[Part 2] Facebook EdgeRank and GraphRank Explained

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In this [part 2] post, we attempt to further clarify Facebook EdgeRank and GraphRank; and more importantly, help you put that knowledge to work.

If you haven’t already read through Facebook EdgeRank and GraphRank Explained part 1, go back and read it now. After reading Facebook EdgeRank and GraphRank Explained part 1 you should know that Facebook uses an algorithm known as “EdgeRank.” This “scoring” system determines who and what appears on users’ news feed. The news feed is key to Facebook marketing — this is where you will gain viewership from prospective new customers.

However, before you can gain that viewership you have to have a clear understanding of Facebook EdgeRank and the rules that define it. This can make or break your social media marketing campaign. It is critical to understand three key elements: Affinity, Weight and Time Decay.

Facebook EdgeRank: Affinity explained

In part 1 OF Facebook EdgeRank and GraphRank Explained, you learned that Affinity relates to the proximity of the user’s relationship with the item’s creator. While that seems fairly simple to understand, it often gets misapplied. Many people forget that affinity only works one-way. This means that just because you have been visiting a long forgotten friend’s profile and you comment on a photo or comment that you will now start appearing on their news feed. However, if you comment on an item on their wall and they comment back then that would lead to them having a greater Affinity to you.

Facebook EdgeRank: Weight explained

Weight is a simple Facebook EdgeRank formula that decides what content is more likely to show up in the news feed than other content. Although there is no real definitive pattern to Weight, there are definitely certain items that carry a higher ranking within Facebook EdgeRank Weight.

Within Facebook EdgeRank Weight, items that rate the highest are videos, photos and links. Therefore, in order to use weight to benefit your business, you have to rethink how you are communicating using Facebook. If you want to reach as many new customers as possible then you should try to include such items in your posts.

It is also important to realize that not everyone of your friend’s Weight ranking is the same. The person who enjoys clicking on links is probably going to see your link posts more often then the person who prefers pictures. Similarly, the person who likes pictures is going to see your pictures more often then the person who likes links. This information should encourage you to vary your posts.

Facebook EdgeRank: Time Decay explained

The last piece of the Facebook EdgeRank puzzle is Time Delay. Simply stated, a newer item is more likely to appear than an older item. Unlike Twitter, which is controlled by only chronological order, Facebook EdgeRank also takes into account Affinity and Weight.

With this in mind it is important to consider the timing of your posts. One thought is to create posts during the times your audience will most likely be using Facebook thus decreasing the Time Decay and increasing the probability of it showing up on their news feed. In other words, posting when other people are less likely to be posting content reduces the competition and forces yourself into a spot on their news feed.

Additional things you can do to increase your EdgeRank

Constant interaction is key to driving your Facebook marketing campaign. Plan for important announcements. Start increasing your Facebook EdgeRank Affinity now. If you know you will be making a big announcement, maybe you invite conversation and input from friends or you ask for feedback on a picture. The comments you receive will increase your chances of appearing on their news feed and therefore your overall Facebook EdgeRank score will increase.

Research shows that using keywords like Why, When, Where, and Would greatly increases the likelihood of comments and likes which raises your Facebook EdgeRank Weight value.

Post frequently and use Time Decay to your benefit by determining when your friends are using Facebook. Also factoring in when you get the most interaction from your friends. Pay attention to when there seems to be lulls in status updates and post at those times to ensure a spot in the news feed.

Consider the content in your status updates and how others perceive them. People are drawn to things that are interesting, relatable, honest, and that appeal to their emotion. So before you hit enter and post your status update ask yourself, “is this interesting? Can others relate to me? Am I being honest? Is there any emotional appeal?” All of these will help you create content that will increase your interaction with your friends and help with Facebook EdgeRank.

The Additional Element of Facebook GraphRank

As previously noted in Part 1, GraphRank mainly targets those who develop Facebook apps. Like Facebook EdgeRank, the more a friend uses an app the higher the GraphRank. While Facebook EdgeRank focuses more on the interactions with comments and likes, GraphRank interaction comes with using the app. More importantly, they have to hear about it often and see their friends using it.

