy or salesy in nature. Posting visually appealing, relevant videos and images increases the chances of user engagement, which Facebook likes, increasing visibility.

2. Target Your Posts on Your Web Development Company’s Facebook Page

Since the decline in reach for Facebook pages, some marketers have reported seeing positive results come from targeted posts. This just may be one of the best ways to get your page’s posts in front of your target audience, without spending on ads. You can target your Facebook ads by:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Educational Status
  • Relationship
  • Language
  • Location
  • Demographics

3. Combine Text with Images Properly

You must use the right combination of what Facebook calls “images and alluring copy” when posting visuals. The social network penalizes images posted on page that contain too much text copy. Keep your sentences instructional and short to grab users’ attention immediately. And, stay clear of those salesy “shop now” and “buy now” phrases.

4. Request Feedback from Your Audience

When promoting your web development company’s Facebook Page, engagement is extremely important. Questions promote engagement. It can be anything from a simple web design question like “Do you use WordPress for your DIY site?” Or, it can be a more focused web development question like “What is your strongest Full Stack JavaScript skill?”

Two things to remember when posting questions for promoting your web development company’s Facebook Page:

  • Theoretically, the more users interact with you on your Page, the more they’ll see your posts. Requesting feedback can help to increase engagement drastically, if you ask the right questions.
  • Theoretically, comments weight more than likes. Feedback requests increase the chances of getting more comments on your posts.

5. Sponsor “Fill in the Blank” or “Help Us Name It” Contests

Lays pulled off one of the greatest Facebook Page promotions ever with its “Do Us a Flavor” contests. During the contests, fans were asked to submit their own ideas for location-inspired Lay’s potato chip flavors. The amount of new Likes gained and increased Facebook user engagement was astronomical with each contest.

Your web development firm can sponsor something very similar. Just make sure that both the contest and the prizes are relevant to your industry, niche or brand when promoting your web development company’s Facebook page. And, litter every post with catchy hashtags.

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richardhale

Richard Hale is the Founder of Hale Associations, a company that provides Web Development, SEO and Marketing services globally.