How to use Facebook
So I know I promised you more information on how to use Google+ to boost your SEO but I really think most of you are worried about the new Facebook updates so I though I would ease your mind there.With all of the changes that have happened to various social media platforms over the past week, I want to put that on hold a minute so we can help you understand those changes and what they mean for you. You’ll forgive the diversion, won’t you?
We sent out some information about Facebook’s changes earlier this week- did you get it? I’ve got a few people whose e-mail has started bouncing recently, so if you’re not sure that you are receiving our social media tips, please click here to subscribe. We’re adding new content with tips that won’t be available anywhere else, even on our blog! It’s our way of saying thank you to our loyal subscribers.
So now that we’ve gotten that squared away, here’s what you need to know about Facebook’s changes last week. Honestly – we are excited about these changes! More than any changes that Facebook has implemented, this set of changes is probably one of the best to come along for businesses who want to have better engagement with their audience, provide more value and ultimately boost their profits.
And who doesn’t want to do that, right?
We just know that you’ll love these changes once you know how to maximize them for your customers, so let’s dive in.
Say It With Pictures – Great Pictures
Pictures are going to be super important with the new look – the image size in your news feed is increasing, so it means that the higher quality you can manage to get, the better. You can still have text of course, but you might want to think about combining it with pictures in some way to get more engagement and take advantage of the new photo and video real estate. Memes are one of the best ways of engaging people, so this might be a natural kind of content to post.
Pictures will display at 600 x 600 pixels - so plan accordingly. If you don’t have great pictures, consider using a service such as 123RF.com or iStockphoto.com to purchase some pictures that reflect your own brand’s high quality standards.
Note – any text that you use to describe your pictures won’t appear as a caption below, but will be overlaid at the bottom of the photo. So – keep any descriptions short and sweet for maximum benefit.
Pictures – Round Two!
There’s another place your picture matters more, and it’s your cover photo. As the new features roll out, any time someone “Likes” your page, the cover photo will appear in their News Feed. You want this to be an AMAZING first impression of you and your business, right? So make sure that this is a cover that does indeed put your best face forward.
When it comes to your Facebook cover photo, not to mention your Twitter background and your blog header, it is CRITICAL that you have a professionally branded presence. And this just makes it that much more important!!!
Here’s the thing – if your cover photo looks amateur and doesn’t match the rest of your branding on your blog, website, or other social media platforms, and it’s up there on a News Feed right next to someone who does have professional branding, I hate to tell you, but you’re going to lose. The eye buys, and it’s even more true online.
Pinterest Photos Matter Too!
Even though it’s a bit of a competition between Facebook and Pinterest, it appears that the new format will give greater prominence to Pinterest pictures in peoples’ News Feeds. Again – the pictures you pin from your blog to Pinterest will boost your SEO – but they need to be quality pictures!
Likes Matter More!
Now, we’ve all scratched our heads and wondered how valuable likes really are as Facebook constantly tweaks its algorithms and doesn’t actually explain to users. But here’s the thing. With the new News Feed appearance, any time you Like a page, that will show up in your friends’ News Feeds, along with the cover photo and profile picture associated with that Page.
We think this has seriously huge potential for businesses (and emphasizes the importance of those pictures being top notch!) People are very visually driven, so this is an amazing way for the power of social networking to boost your engagement with a much wider audience.
This will also impact how check-ins are displayed (also with the display of the cover photo and profile picture on your friends News Feeds). So not only does this reinforce yet again that these pictures are important, but it also is a reminder that you need to encourage your patrons to check in to your business! Start to talk with your customers about your Facebook presence – make sure they’ve liked your page.
And above all – make sure you are posting engaging, valuable content for your audience regularly!!!
Quality Content Matters More
You know how we’re always talking about needing to create quality content that matches up with your plan and your mission? Well…it matters even more than ever if you’re using Facebook to share content with your friends and customers. (And you should be!) But here’s the thing – the most engaged with content will move to the top of peoples’ News Feeds. Content that isn’t shared, liked, or commented upon won’t be as easy to see.
You don’t have to be Shakespeare to create quality SEO content for your websites, but if you’ve noticed you’re not getting engagement with your posts, it might be a good time to look at focusing on your strengths and outsourcing this vital part of your business communication.
So there you have it – the top means of taking these changes and making sure your business is benefiting from Facebook’s new News Feed feature.
What is your favorite part of the News Feed update? Leave a comment below!