Many of the suggestions for increasing your Facebook EdgeRank also apply to GraphRank; however, this is where Time Decay can really come into play. Note when your friends are online and interacting with you and share at those times in order to appear on their news feed. Also be aware of lulls in activity and post at those times so that when they turn on Facebook your app post will appear in their news feed.

Return to top: [Part 2] Facebook EdgeRank and GraphRank Explained

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NEW Facebook Timeline — A Billion Channels of Reality TV?

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NEW Facebook Timeline? This is your life.

We all know the phrase. It’s a throwback to a 1950s television show that walked through the life stories of its guests in front of friends, family… and a national television audience.

The odd part about the original This Is Your Life, the part many people don’t realize, is that the show was oddly, awkwardly personal in a way that modern-day reality TV doesn’t even come close to. There was the episode, for example, when one of the men who flew the plane that dropped The Bomb over Hiroshima was greeted by a surprise guest: A Japanese survivor. It was a tense television moment, to say the least.

Now, as the Facebook Timeline officially rolls out, users argue loudly amongst themselves over whether or not the social media version of “This is your life” is a good thing – another social networking innovation from Facebook – or a bad thing – another invasion, or potential invasion, of our privacy. Some people are saying that Facebook Timeline is just too personal, too convenient for online stalkers, too creepy to publicly lay out your entire life, together with all its best moments, its missteps, and its mundanity.

NEW Facebook Timeline? Am I About to Be Owned? Do I Care?

Our tendencies towards compulsive voyeurism and unabashed curiosity about the personal lives of others – not to mention the compulsiveness with which we pour over, analyze, and revisit our own life experiences — have never been so easily fulfilled. However, thanks to Facebook Timeline, not only can we visually conceptualize our life as a series of interconnected events, we can also see, within the Facebook Timeline, what our friends are listening to, cooking, reading, watching, and what their latest running route was.

Our ability to see what our friends are cooking and where they’re running, of course, are all conveniently provided to us through free apps by the brands that want to sell to us. The question for Facebook users becomes, “Does it bother me that all these apps have subtle marketing messages behind them?”

The answer Facebook suggests is that, no, it shouldn’t bother you at all. It’s natural to want to see what your friends are up to. It’s natural to want to know what movies they’ve seen recently and what books they’re reading. Facebook is wagering that the majority of their users will favor convenience and connection over philosophical issues with Facebook Timeline.

NEW Facebook Timeline? No, I Don’t Care.

Facebook is almost definitely right. Consumers have been using brands as a form of self-expression for decades; Facebook Timeline just makes that self-expression easily accessible in real-time. Facebook users who sympathize with Occupy Wall Street might complain about Facebook Timeline and its emphasis on integrating brands and our personal lives for a while, but sooner or later even Occupiers will want to share with their activist friends what brand of sleeping bag they’re using to keep warm as they protest the meteoric rise of big business.

Speaking of brands, there’s another question Facebook Timeline raises: Once the majority of Facebook users have adopted Timeline, how will it impact your own social media marketing? Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Be Included in the App Revolution

For just a moment, take your sales hat off and put your connectivity hat on. People use Facebook to connect, relax, and have fun. How can your brand create an app that helps them to do that?

Netflix, for example, has just about gotten Congress to allow them to launch a Facebook app that will use people’s friends’ movie preferences to make movie recommendations. In other words, it will be exactly what Facebook has been trying to accomplish with its advertising, but since users will voluntarily share their information, these apps might just clear the “privacy issues” hurdle.

2. Expect Facebook Timeline to Come to Brand Pages

Facebook hasn’t yet rolled out Facebook Timeline for brand pages, but once they do – and they probably will – that is one bandwagon you’ll want to jump on right away.

Why? For starters, Facebook Timeline puts a huge photo right at the top of the profile page. The 849 x 312 pixel cover photo of a Facebook Timeline page gives brands a chance to feature the perfect product shot or clever banner in a way that the existing Facebook pages do not.

