When you log on to Facebook, you may have noticed that posts at the top of your newsfeed page can sometimes be a few days old. The reason is that Facebook now uses "Top Stories" as the default setting for the newsfeed page. To view posts from your friends and fan pages in the order they were posted, you must manually select the "Most Recent" option.
So why the change? One line of thinking is that Facebook is using this new default setting to bolster the relevance and value of its paid advertising and promoted posts, thereby strengthening these revenue streams.
But for business owners using Facebook, the 'why' is less important than examining the impact this change is having on their posts, and the best way to overcome the risk of having less of their posts viewed by their existing audience. The bottom line is that audience engagement to your posts is now more important than ever.
Facebook now uses an algorithm known as Edgerank to determine which posts become "Top Posts." Edgerank uses many factors to rank posts in the newsfeed of your audience, but the most important is popularity. In other words, the more people who “like” your post, share your post, click on links in the post or comment on your post, the more likely it is that this post and future posts will be seen by your audience.
Essentially, this development makes it even more competitive and challenging to deliver messages to your existing fans. It's critical to stand out from the crowd and post content that will generate a positive response.
Stay tuned for a future blog that breaks down even more ways for businesses to extend their reach on Facebook, including the aforementioned promoted posts and paid posts.
How has EdgeRank affected your personal or business use of Facebook?
[...] week, I talked about why Facebook engagement is more important than ever. Because of Facebook’s EdgeRank system and its attempt to make money, they’ve changed the [...]