3. You’d Better Get Interesting

The new Facebook Timeline format increases the likelihood that a brand’s self-promoting posts will never be seen by fans. Anything Facebook algorithms deem uninteresting will get relegated to the Ticker. Posts such as videos, photos, links, and content that earns lots of likes are far more likely to reach to reach the eyes of fans.

* * *

Facebook, along with the Internet in general, have rapidly changed how we think about and interact with our friends and our world. Back in the early days of blogging, some people asked, “Why in the world would anyone want to make their private thoughts available for everyone to read?” Today, sharing private moments as encapsulated in photos or posts is so second-nature that almost no one questions it any longer. Facebook Timeline is just the latest evolution in this trend of making our personal lives increasingly public. Though consumers might complain now, brands who want to succeed will find smart ways to use Facebook Timeline to tell their own stories and offer help as fans tell theirs.

Return to top: Op-Ed: NEW Facebook Timeline? A Billion Channels of Reality TV?

What do you think about the new Facebook Timeline? Share your thoughts below.

Infographic – Highest Value Digital Consumers – Social Media, Local Social Media and Mobile

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According to Nielsen, these days, Social Media, Local Social Media and Mobile seems to be driving much of the conversation about online opportunities. But at the end of the day, there is only one constant common denominator across the Web: the consumer. An understanding of this consumer and how they are influenced by social, mobile and local experiences online is vital to big brands looking to reach them on the Web. Nielsen and NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey company, illustrate some findings that highlight digital consumer behaviors and consumption patterns that can help brand advertisers understand their most valuable customers and how they’re engaging across social media, local social media and mobile.

Highest Value Digital Consumers – Social Media, Local Social Media and Mobile: Social Media Infographic

Highest Value Digital Consumers – Social Media, Local Social Media and Mobile: Local Social Media Infographic

Highest Value Digital Consumers – Social Media, Local Social Media and Mobile: Mobile Infographic

Source Information:

Social Media:
1. Nielsen, @Plan (Release 3 2011). Social Networking Activities, Online 18+
2. Nielsen, @Plan (Release 3 2011). Social Networking Activities, Online 18+
3. Nielsen, @Plan (Release 3 2011). Social Networking Activities – Comment on others postings, Profiled by Demo
4. Nielsen, @Plan (Release 3 2011). TV/Internet Concurrent Usage (Yesterday) – Used TV/Internet Concurrently (Yesterday), Online 18+
5. Nielsen, @Plan (Release 3 2011). Social Networking Activities – Any Social Networking Activity, Profiled by TV Programming Viewership
6. NM Incite, State of Social Media Survey (April 2011). Parents = Have Children <18 7. Nielsen, Global Online Survey (Q1 2011) Local Social Media: 1. Nielsen, Cross-Platform Report (Q2 2011) 2. Nielsen, App Playbook (Q1 2011) 3. Nielsen, NetView, Home & Work (August 2011 v. August 2009) 4. NM Incite, State of Social Media Survey (April 2011). Access locations among social media users 5. Nielsen, @Plan (Release 3 2011). PRIZM Segment, Own PDA Smartphone, Profiled by DMA 6. Nielsen, App Playbook (Q1 2011) Mobile: 1. Nielsen, Mobile Connected Device Report (Q2 2011) 2. Nielsen, Mobile Connected Device Report (Q2 2011) 3. Nielsen, Mobile Media View Internet, All Carriers (August 2011). Mobile Internet refers to the use of a Web browser on a mobile device. 4. Nielsen, App Playbook (Q1 2011) 5. Nielsen, App Playbook (Q1 2011) 6. Nielsen, App Playbook (Q1 2011) Return to top: Infographic – Highest Value Digital Consumers – Social Media, Local Social Media and Mobile

What are your thoughts about this post or this general topic? You can share your comments below.

Remember Me? I’m Your Customer.

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You already know how to build your brand through social media marketing. You’re already on top of the changes that Facebook announced at the 2011 f8 Developers’ Conference. You’re also well-aware of the fact that you need to interact with your social media consumers, not just constantly pitch to them. As such, you’re always looking for ways to increase interaction and dialogue with Facebook fans.

You follow all the social media rules of engagement because you want to build your social brand. That’s fine – building your social brand is your job. However, have you ever stopped to ask yourself what’s in it for your fans and followers? You know what you’re getting out of your social media relationship with them; what are they getting out of it?

The better you understand what your social media followers are getting from their relationship to your brand, the better and faster you will be able to build your social brand. Let’s have a little Being John Malkovich moment and travel inside your followers’ heads.

1. Social media consumers want to save money

One of the greatest perks to social media consumers is the ability they gain to find deals and save money. They are no longer chained to whatever they can find at their local retail stores; unfettered, they prowl Facebook pages and join email lists with the intention to save a couple bucks on products they like or think they might like.

Here are some social media statistics you need to know:

88% of women and 70% of men say that promotions were what motivated them to subscribe to emails from a company (Source: InternetRetailer.com)
40% of consumers who “Like” a Facebook page do so in the hopes that they will receive discounts; this is the top reason they click “Like” (Source: SocialMediaExaminer.com)
Another 36% of consumers say they follow Facebook business pages to get a freebie or coupon (Source: SocialMediaExaminer.com)
Put the two above statistics together and you’ll see that 76% of Facebook fans are hoping to get a deal of some kind
43.5% of Twitter users start following a brand in the hopes of deals and discounts; this is also the number one reason for following a Twitter user (Source: GetSatisfaction.com Blog)
70% of social media users who follow brands report that they have participated in a sweepstakes or other brand-sponsored contest (Source: GetSatisfaction.com Blog)

2. Social media consumers want to display their personality

Interestingly enough, the same social media study that found the #1 reason for following a brand is the somewhat predictable wish to save money found that the #2 reason for following a brand is to publicly display their brand affiliation. Receiving discounts was the top reason for 40% of respondents; showing support for a brand was the top reason for 39% (Source: SocialMediaExaminer.com).

In other words, Facebook users will frequently “Like” a page simply for the purpose of self-expression. Understanding this, you may wish to think more about what following your page says about a person and how you can tweak that meaning to reach out via social media to more people and the right people.

3. Social media consumers want to be entertained

While people use a site like Google principally to find information, people are often using sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter for the same reasons that they turn on the television: They want to be entertained.

As part of their drive to be entertained, Facebook users continue to consume Facebook apps at a rapid rate. Facebook’s own statistics state that “more than 500 million people use an app on Facebook or experience Facebook Platform on other websites” each month (Source: Facebook.com).

Facebook games continue to blow the minds of their creators. Data from September 2010 reveals this about Facebook games:

53% of all Facebook users play social games, or 56 million each day
Unlike the typical gamer profile, these gamers are 69% women
50% of all Facebook logins are for game playing
The average gamer plays for 210 minutes each month

(Source: AllFacebook.com)

4. Social media influencers have their own agenda

Much has been written about creating “brand evangelists” — influential bloggers and consumers who will build your brand for you just because they like you so darn much. However, it’s important not to be sucked in to the evangelism about brand evangelists. Don’t be naïve; most of these influencers review, write about, and promote your brand and products as part of building their own brand.

Independent reviewers and bloggers are mostly interested in building their own fan base and sphere of influence. When you reach out to an influencer, you must remember that their agenda is just as self-promoting as yours is. Therefore, ask yourself how your brand can benefit the influencer before reaching out and suggesting a collaboration.

Now that you’ve gotten a glimpse of what’s going on inside your followers’ minds, reexamine your social media outlets and check to see if you are actually meeting their needs. You might be great at posting surveys and responding to comments right away, but have you really taken the time to consider why your social media fans are following you in the first place? Once you align the content you provide with the reasons consumers follow your brand, your social media success will skyrocket.

Don’t know why your existing fans are following you? Here’s a novel approach: Ask them.

Return to top: Social Media Brand Engagement: What’s in it for the Consumer?

Have some thoughts on this topic or general comments? Share them below.